Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill.
A mile and a half round the middle of Great Ayton, from High Green down the riverside to Low Green, over the footbridge and back by the lanes near the station. The Leven runs shallow and gravelly through both greens, so it is a reliable place for a dog to get in and out of the water without a bank to climb, and the greens themselves are mown grass rather than pasture. North Yorkshire Council's dog control Public Spaces Protection Order, in force from 5 June 2025 for three years, covers only the former Scarborough Borough area of Scarborough, Filey and Whitby, so there is no lead requirement and no seasonal ban anywhere in Great Ayton. The one thing to watch is the road round High Green, which is busier than it looks.
A short, steady climb from the free Gribdale Gate car park up through larch woods to the 60-foot obelisk of 1827 on Easby Moor, raised to the explorer who grew up in Great Ayton below. Views sweep to Roseberry Topping and across the Cleveland plain, and a longer circuit links both summits via the Cleveland Way. Popular with dog walkers, but livestock graze along the trail, so leads on at times.
A 7.9-mile circuit with 300 metres of ascent and about three and three quarter hours, taking in Roseberry Common, the woods above Hutton Village and the long moor-top return to the obelisk on Easby Moor; the moor sections are firm sandy track but the climb from Hutton Village is steep and stepped. It starts at the Dikes Lane car park below Roseberry Topping, which is small and free and full by nine on a clear Saturday, with the alternative being Gribdale Gate a mile and a half round the other side. Newton Wood and the Guisborough plantations are grand for a dog off the lead and there are streams to drink from, but Roseberry Common and Great Ayton Moor carry sheep all year and the whole moor holds ground-nesting birds between 1 March and 31 July.
A working-farm coffee shop at Little Ayton, signposted off Great Ayton high street, serving breakfasts, sandwiches, home baking and Sunday lunch until half past three. Its own site says dogs are most welcome both inside and outside the coffee shop, which is unusually plain wording for a food business, and there is a decked balcony and tables by the stream as well as the indoor room with its log burner. Free parking in the main and overflow car parks means it works as the start or end of a walk rather than somewhere you have to leave the dog in the car.
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