Route: Levisham to Pickering
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 23rd July 2016
Walkers: Andrew Gilly and Tom
Distance: 8.1 miles
Ascent: 800 feet
Weather: Cloudy but bright and very warm
We arrived at Pickering Station in good time to catch the 11am steam train owned and operated by North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) – a great resource for walkers as it enables a variety of linear walks to be made in the area between Pickering at the start of the line and Whitby at its end
After an enjoyable short ride we disembarked at Levisham Station and climbed up the valley to the nearby village of Levisham. It was a very warm day and we took early refreshments at the excellent Horseshoe Inn
We then walked through the village and descended an exceptionally steep, loose and poorly maintained path, overgrown with nettles and brambles, (and the subject of several complaints according to some fellow walkers), before arriving in the valley below Rowl Wood and joining the track known as Sleights Road
The remainder of the walk was through a mixture of woodland, quiet valleys and open farmland – lovely scenery every step of the way. We were never far from the route of the railway and enjoyed hearing and occasionally seeing the old trains roll by as they plied the route between Pickering and Whitby. The NYMR not only makes this route possible, but enhances it with its presence
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)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The 11am train reverses into the station
All too soon we alight at Levisham Station
Steam engine No. 76079, built in 1957
The start of today’s walk from Levisham Station back to Pickering
We cross over the railway line…
…and follow The Inn Way towards Levisham village
We cross this field and climb diagonally to the top of Keldgate Slack
Looking back as we gain height
The railway line is in the valley below, unseen from here
Gilly and our nephew Tom striding out over the tabular hills
We arrive at Little Field Lane leading into Levisham village
Cranesbill in the hedgerow
A bit early for refreshments…
…but then again maybe not - cheers Tom
A walk back in time through Levisham…
The start of the horrible short descent mentioned in the introduction
St Mary’s Church, declared redundant in 1976
We cross the footbridge over Levisham Beck…
…and follow a path beside the beck
We then join a track known as Sleights Road
Farwath
We cross over the railway line here and climbed up through the woods
A small skipper as we emerged from the woods into meadows and fields
Tortoiseshell
Walking towards Blansby Park Farm
We descend through the woods towards Pickering
A Class 37 Diesel - No. 37264 - passes by as the path gets closer to the route of the railway
New Bridge on the outskirts of Pickering
Back at the start we visit the shed where old stock like this is restored by skilled enthusiasts (grateful thanks to the gentleman who showed us round here)
Outside the shed, a restoration job nearly done - hard to believe that this carriage is made of metal and not wood
Old wheels back at the end of our walk
