Easy hikes and walks around Ampleforth

Save some energy for the long final stretch - not the steepest part but energy sapping.

Open everyday to the public. No charge.

Very nice spot. If you are headed east up Drakendale Gill, then the woodland path is quite steep, but then flattens out a bit and becomes more of a plantation track as you proceed through The Royalty and College Moor.

Ampleforth Abbey has been a working abbey for Benedictine monks since 1802. It's an imposing and imposing space. The Abbey Church can be visited, and there is also a tearoom here and Visitor Centre. The impressive grounds around the Abbey include the Ampleforth College, which is an independent Catholic boarding school.

This is a terrific segment, particularly if you walk in the northern direction towards Ampleforth. Spot the lovely oaks in the field just after crossing the road on the southern end of this segment. As you walk towards Ampleforth, you get terrific views of Ampleforth Abbey in the distance as well as the green woodlands of both Wass Moor and Beacon Bank.

This is one fabulous place to be: a very picturesque and beautiful little lake, with little piers on its banks in a few places. The tracks and paths around it are well-managed (thus easy to run on). On a sunny day, the waters get amazingly blue colours and the scene is truly Impressionistic!

There is a wonderful view from The Scar over the trees to the north to Wass Moor and Beacon Bank, and there is a seat provided, too.

From The Avenue, you have a great view of Gilling Castle at its end, but I am afraid there is no access to the grounds: get as close as you can for a good view, but then retrace your steps. The Castle used to be the home of the Fairfax family, but now is a prep department for the Ampleforth College.

There is a wonderful view from The Scar over the trees to the north to Wass Moor and Beacon Bank, and there is a seat provided, too.

This is one fabulous place to be: a very picturesque and beautiful little lake, with little piers on its banks in a few places. The tracks and paths around it are well-managed, not to mention the swans. On a sunny day, the waters get amazingly blue colours and the scene is truly Impressionistic!

A stone bench is here from which, particularly on a clear and sunny day, you will get truly beautiful views over Shallow Dale with High Woods Farm down below. Somebody should commission a painter for this place!

This site, which might be easy to miss if you don't know of it, is thought to have been constructed in the late Bronze Age period. The purpose of it is unknown, but it might have been a horse corral in the past as the word 'stodfalod' was a common name for Roman enclosures, and Anglo-Saxons used such enclosures for horse folds.

Ampleforth Abbey has been a working abbey for Benedictine monks since 1802. It's an imposing and imposing space. The Abbey Church can be visited, and there is also a tea room here and Visitor Centre. The impressive grounds around the Abbey include the Ampleforth College, which is an independent Catholic boarding school.

Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth. The monastery founded a school at Ampleforth in 1802. It is now the coeducational independent boarding school Ampleforth College, with about 600 pupils. The site is beautiful, and apart from the tea-room the church dedicated to St Laurence is open to the public for prayers and Mass. The Struggle Moors cycling sportive starts at this location.

Bike friendly, nice sandwiches and good coffee

There are a couple of benches here, they make a great place to stop and have a break

Bike stands out front

Slightly misleading name of the highlight, but still a great highlight on any ride out this way! Not only are the building and the grounds hugely impressive, but there's also a quirky, somewhat traditional cafe that does decent coffee, cake, and other food. You have to ride round the whole building to find the cafe entrance at the back. Bikes seem fairly safe left outside. (I've never been too worried). The mice on the furniture are the trademark of furniture designer Robert Thompson, originally from Kilburn where you can visit his workshop. The road to reach here is also really quiet so that's nice too.

You have to go into the college to get to the tea room, but it's clearly signposted. You just feel like you should be bringing Hermione with you to register for the start of term. In case you are interested, college fees come in at a cool £35,000 per year. No wonder we saw 2 defibrillators for parents who hadn't seen the fees yet.