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Kilburn White Horse

The White Horse was designed and financed by Thomas Taylor, who marked out the figure of a horse on a hillside and a team of volunteers deposited 6 tons of lime on the naturally greyish rock beneath to whiten it.

Adults: 4 Children: 0

Nearby Attractions

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Covering over 10 acres in the center of the city, the York Museum Gardens are well-maintained, sprawling botanical gardens.

Helmsley Castle

Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Rye, Helmsley Castle is a medieval castle situated in the market town of Helmsley, within the North York Moors National Park.

Helmsley Walled Garden

The garden is nestled at the bottom of the North York Moors between Duncombe Park and the scheduled ancient monument of Helmsley Castle.

Located in the valley of the North York Moor, Rievaulx Abbey are impressive ruins of one of England's most powerful Cistercian monasteries.

Formed by glacial erosion over 20,000 years ago, Lake Gormire is full of myths and mystery around its formation as it has no major inflow or outflow of water - confounding people who wondered how the lake was fed.

The largest of a series of promontory forts located along the west and north edges of the Hambleton Hills. The defences surround the entire promontory (some 24 hectares or 60 acres) make it the largest and strongest prehistoric enclosure in Yorkshire.

Related Tours

From York: Myths, Legends and Folklore Private Guided Walk on Yorkshire Moors

Your expert guide will pick you up in York in a private vehicle and take you to the start of your adventure. Once described by James Herriot, Yorkshire’s famous vet as the finest views in England, what better place to start your walk.

The walk takes you across Roulston Scar, the site of a massive hill fort dating back to 400BC. Continue along the escarpment and the impressive White Horse of Kilburn. One of Yorkshire’s best-known landmarks, and on a clear day visible from over 30 miles away. Built-in 1857 by local schoolmaster John Hodgson and 31 local villagers, the horse is 314ft long. Lake Gormire, the only natural lake of any size on the moors was formed 10,000 years ago and a relic of the last ice age. Leaving Lake Gormire we ascend the hillside to the top and White Mare Crag where Sir Harry de Scriven met his fate one stormy night.

The walks start at 10.30 (with pick up in York at 9.30) and would normally take about 3-4 hours before arriving back at the National Park Centre where refreshments, a shop, and toilets are available.

This is a gentle walk with one steep climb from Lake Gormire but walking shoes/boots would be recommended or at the very least training shoes. Depending on the weather a waterproof and hat are also essential for individual comfort.

Note: this tour requires a minimum of two people.