Esk Valley Walk

The Esk Valley Walk is a waymarked point-to-point regional route of about 37 miles (60 km) from Castleton to Whitby, measured as the complete signed line including the opening moorland circuit. Reckon on roughly 18 hours of walking spread over three to four days. Waymarking is a leaping salmon, with yellow arrows for footpaths and blue for bridleways.

The walk is built as four official sections, and it reads as a source-to-sea story.

The payoff is the change in scale: heather moorland, moorland crosses including Fat Betty and Young Ralph, and the infant river up high, then wooded gorges, ancient woodland near Mill Wood, stepping stones at Lealholm and Egton Bridge, Grosmont and its heritage railway, and finally the tidal Esk into Whitby harbour.

• EVW1, 15.2 miles, circular from Castleton through Danby Dale and the high moors to the source of the River Esk, returning to Castleton
• EVW2, 7.3 miles, Castleton to Lealholm over higher moors, past the national park centre near Danby and up to Danby Beacon
• EVW3, 5.8 miles, Lealholm to Grosmont through Glaisdale and Egton Bridge
• EVW4, 8 miles, Grosmont to Whitby, finishing on the riverside from Ruswarp

The first day is the hard one. EVW1 is graded difficult, around 6 hours 30 minutes, with 1,430 ft of ascent and a high point of 1,362 ft, and it is the most strenuous moorland section. EVW2 is moderate at about 3 hours with 699 ft of ascent, and EVW3 is moderate at about 2 hours 25 minutes with 246 ft of ascent. Once you are off the high ground the climbing eases considerably.

Surfaces are mixed: moorland paths, tracks, riverside paths, farmland and farmyards, plus bridges and stepping stones. On the open moor conditions can change quickly and visibility can drop, so carry a map and compass and be prepared to navigate rather than rely on sightlines. Field and farmyard sections need care with gear and with livestock.

The Esk Valley Railway is the practical key to this walk. Castleton, Lealholm and Grosmont all have stations on the route, and Whitby is both the finish and a return point. The start is close to Castleton Moor station. That makes it easy to walk one section at a time and travel back, which is the sensible approach if you do not want to book several nights of accommodation.

Dogs must stay on the public right of way and be kept under control around livestock. On moorland they should be on a short lead or kept to heel, particularly from 1 March to 31 July when ground-nesting birds such as merlin and golden plover are breeding. Keep them close through farmland and farmyards and near river and woodland wildlife.

Being point-to-point, the complete walk needs transport planning at both ends and accommodation in between, and the demanding opening loop sits right at the start rather than after a warm-up. If you want the flavour without the commitment, walk Lealholm to Grosmont (5.8 miles) for the river, stepping stones and woodland, or Grosmont to Whitby (8 miles) to finish at the harbour, using the railway to get back. Save the Castleton circuit for a long, clear day.