Roseberry Topping

Roseberry Topping is the landmark of the Cleveland plain, a 320m hill with one side of its summit sheared away. Until 1912 it was a tidy sugarloaf cone. Then the summit collapsed, put down to a geological fault and possibly to the alum and ironstone mining that had gone on beneath it, and the pitted old workings are still visible below the top. That broken cone is the outline you see from the A173 today.

The National Trust manages the hill and it is open to everyone at all times. It sits just inside the North York Moors National Park, whose boundary follows the A173 at its foot. The climb is short and steep, and on a clear day the view from the top reaches the Pennines. People have been here a long time: a Bronze Age hoard was found on its slopes, and there are Iron Age enclosures nearby.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, Roseberry Topping is about 25 miles and 40 minutes north by car. The last stretch is the A173 through Great Ayton to Newton-under-Roseberry, the village at the foot of the hill. Use TS9 6QR in a satnav.

Park in the public car park in Newton-under-Roseberry. It is owned and run by the North York Moors National Park rather than the National Trust, and charges apply to every car. The tariff for 2026 could not be confirmed, so check the machine when you arrive. Toilets are about 50m from the car park entrance. Treat this as a car trip from Thirsk.

The walk is the visit. From the car park, take Roseberry Lane towards the hill. Its surface is uneven and it finishes in a long, steep slope, and the path on to the summit is a quick, steep pull over grass, gravel, earth and wood. The direct route up and back down the same way is about 1.6 miles (2.7km) and takes about an hour.

At the top, look out across the Cleveland plain and, on a clear day, west to the Pennines. Look down too: the collapse scar and the pitted mine workings below the summit show what happened in 1912. Come down the same way, taking the steep section slowly. Allow longer than the hour if you want to sit at the top with a flask.

The shape is the draw. The 1912 collapse is written into the hill, and at the summit you stand on its broken edge. The view is the reward for a short effort: an hour on foot buys a summit with the whole plain spread out below. It costs nothing but the parking, and dogs under close control are welcome on the hill.

Go on a clear, dry day. The view is the point, and the summit is exposed to the wind and weather, so a fine morning in Thirsk can feel very different at 320m. Wear walking boots or trainers with a good grip, because the final slope is steep and the ground is uneven. Take a warm layer and water for everyone, dogs included. Keep children close and dogs on a lead at the top, and put dogs on a short lead near livestock. The paths are too narrow and steep for wheelchairs and most buggies, so bring a carrier for small children. Mount Grace Priory, near Osmotherley, is on the way back towards Thirsk for a second stop, though it opens at weekends only in winter.