Sutton Bank

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Hill in North Yorkshire, England

title: "Sutton Bank" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-and-hills-of-north-yorkshire", "north-york-moors"] description: "Hill in North Yorkshire, England" topic_path: "general/mountains-and-hills-of-north-yorkshire" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Bank" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Hill in North Yorkshire, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

FieldValue
nameSutton Bank
photoSutton Bank.jpg
photo_captionA170 road climbing up Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire
elevation_ft978
listing(none)
locationNorth York Moors National Park, England
rangeHambleton Hills
coordinates
grid_ref_UKSE515815
topoOS Explorer OL26
::

| name = Sutton Bank | photo =Sutton Bank.jpg | photo_caption = A170 road climbing up Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire | elevation_ft = 978 | elevation_ref = | prominence_m = | listing = (none) | location = North York Moors National Park, England | range = Hambleton Hills | coordinates = | grid_ref_UK = SE515815 | topo = OS Explorer OL26 | type = | first_ascent = | easiest_route =

Sutton Bank is a hill in the civil parishes of Cold Kirby and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is a high point on the Hambleton Hills, with extensive views over the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray, and is in the North York Moors National Park.

The A170 road runs down the bank with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%), and including a hairpin bend. Vehicles have to keep in low gear whilst travelling up or down the bank, and caravans are banned. The village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe lies on the A170 at the foot of the bank, whilst the village of Cold Kirby is on a side road at the top of the bank.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Warning_signs_on_the_approach_to_Sutton_Bank_-geograph.org.uk-_801742.jpg" caption="Warning signs on the approach to Sutton Bank"] ::

History

Just to the south of Sutton Bank is Roulston Scar, a massive hillfort built in the Iron Age, around 400 BC.

It was the approximate location of the Battle of Old Byland in which the Scots won a major victory over the English on 14 October 1322. King Robert the Bruce had made a forced march with his army in an attempt to surprise the English army, which was retreating from a failed invasion of Scotland. John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, held the heights of Sutton Bank while King Edward II had withdrawn with his Queen to Rievaulx Abbey, about 25 km to the south-east. The Scots fought their way up the steep hillside to totally defeat the Earl, whom they took prisoner. King Edward fled ahead of Sir Walter Stewart's forces, leaving the Great Seal of England and much other treasure behind in the Abbey.

In 1981, an unidentified body was found at Sutton Bank which became known as the Nude in the Nettles.

In 2016, Sutton Bank was included on the route of the third stage of the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.

Recreation

The Yorkshire Gliding Club is based at the top of the hill. Sutton Bank bank faces the prevailing westerly winds and has been used for ridge soaring since the early 1930s.

Sutton Bank National Park Centre's exhibition explains how the distinctive landscape was formed by glaciers and provides views of Roulston Scar, Hood Hill, and Gormire Lake. There is a bike skills area and cycle shop. A walking route from the visitor centre takes in what author James Herriot called 'The Finest View in England'. In 2025 an accessible trail featuring four new bird-themed artworks by artist Adrian Riley was installed including poems by William Wordsworth and Ian Duhig inspired by the view. There are footpaths close by, including southwards to the White Horse of Kilburn. The 110 mi long Cleveland Way National Trail crosses over Sutton Bank. The North York Moors National Park Authority has developed cycle trails from the visitor centre.

Sutton Bank is a designated Dark Sky Discovery Site, one of three in the North York Moors.

References

References

  1. "Cleveland Way Map and Information". [[National Trails]].
  2. (24 May 2004). "Safety study for Sutton Bank". [[North Yorkshire County Council]].
  3. (5 June 2017). "Caravans seized after Sutton Bank trip".
  4. (29 September 2015). "Roulston Scar".
  5. (1989). "Robert the Bruce, King of Scots". Peter Bedrick Books.
  6. (24 August 2011). "Police plea over unsolved murder of Nude in the Nettles". Mirror Online.
  7. (30 April 2016). "Second day of the Tour de Yorkshire 2016 draws big crowds".
  8. "Faq".
  9. "History".
  10. "Sutton Bank National Park Centre".
  11. "Welcome".
  12. "Sutton Bank: The Yorkshire beauty spot with the finest view of England - but a gruesome past".
  13. "New partnership lights a beacon for North York Moors arts and culture". North York Moors National Park.
  14. "Sutton Bank bikes and cycle trails".
  15. "North York Moors National Park Authority - Dark Skies".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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