Bank Top Iron Kilns – Rosedale East Kilns loop from Rosedale Abbey

Hiking trails & Routes

United Kingdom

England

Yorkshire And The Humber

North Yorkshire

Ryedale

Spaunton

Bank Top Iron Kilns – Rosedale East Kilns loop from Rosedale Abbey

Moderate

4.6

(8)

hikers

Bank Top Iron Kilns – Rosedale East Kilns loop from Rosedale Abbey

02:04

6.89km

190m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 9, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

North York Moors National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

70 m

Bank Top Iron Kilns

Highlight • Historical Site

The ironstone-rich landscape around Rosedale was totally transformed in Victorian times as demand for iron grew. So valuable was Rosedale Ironstone that 19th-century mine owners made every effort to extract it, even in remote areas.

Bank Top was where all the ironstone came for processing and transport. There would have been a railway, processing works, houses, plus more at this spot in the mid-19th century. Today, the crumbling kilns, chimneys and other ruins here are testament to a bygone industry. You get some breathtaking views at Bank Top, too.

Tip by

1.41 km

View of Rosedale from the Railway Trail

Highlight • Trail

Good place to stop and take in the view to Rosedale Abbey

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2.70 km

Thorgill Post Box

Highlight • Monument

3.96 km

River Seven Footbridges

Highlight • River

Footbridges over the River Seven, which flows into the village of Rosedale Abbey from the northwest.

Tip by

5.07 km

Rosedale Abbey: Village Green and Graze on the Green Café

Highlight • Historical Site

Rosedale Abbey is a must to stop at. It is a village right in the centre of North York Moors National Park: descent into it from just about any direction is always spectacular, whether via Spaunton Moor (south) or Rosedale Moor (north), the views just do not stop giving.

The village is picturesque in itself, particularly the village green. There used to be a Cistercian Priory here, originally established here in 1158. Little remains nowadays, except for a staircase turret, a sundial and a single stone pillar. More recently, in the 19th century, the iron ore industry thrived here, but that came to an end in the 1920s.

If you like super-steep ascents, you would probably like to go up the Rosedale Chimney Bank road, south of the village, but be warned: it is actually notorious for how steep that is!

Tip by

5.08 km

Abbey Tea Rooms

Highlight • Cafe

Good place to stop for refreshments

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5.09 km

Rosedale Abbey and Priory Ruins

Highlight • Religious Site

The pretty village of Rosedale Abbey has a rich history. It was the site of a Cistercian Priory during the Middle Ages and was a hub of industry during the Industrial Revolution, when ironstone was mined in the surrounding moorland. Today, Rosedale is a delight to explore on foot and the village has a few good options for post-hike refreshment.

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