Mallyan Spout + Beck Hole Circular Walk
Deep in the North York Moors, just outside the village of Goathland, Mallyan Spout drops 70 feet into a wooded ravine.
It has been drawing visitors here since Victorian times, when Goathland became something of a miniature spa town. Today, it makes the centrepiece of one of our favourite short walks in the North York Moors.
Woodland. Waterfalls. A tiny pub. Steam trains.
This one is worth the drive from The Lodge.
The footpath to Mallyan Spout Waterfall, just outside Goathland in the North York Moors.
Mallyan Spout Waterfall cascading over moss-covered rocks near Goathland in the North York Moors.
THE DETAILS >>
ROUTE // Goathland → Mallyan Spout → Beck Hole → Goathland
DISTANCE // Approx. 3 miles / 5 km
TIME // Approx. 2 hours
DIFFICULTY // Moderate
TERRAIN // Woodland paths · rocks · uneven ground · steep sections
STOP // Birch Hall Inn or Mallyan Spout Hotel
START + FINISH // Goathland
The North York Moors National Park recommends this as a 3-mile circular through the wooded valley and along the heritage railway line.
Down to Mallyan Spout
From Goathland, the route descends from the village into the wooded ravine below.
You hear the water before you properly see it.
Reaching the base of Mallyan Spout involves negotiating rocky, uneven ground, but that's part of what makes this waterfall feel so different from the more accessible beauty spots around the National Park.
After rain, it's particularly impressive, with water dropping through the trees into West Beck below.
Through the woods to Beck Hole
From Mallyan Spout, continue through the wooded valley towards Beck Hole.
This section is beautiful: water alongside you, dense woodland overhead and a path that feels remarkably removed from Goathland only a short distance away.
The National Park's longer version of this walk also takes in Thomason Foss, another waterfall hidden in the valley near Beck Hole.
Stop at Birch Hall Inn
Then comes one of the best bits.
Tiny Beck Hole is home to the wonderfully eccentric Birch Hall Inn, which the National Park describes as one of England's quirkiest small pubs.
If it's open when you're walking, stop.
This isn't really a route to rush.
Back to Goathland
From Beck Hole, the route returns towards Goathland using the old railway line through the valley. The wider Rail Trail follows George Stephenson's original railway route between Goathland, Beck Hole and Grosmont.
Back in Goathland, you'll probably hear the steam trains before you see them.
The village station appeared as Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films, while Goathland itself is perhaps even better known as Aidensfield from Heartbeat.
It's touristy in places, certainly.
But walk ten minutes out of the village and it becomes something else entirely.
One last stop
If you skipped the pub at Beck Hole — or didn't — there's another very good reason not to head straight back to Burniston.
The Mallyan Spout Hotel sits near the top of the path to the waterfall.
Its Spout Bar serves food and drinks, while the garden looks out across the moors. The National Park specifically recommends it as somewhere to stop after the walk.
A pint after scrambling around a waterfall feels entirely justified.
From The Lodge
Goathland takes you away from the coast and properly into the North York Moors.
That's what makes this walk such a good contrast to our coastal routes around Burniston and Hayburn Wyke.
One day, walk straight from The Lodge along the cliffs.
The next, drive into the moors and disappear into a wooded ravine.
