Sutton Bank and the White Horse

Drive fifteen minutes east of Thirsk and the road climbs a steep escarpment where the North York Moors stop dead and the Vale of Mowbray opens out below. James Herriot knew every farm track down there and called it the finest view in England. On a clear day you can see across two vales to the Pennines, with gliders from the club on the plateau launching straight out over the edge.

A mile and a half along the cliff top sits the Kilburn White Horse, cut into the hillside in 1857 and the most northerly turf figure in England. It needs upkeep to stay white, and in 2022 Forestry England paid 20,000 pounds for a respray, done by specialists who abseiled down the escarpment to reach it. Nothing else this close to town gives you as much for the price of a car park ticket.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, head east out of Thirsk on the A170 towards Helmsley and Scarborough. The road runs flat for four or five miles and then climbs Sutton Bank in a set of tight bends. The National Park Centre car park is at the top on the left, about fifteen minutes from the square. Caravans are not allowed up the bank, so anyone towing needs a different route entirely.

This one really is a car trip. There is no direct bus from Thirsk. The seasonal Moorsbus M5 links Thirsk with Coxwold, Byland, Ampleforth and Helmsley (in 2026 it ran on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 3 April to 27 September), but reaching Sutton Bank by bus means changing onto the M4 at Helmsley, which makes for a long day. Parking at the centre is card or PayByPhone only.

Start at the centre, which is free to enter and has the Nature Lab hands-on exhibits, a shop and the In the Wilde cafe. Then walk. The White Horse circular is the classic, an hour or so along the edge with the view on your right the whole way and the horse itself below you at the turn.

Younger children tend to be happier at the outdoor adventure play area, and it works well as a base while one adult takes the longer path. Bikes can be hired on site from Sutton Bank Bikes if you would rather cover more ground. The National Park also runs dark sky stargazing events here, which are worth a second trip after dark.

The view is the reason to come, and it lives up to its reputation. The cliff-top path is level enough for most walkers, which means the best of it is available without a scramble. The centre earns its keep in poor weather: step-free, warm, with a cafe and toilets and enough for children to do. Add the gliders overhead and the White Horse below and you have a half-day that costs the price of parking.

Sort the parking before you leave home. The card and PayByPhone system needs signal that the top of the bank does not reliably provide, so download the app in Thirsk. Take a layer more than you think you need, because the wind along the edge is a different proposition from the wind in town. The White Horse path gets slippery after rain and the drop is real, so keep children and dogs close on the exposed sections. If low cloud sits on the escarpment the view disappears, and the Nature Lab and cafe are the fallback. Pair it with Byland Abbey, twenty minutes further on, for a full day east of town.