The Great Yorkshire Forest - North York Moors National Park

The protected area of the North York Moors National Park extends over 1432 km².

We had planned to go hiking here today, and we first drove to Dalby Forest.

To our surprise, we could not simply drive to the hiking parking lot, but had to pass a barrier with the note that parking here costs 10 pounds.

However, there were well-built parking lots and a visitor center, where we first made a short stop.

Then we drove to the “Low Staindale & Bridestones” parking lot, from which our hike should start.

We walked through the moorland, where extensive heath areas emerged due to clearings in the Bronze Age.

The heather was also starting to bloom, which made the view even more beautiful.

At the end of the trail, we walked around Staindale Lake before taking a break.

Actually, we wanted to continue driving a bit further and enjoy the view from the Waitcliff Trail, but before we reached the parking lot, a barrier appeared again, where we would have had to pay before exiting. Since we wanted to drive back on the other side, we feared we would have to pay the fee twice (and we were also not sure if it even costs 25 pounds for a motorhome). So we decided to turn around and drive back to the visitor center parking lot.

From there, only one of us set out on another hike: the Sneverdale Rigg Rabbit Run.

Rabbits were once kept here to sell their fur.

Unfortunately, the description did not make it clear how far it initially went uphill.

But then the walk became relaxed, as the wide path now only went downhill.

After a coffee break, we drove towards Derham, which we wanted to explore the next day.

We continued through a picturesque hilly landscape with lots of greenery and heath.