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Yorkshire And The Humber

York City Walls

Yorkshire And The Humber

York

York City Walls

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York City Walls

Recommended by 33 hikers out of 34

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Location: York, Yorkshire And The Humber, England, United Kingdom

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Best Hikes to York City Walls

4.8

(47)

742

hikers

1. York City Walls – York City Walls loop from Leeman Road

7.35km

01:53

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.5

(4)

hikers

2. Historic Centre of York – York Minster loop from York

4.11km

01:04

20m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

5.0

(5)

hikers

3. York City Walls – York City Walls loop from Poppleton

20.7km

05:18

90m

Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Expert

Tips

Cornelia Fuchs

May 3, 2024

The original walls were built around 71 AD, when the Romans erected a fort (castra) occupying about 50 acres or 21.5 hectares near the banks of the River Ouse. The rectangle of walls was built as part of the fort's defences. The foundations and the line of about half of these Roman walls form part of the existing walls.

Some call the existing city walls "Roman walls" which is a misnomer as very little of the extant stonework is of Roman origin, and the course of the wall has been substantially altered since Roman times.

The majority of the remaining walls, which encircle the whole of the medieval city, date from the 13th – 14th century.

RichD

June 7, 2025

Most of the Roman walls are underground, and are overlaid with centuries of modification including Danish and Norman ramparts. Example cross-section of the walls can be viewed at british-history.ac.uk/rchme/york/vol2/pp108-138.

With 6 Bars (gatehouses), 8 posterns and 39 towers (not all have survived), you can't come to York and not walk some of the walls, the most scenic parts are the North Corner around the Minster on the north side of the city centre.
Opening times and other notices here: york.gov.uk/york-city-centre/city-walls/3
Maps and descriptions of wall walks here: yorkwalls.org.uk/?page_id=3690

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Details

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Elevation 70 m

Weather

Today

Monday 27 October

11°C

7°C

10 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 20.0 km/h

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See hikes here

Take Me There

Location: York, Yorkshire And The Humber, England, United Kingdom

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York City Walls

1. York City Walls – York City Walls loop from Leeman Road

2. Historic Centre of York – York Minster loop from York

3. York City Walls – York City Walls loop from Poppleton

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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