Located in the heart of the Dalby Forest, the Bridestones walk is one of the best short walks in the North York Moors National Park.
This 1.9 miles circular trail is a great forest walk featuring amazing landscapes and rock formations.
The Bridestones are also a National Trust site.
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Where are the Bridestones?
The Bridestones are located in North East England, in the county of Yorkshire. They are part of both the Dalby Forest and the North York Moors National Park.
How to get to the Bridestones?
The best way to get to the Bridestones is by car.
The Dalby Forest is a pretty remote place. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible via public transport.
When you enter the Dalby Forest, you will find a barrier (toll) that registers your number plate. You can go through the forest for free. As long as you stay less than 20 minutes, you won’t be charged at the next gate. If you stop anywhere and park, you will have to pay the £9 fee before exiting.
The Bridestones carpark is located right in the middle (about 10 minutes drive from each gate). There is a sign, making it quite easy to recognise the place.
For proper GPS directions, here is the exact location.
How to pay for carpark at Dalby Forest?
You can park anywhere at the Bridestones carpark. If there isn’t any spot available, you can go to the carpark on the other side of the road. It’s a tiny bit bigger.
I particularly recommend getting there before 11 am as it can get quite busy after.
There is no pay station at the Bridestones carpark so no need to worry about that at this point. Once you are ready to leave, you can stop at Dalby visitor centre to pay the fee at the pay station. You just need to enter your registration number and it will ask you to pay the £9. There is no additional fee for the carpark.
If you’ve missed the pay station, you will also find one just before the exit gate.
Information about the Bridestones circular walk
The Bridestones is quite a short and fairly easy walk. It offers great views and very unique rock formations, making it the perfect stop in the Dalby Forest.
Distance: 1.9 miles (3 km)
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty level: easy
Description of the Bridestones walk
From the carpark, head towards the path at the back. There is a sign explaining how to pay for carpark, you can’t miss it. Follow the trail and stay on the right when you find the second National Trust sign.
At this point you will see a gate on the lefthand side, this is the end of the loop. Keep going up for about 10 minutes through the forest. This bit is the hardest part of the walk. It’s a bit steep so take it easy and admire the beautiful forest.
Once you reach the top, you will start walking in the moorlands for a few minutes before finding your first Bridestones.
Keep going along the path. You will find many of these unusual rocks, all of them featuring different shapes.
If you want to enjoy the landscapes, you can also climb on them. Please note that the stones can be slippery so be careful if you decide to climb.
Some Bridestones are way easier (and safer) to climb than others.
You will then go down in the forest, cross a little stream and go back up before finding more stones.
You can also look for mushrooms, there are plenty of them!
Once you get to the other side, make sure to look at the landscapes behind you. You will see all the Bridestones aligned! It’s a very pretty thing to see!
Keep going until you go back down to the forest and reach the fields at the bottom.
You will then walk through the fields, back to the carpark!
Facilities
You will find free toilets by the carpark.
There isn’t much reception at the Bridestones (or the rest of Dalby forest for that matter) so make sure to download the map if you need it to drive.
There are signs with directions for the walk.
For more facilities, drive 5 minutes down the road to Dalby visitor centre.
The Bridestones are truly a beautiful thing to see. Whether you are staying in Scarborough, York or anywhere else in Yorkshire, they are a great place to visit and escape the crowds!
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