Castleton to Lealholm (Esk Valley Walk 2)

A linear point-to-point walk, one way only, 7½ miles (11.7 km) from Castleton Moor station to Lealholm railway station. Ascent is 213 m, descent 234 m, high point 297 m, low point 116 m. Some listings put it at 3 hours; plan about 4 hours in practice, because there is a steep climb plus gates, stiles, short road sections and reasons to stop. There is no return leg built in, so sort the train before you start.

1. Out of Castleton Moor station, a bridleway past the tennis court leads into the woods of Danby Park.

2. Field paths and lanes carry you through and near Danby and Ainthorpe, passing the Moors National Park Centre at Danby, a useful stop when it is open.

3. Cross the railway carefully near the centre, then continue over fields, stiles and a farmyard.

4. A steep pull takes you onto the moor and up to Danby Beacon, the high point and a genuine 360-degree viewpoint.

5. Open moor and a well-defined track drop you down into Lealholm and its station.

The payoff is the contrast: enclosed, settled valley walking first, then big open sky, then a riverside village at the end.

Moderate rather than hard, with the effort concentrated in one steep climb to the moor. Surfaces are mixed: roughly 4.9 km of forested and wild trail, 2.8 km of dirt road, 2.1 km of path and 1.7 km of road. Expect gates, one wall-stile and two short minor-road sections in the first half. Boots beat trainers here.

The moorland section is properly open, and conditions can turn quickly with poor visibility even in summer. Carry a map or a GPS track and use it, especially around field boundaries in the valley and on the open ground either side of the Beacon.

The Esk Valley Railway is what makes this walk work: train to Castleton Moor, walk, train home from Lealholm. Do not plan on leaving a car at Castleton Moor, as no station parking spaces are listed there.

Danby Beacon has a long history as a warning-post site, and the moorland stretch around Oakley Walls carries visible archaeological features, including prehistoric cist burials and traces of ancient field systems. Worth slowing down for rather than striding past.

Dogs are allowed under strict control: short lead near livestock, keep to public rights of way on the moorland sections, and from 1 March to 31 July keep dogs on a short lead to protect ground-nesting birds. Dogs are not allowed inside the buildings at the Moors National Park Centre. No special permit is needed. If you want a shorter train-linked day, EVW3 from Lealholm to Grosmont is about 5.8 miles.

Note that this is stage 2 of the Esk Valley Walk, not the full 37-mile route and not the EVW1 circular.