Route: Lealholm to Grosmont
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 31st August 2014
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 7.9 miles
Weather: Sunny and warm
This is a linear walk, part of the Esk Valley Walk, and making use of the Esk Valley Railway. We decided to catch the train first so as to avoid the complication of coinciding the end of our walk with the train timetable
We parked in the car park at Grosmont Station and caught the 10.42 am train in the direction of Middlesborough. It was a delightful 15 minute journey along the Esk Valley. We disembarked at Lealholm and after a quick wander round the attractive village we set out on the return journey by foot to Grosmont
The path is well waymarked and took us along the Esk Valley via the lovely villages of Glaisdale and Egton Bridge. The scenery was varied, and superb every step of the way. We seemed to be the only walkers on the route which was hard to credit on a sunny Sunday in August
On arriving back in Grosmont we agreed that this was one of the best walks we’d had this year
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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We parked at Grosmont Station in order to catch the Esk Valley Railway which runs between Whitby and Middlesborough
The station is also home to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and by good fortune one of its magnificent steam trains was about to depart
A journey back in time
On the next platform here comes our train, looking rather more utilitarian
After a 15 minute journey through lovely countryside we disembark at Lealholm
We have a wander round the attractive village
Crossing the River Esk via the stepping stones
View along the Esk from the stones
Crossing the Esk again, this time over the road bridge, as we leave Lealholm
Typical Esk Dale scenery
The River Esk is never far away during the whole course of the walk
The leaping salmon waymark used on the Esk Valley Walk, a 35 mile hike. Our walk was a section of this route
At Thorneythwaite, looking back after we walked through this garden - we felt as though we were trespassing but it’s part of the route!
Restored water mill by the Esk
Looking back to Mill Wood Cottage
Approaching Glaisdale
Beggar’s Bridge, built in 1619
We saw and heard several large fish, trout I think, jumping out of the water along this section
A short along a quiet lane to Egton Bridge
The Horseshoe Hotel Egton Bridge
Time to top up the tank
Barnards Toll Road through Egton Estate
Barnards Road Toll House
Passing under the railway line
Back to the start at Grosmont - and the end of another fantastic walk
