St Hilda’s Way

Whats included?

Your en-suite accommodation with breakfast

Help and on-going support before and during your walking holiday.

A walking itinerary (self-guided) covering places of historic significance or areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Transport to and from a walking location if needed.

The relevant Explorer Ordnance Survey map provided

Trail guide cards

A detailed itinerary with recommended lunch breaks at select pubs, tearooms or cafes.

Local folklore, myths and things of historic relevance

Seasonal nature guide book or cards for identifying the abundance of wild flowers, trees and wildlife

Emergency backup and support if needed

On completion of your walk we will take you to York railway station if travelling by train. If you came by car that will be secure in the hotel carpark.

Travel Information

The following travel information may come in useful when planning your trip.

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are Leeds-Bradford, Manchester and Durham Tees Valley.

By Rail – Travel to York, we will pick you up and take you to your hotel and return you to the station on completion of your walking break

From London - Trains run from London Kings Cross station to York on a regular basis.

By Bus - Various bus services run to Goathland if that’s your preferred choice of travel.

Full description

St Hilda’s Way starts from Hinderwell and finishes at Whitby Abbey. St Hilda’s Way celebrates the life of St Hild, an Anglo-Saxon princess, by visiting places dedicated to her (including eight churches) in the beautiful North York Moors. In 664, as the first abbess of the double monastery of Streonshalh now known as Whitby Abbey, she hosted the famous Synod of Whitby. She trained five male bishops, and it is said that seabirds in Whitby still dip their wings in honour of her, and her logo, the ‘Hildoceras’ ammonite, came about because her holy presence was famed for turning snakes into stone.

You begin at a holy spring discovered by St Hilda in Hinderwell and end at the coastal town of Whitby. Along the way you will traverse the North York Moors, grand and yet also modest, allowing you to be deeply with yourself as you engage with the bleak openness of the landscape. You feel the ancientness all around you – humans have never held full dominance here – it is landscape that is true to itself. The paths feel old, the rivers timeless and the pace slow. The thread of Hilda runs through the churches dedicated to her, evenly spaced along the route, inspiring a quiet devotion to someone we can imagine but never fully know. Nevertheless, one gets the sense that for centuries she has been loved by many people, and there is no reason why that should cease now. A typical Itinerary for this walk would take you from Hinderwell to Danby about 15 miles, then onto Egton Bridge where the Egton Loop allows you to visit three places related to St. Hilda, St. Hedda’s RC Church, the more modern St. Hilda’s Church and the Cemetary Chapel. Following the Esk Valley Walk, (the Esk is Yorkshire’s only salmon river), eventually crossing Lady Hilda’s Beck and into Sleights. From Sleights you pick up the Esk Valley Way and head to your final destination at Whitby Abbey.

Prices are based on two people sharing en-suite accommodation, staying on a bed & breakfast basis. This walking holiday includes all luggage transfers, accommodation & transport to and from the trail for each days walking.

Highlights of the walk

Visit eight churches related to St. Hilda

Whitby Abbey

Exceptional scenery following the Esk Valley Walk

Quaint traditional Moors villages

Powerful and yet peace-inducing sense of Hilda’s womanly sainthood

Striking, bleak backdrop of North York Moors

Accomodation details

One of the reasons our customers choose Walk Yorkshire walking holidays is for our choice of authentic and high quality accommodation across the region.

Walk Yorkshire Holidays prides itself on the quality and authenticity of the accommodation, and all our venues are chosen by Kevin, the Walk Yorkshire founder, all the hotels, guest houses and B&B’s selected ouze Yorkshire hospitality and are all situated in idyllic country villages. So come the end of an energetic day and you are craving comfort after a long walk over the moor, discard those boots and enjoy the moment with traditional local dishes, flavoursome food, fine ales all set in a cosy atmosphere. At this hotel we know that you will be well looked after, the rooms are lovingly unique, individual and bursting with charm. The hotel is located within the village of Goathland where you are well placed to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding moors and depending on the time of year the purple clad carpet of heather.   

Once we have confirmed this holiday is available we will contact you with further details regarding your accommodation and a suggested itinerary.

Price breakdown

St.Hilda’s Way Walk is offered as a 4 or 5 night walking break, and is available all year round You may start your break on any day of the week pending availability. All prices quoted are based on 2 people sharing on a bed and breakfast basis.

Prices:

3 night stay £320 per person

4 night stay £395 per person

There is a group discount of 10% for groups of 4 or more adults.

*For singles or groups of more than 10 wanting to book with us, please contact us via the online form here.