Walk · North Yorkshire

Duncombe Park and the Fairy Staircase

Helmsley · YO62 5AB
Helmsley A170 River Rye River Rye Plockwoods Bank Wood N 440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
4.5MILES
1h 58mON FOOT
100mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 85% 15% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 55%Lane & track 30%Road with traffic 15%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
YO62 5AB
Directions to the start →

An easy 4.5-mile loop with 100 metres of ascent, under two hours, running out of town along the grass terraces of Duncombe Park and down the stepped Fairy Staircase to the River Rye; smooth going apart from the steps, which are steep and greasy in the wet. Start at Helmsley market place, five minutes from the castle car park, and the town is well served by buses from Thirsk, Malton and Scarborough. There is deep water in the Rye for a swim and shade from the veteran parkland oaks, but Duncombe Park is a working estate and a national nature reserve, so dogs stay on the lead throughout and off the deer lawns.

THE SMALL PRINTDogs on leads throughout Duncombe Park, which is a deer park and national nature reserve

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on
REGION · NORTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 54.2465, -1.0620
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.KOMOOT.COM/SMARTTOUR/5934245
Also in Helmsley

Know one we have missed?

Tell us the pub we have not walked into yet.

Local knowledge beats desk research every time. Name the place and we will check it properly — the venue's own policy, confirmed, then stamped and dated like every other listing.

Get the new stamps first.

One short email when we add places or a council changes its beach rules. No noise, easy out.

NO SPAM · UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME · WE NEVER SELL THE LIST

Wagfinder Members

Your patch, watched for you.

£4.99 A MONTH · OR £48 A YEAR
Restriction alerts for your saved beaches — know before the ban starts, not at the slipway sign.
New-place notifications in your area, the day we stamp them in.
Member perks at claimed venues across Britain.
Become a member

ENTER DOG OF THE MONTH · RESTRICTION ALERTS · CANCEL ANY TIME