Route Guide: Great Ayton Moor, Kildale Moor and Easby Moor.
Distance: 9 Miles - 2.5 miles on-road, 6.5 miles off-road.
Difficulty: Medium.
Time: About 1 and 3 quarter hours.

From the carpark, head east and then almost due north on the signposted bridleway up the steep 
hill onto Great Ayton Moor. The bridleway you should follow becomes very indistinct, but heads 
towards GR598128 in just over 1 mile - just below Hutton Lowcross woods on Hutton Moor. Here you 
turn sharp right and head south-east along Percy Cross Rigg across Kildale Moor. (There is an 
obvious track which cuts of this corner, heading from the top of Great Ayton Moor in a big arc 
towards the northern point of Lonsdale Plantation. Do not be tempted to take this route, as it 
is designated as a footpath only).
From the top of Lonsdale plantation follow the forestry road to the end of the plantation and 
turn right, now following the eastern edge of the plantation due south. The track eventually 
crosses a narrow section of the plantation and you emerge just above New  Row, on Quarry Hill. 
Go straight on, over the railway line and down to the main road, where you turn right to Kildale.
 On entering the village you join the Cleveland Way by taking the first right, then right again. 
Cross the railway line and head into Sandbeds Plantation. At the end of the tarmac section, when 
you reach the farm buildings, take the woodland bridleway to your left. This takes you through 
Mill Bank Wood following the contours of the hillside below Easby Moor (and is also marked with 
blue arrows). You soon come out onto open hillside bwlow Captain Cook's Monument. Unfortunately 
you cannot see the monument from your position - your best view is from the top of Great Ayton 
Moor at the start of the ride - but the view from up there is a worth a walk up from the carpark 
after your ride.
From below the monument, follow the track north-west entering more woodland than the following 
the edge of Ayton Banks Wood on your right. After leaving the wood you start to descend to 
Southbrook Farm. At the farm turn right onto Dikes Lane, heading back up the steep hill to the 
carpark.

This route was downloaded from:
Mountain Bike Extreme - http://www.mtbe.co.uk