Rievaulx Moor

About Rievaulx Moor

Rising above the Bilsdale valley near Laskill, this expansive stretch of heather moorland offers a quintessential North York Moors experience. Classified as a Tump, its broad plateau provides clear perspectives over the wooded Rye Valley and the distinctive, sharp profiles of Hawnby Hill and Easterside Hill to the west.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name is a French-Norman hybrid, 'Rye-vallee,' meaning the valley of the River Rye. This naming followed the arrival of Cistercian monks who established Rievaulx Abbey in the deep valley beneath the moor's southern edge in 1132.
• •The summit offers an excellent view of the Cleveland Hills to the north-west, specifically the distinctive flat-topped silhouette of Hawnby Hill and the steep slopes of Easterside Hill, often referred to as the 'Matterhorns of the Moors.'
• •Ancient trackways cross the moorland, including routes likely used by the monks to move sheep and supplies between the Abbey and their various upland granges or farming outposts.
• •Much of the terrain is managed as a grouse moor, creating a patchwork of heather that supports a significant population of red grouse, whose 'go-back' calls are a constant soundtrack to a walk here.
• •While its status as a Tump confirms a topographic prominence of at least 30 metres, the gradient is so gentle across the summit plateau that you may find yourself checking the map twice to distinguish the actual high point from a slightly ambitious heather clump.