The Ebor Way is a 70-mile (112 km) long-distance footpath from
Helmsley,
North Yorkshire to
Ilkley,
West Yorkshire, via the city of
York,
England. It takes its name from
Eboracum, the
Roman name for
York.

This walk connects the
Cleveland Way and
Dales Way running across the
Howardian Hills, through the low-lying
vale of York and then up the
Wharfe valley. It was first developed in the 1970s by the Ebor Acorn Rambling Club.
From Helmsley, the walk heads south via
Oswaldkirk
Oswaldkirk is a small village and civil parish south of Helmsley and north of York in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is named after the village church of St Oswald, King and Martyr, the Anglo-Saxon King of Northumbri ...
,
Cawton
Cawton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about ten miles west of Malton. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 48. It is due east of Gilling East (where the 2011 Census figures a ...
and
Hovingham to
Terrington. Here it is joined by the
Centenary Way, which follows a broadly similar route to York, although the two diverge at times. From Terrington, it continues south to
Sheriff Hutton and
Strensall, then runs alongside the River Foss to the centre of York. Passing
York Minster, it skirts round the north and west sides of the city walls before leaving the city on the west bank of the River Ouse.
Turning west away from the river, the path goes through the satellite villages of
Bishopthorpe and
Copmanthorpe before picking up the route of the old
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
between Eboracum and
Calcaria. Where the route crosses the A64, walkers may be well advised to use the new bridge at Bilbrough Top and walk along the northern side of the road rather than sticking faithfully to the route, as this avoids a dangerous road crossing. The path then continues to follow the route of the Roman road into
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...
.
From Tadcaster, the path largely follows the banks of the
River Wharfe through
Boston Spa, with deviations away from the river bank through Newton Kyme and Thorp Arch. From Wetherby, the path heads south through Linton, then meanders westwards before crossing the River Wharfe, and running along the south side of it to
Harewood. A few miles after passing through the grounds of
Harewood House, the route is joined by the
Dales Way Leeds link, and from here on they take mostly the same route with only minor variances.
The route continues through
Bramhope
Bramhope is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, north of Holt Park and north east of Cookridge.
The village is north of Leeds city centre and it is in the LS16 Leeds postcode area. A ...
and along
the Chevin
The Chevin is the name given to the ridge on the south side of Wharfedale in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, overlooking the market town of Otley, and often known as Otley Chevin.
Etymology
The origins of the name ''Chevin'' are uncertain; ...
before dropping into
Menston, and then climbing up to
Ilkley Moor for the wildest part of the route. After following the edge of the moor, the route descends via the Cow and Calf rocks, before coming to its end in the centre of Ilkley.
External links
Ramblers Association page for the pathLDWA page for the path
Long-distance footpaths in England
Footpaths in West Yorkshire
Footpaths in North Yorkshire