Esk Valley Walk - Commondale to Whitby (★★★★☆)

The Esk Valley Walk is a relatively minor trail that follows the pretty Esk Valley through the North Yorkshire Moors - and one of it's appeals is that it's easy to access and walk. 

The route travels along the same valley as the Esk Valley Railway line, which is a rural train service with frequent stops on it's journey from Middlesbrough to Whitby, although only limited services running throughout the day.

Between Great Ayton and Kildale this railway follows the path of the Cleveland Way - and then between Castleton and Whitby it follows the path of the Esk Valley Walk.

This makes it easy to do a walk that suits how far you wish to go, without having to turn around and walk back on yourself at any point.

The Esk Valley Walk itself runs for 35 miles - and is composed of a loop up to the source of the Esk through the more rugged parts of the North Yorkshire Moors (out and back from Castleton), along with a longer and straighter stretch from Castleton to Whitby.

My route today includes the long stretch running from Castleton to Whitby, but also an additional segment from Commondale to Castleton. 

Whilst Commondale is off the route of this trail, it is a pretty village and I'm keen to explore the area around it a bit more (hence it's inclusion in today's walk). However, once I reach Castleton I will be walking to Whitby exclusively on the Esk Valley Walk.

And so today, I find myself arriving at Commondale train station - which provides to be a tiny little station, that feeds you directly out onto the nearby fields.

But the field does have a tarmac path, ensuring that you don't get muddy feet on your way to and from the station - and is ideal, because it releases me exactly at my intended start point.

And so, having left this field, I turn right - and head out along a cycle route that runs from here round to Castleton.

And aside from being a cycle trail, this route out of Commondale turns out to also be a very pretty route to walk along - particularly at this time of year with all the autumnal colour.

Heading out from Commondale

Trees and Moors

This stretch follows a winding path that meanders above the river below, with great views out across the Moors to the south. And indeed these are the valleys that we will return to when we complete the other half of the Esk Valley Walk.

As we continue on, we pass small clusters of houses that lie along this track/road/path, before we start to climb up, as we prepare to join up with the road near Castleton.

Looking out over the area we will walk when we finish the Esk Valley Walk

For those who are interested in this section as a route to go cycling along, bear in mind that this is a cycle trail where you will need a mountain bike - as it is a rough and bumpy route that is completely unsuitable for a road bike.

But the road we meet up with does have road cycling credentials - and featured in the Tour of Britain cycling events in recent years (men's and women's) - although that has taken a much more challenging route over the moors.

Fortunately for us, we have been able to enjoy a much easier route between the two villages and upon reaching the road we head down the hill (along the road), before turning off to the left - and on past a small collection of houses that overlook Castleton (and here we have joined the Esk Valley Walk).

From here, the path heads out along the ridge that lines the valley below - looking out across the landscape below.

Looking out across the Esk Valley just past Castleton

Through the trees

This stretch is a particular favorite of mine - and it is a delightful walk through Danby Park, and then on across the fields - before we drop down and briefly join up with the road.

But we are not on this road for long before we turn onto a footpath that is mercifully dry today (it can be badly waterlogged at times), and this path cuts up and into Danby village itself (if it is too waterlogged it may be best just to follow the road round into Danby - although it adds quite a big hill). 

Here my map and phone disagree as to where the path goes - and having always followed the original route of the trail, I ignore the newer route across the river and then back up via the visitor centre at Danby - and instead continue along the tried and tested route following this ridge.

But in any case, after Danby, both routes head up a steep minor road that climbs up towards Danby Beacon.

And once again, this stretch has been used in the Tour of Britain cycling races - and it is a very steep climb up to the top where the Esk Valley Walk takes a left turn in the road to head towards the beacon.

But here I once again rebel, for I much prefer the route along the front of the ridge (along the other road) - as the views looking out from that road are incredible. And although we are walking along a road here, we are in the middle of nowhere - so traffic really isn't an issue.

The only more exciting traffic was a bin lorry - which gets a rather scenic route, compared to the other bin lorries, that get stuck loading bin after bin on their way through a suburban housing estate.

Looking out across the Esk Valley

Lots of fertile farmland backed by hills

The stretch along this very minor road lasts for some time - and indeed it is about an hour's walking to get from Danby to Lealhom along this ridge - but the views keep coming throughout this whole section.

Views

...more views

...and more views

Eventually our time along this ridge starts to come to an end as we pick up the official route of the Esk Valley Walk, which joins up with us from the left hand side, on a bend in the road.

From here we, start to cut down the ridge to join up with a slightly bigger road that takes us on down into Lealholm.

Passing a cow on our way down

This involves a fairly steep descent, on a winding route, that eventually finishes as we head into the village. Here we head over the railway, and through the village, before turning left and heading out along a farm drive.

This drive takes us along the base of the Esk Valley to Underpark Farm, which we head through, before we continue out along the banks of the River Esk.

From here we meet up with the railway once again, as we continue on along the base of the valley - heading over the River Esk via a footbridge, and then climbing up into Thorneywaite.

From here the path used to head through someone's garden - which always used to make me feel bad during bad weather (and indeed I would often bypass via the roads rather than carry the guilt of ruining their lawn). But the route has since been changed, and now we cut down after the cluster of houses, heading back towards the river.

And here we enter a section of woodland, head past an old mill (now a home), and continue on toward Glaisdale.

Through the woods by the river

At Glaisdale we meet up with the Coast to Coast path, which comes into Glaisdale via Glaisdale Rigg (which is a really nice route to walk along, and features in one of my walks from Glaisdale to Battersby).

Having met up with the Coast to Coast route, we cut through Glaisdale, and after a small diversion to go see Beggar's Bridge, we continue on, now alongside the River Esk.

Beggar's Bridge

This bridge dates back to 1619 - and even has it's own folk story. And the legend here is that it was built by Thomas Ferris - the son of a local moorland sheep farmer.

He fell in love with Agnes Richardson, who was daughter of the local squire, but her father disapproved of the relationship as Thomas was only a poor sheep farmer - and so he used to wade the river here to meet Agnes in secret.

But not content with this state of affairs, Thomas sought his fortune at sea - but on his day of departure could not cross the river due to the river's flood. Angry at not getting the chance to say goodbye to his sweetheart, he swore to build a bridge at this spot on his return - and returned with enough wealth to build this bridge, at this spot.

By this point she had, however, died - and so whilst the bridge still got built, it was no longer built for it's original purpose, but to ensure that other lovers did not suffer the same fate.

Whilst this story is almost certainly a load of rubbish, it is pretty bridge, and the going continues to be pretty as we continue to head on up the river.

The River Esk just past Glaisdale

And whilst this section of path always used to be fairly problematic in winter, it has recently had an upgrade as part of the work to turn the Coast to Coast route into a National Trail. And as a result, the going is now very good along this stretch - hurrah for National Trails!

And indeed, this is a lovely stretch to continue along through the woods, following a chain of worn stones that make up the core of the path.

Following the stones

From here the path eventually breaks out of these woods, along a very minor road - that in the opposite direction heads up onto the Moors. But instead of climbing up that road, here we turn left, and head down into the village of Egton Bridge - where we head to the stepping stones to cross over the river (if the river is high you can go round).

A bridge over the river

Stepping Stones over the river

The stones are setup for someone with longer legs than mine (ideal would be about 5'10 I think), but Stepping Stones are always a fun way to cross a river, and soon we are over the other side.

On the far side, there is a lovely spot to stop at (if you turn left), where you can also sometimes see some jumping fish - but here we turn right, and head on through Egton Bridge - and out past Egton Manor.

This marks the start of a slightly less exciting section, as we follow a track that carries us the mile or so to Grosmont, but instead of heading into Grosmont, our onward path bears left - keeping to the left hand side of the river.

If you have additional time, it is worth having a wander into Grosmont - where you might be fortunate enough to spot one of the steam trains that run along the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. 

And indeed, I have a write-up of a walk from Grosmont to Goathland, which involves a fair bit of train spotting along the way. And the major highlight of that part of the Moors are the old steam engines that run up and down the line - with the Flying Scotsman being in residence on the line today.

But continuing on with today's walk, we head on past Grosmont Farm, and then Fotherleys Farm - before climbing up onto the ridge, and on past the very nicely finished buildings at Newbiggin Hall.

Horses at Newbiggin Hall

From here the countryside switches from typical Moors to a 'Rural England' feel - heading through a mixture of farmland, trees and fields - with the country starting to ever-so-slightly flatten out, and tame itself - ahead of our arrival at the seaside.

This change of scenery continues as we head on along this ridge, and we soon find ourselves coming up to the edge of the twin towns of Briggswath and Sleights.

The edge of Sleights in the distance

On our run into Briggswath we pass by some very fancy looking houses, before we meet up and cross over a fairly busy road that runs through town. 

With this crossed, we walk slightly further through Briggswath, before we reach a footbridge that takes us across the river to Sleights. At Sleights we must first cross over a railway line, before we cut through the edge of Sleights, and up onto the ridge on the far side.

From here we are now heading through open fields - and on our way to Hagg House, our first sight of Whitby Abbey comes into view.

Whitby Abbey on the ridge in the distance

From Hagg House we cut down, and cross over the railway line, before following the railway to just before Ruswarp - where we once again cross the railway, before heading into town.

The railway bridge at Ruswarp

On this side of the river Ruswarp looks fairly industrial, but having crossed over the bridge of the river, the town itself has plenty of charm.

Just after the river crossing, and just before the train station, we pass a path that runs alongside the railway line from here to Whitby.

That alternate route to Whitby is very popular, and offers a very nice alternative, but the Esk Valley Walk itself heads up through Ruswarp, before turning right just past the butcher's - to make it's way towards Whitby on the left of the railway (as we look at it). 

From here we wind on through wood,s and cross both an old railway cut down to the current the railway, and the path of the Cinder Trail (which heads over the viaduct towards Scarborough).

On our way into Whitby now

A deer having a munch on some grass

The walk along the Cinder Trail between Scarborough and Whitby is not as good as the route along the coast - but still a nice history filled walk, and you can read the write-up of a walk along Cinder Trail here.

Having crossed over the Cinder Trail, the path cuts through the grounds of a school, and then joins up with the main road. And here we cross this road, and continue on, dropping down the hill into Whitby.

Having made it down the hill, the path crosses over the railway and spits us out at Whitby Harbour - and here I have a walk along the harbor edge, before heading off to get some fish and chips.

Looking out towards the sea

Looking across the river

Having had my fill of food, looking out across the harbour, it is time to head on round to the train station, ready to take my train home.

Total Distance: 21.0 miles (19.3 miles on the Esk Valley Walk)

Total Ascent: 2,185 feet (1,972 feet on the Esk Valley Walk)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

While our journey finishes at Whitby, should you wish to head further on, there are two wonderful walks along the coast - one heading from Whitby to Saltburn and another between Scarborough and Whitby.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 94 OS Landranger map (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.