Ellerburn and Thornton Beck from Pickering

A 7.7-mile field-path circuit with only 170 metres of climbing, about three and a half hours at a steady pace, though the low ground between Pickering and Thornton Beck turns to sticky clay from November to March and there are a dozen stiles. It starts in Pickering market place, where the long-stay car park behind the Ropery is the sensible option on a market Monday, and the Coastliner 840 from York and Whitby stops on Eastgate. The beck runs clear enough for a drink most of the way and the wooded stretch up to St Hilda's at Ellerburn is glorious for a nose-down dog, but the route crosses working sheep and cattle pasture on both sides of Thornton-le-Dale, so leads go on at every gate.