Lealholm to Grosmont (Esk Valley Walk 3)

A linear, one-way walk of 5.8 miles (9.3 km) from Lealholm Station to Grosmont Station, the third section of the Esk Valley Walk. Distances here follow the one-way convention, so there is no return leg built in. Allow around three hours at a relaxed pace with stops, a little less if you keep moving.

You string together four villages along the River Esk: Lealholm, Glaisdale, Egton Bridge and Grosmont. The waymarking is a leaping salmon, and the river and railway keep drifting in and out of view beside you. The payoff is the rhythm of it, woodland and field paths between settlements where bridges and stepping stones mark historic crossing points, and where Glaisdale and Grosmont still show their Victorian ironstone and railway-age character.

Moderate overall rather than hard. Route data reports roughly 75 m of ascent and 159 m of descent, so you finish lower than you start, but the profile rolls between about 115 m and 30 m and is not flat throughout.

Boots with grip are the sensible choice.

• Mostly easy riverside and woodland paths, level bridleways and tracks
• Gates, stiles, field paths and a couple of farmyards
• Some road walking between sections
• A stone trod in East Arnecliff Wood, which is slippery when damp
• Field and woodland sections that hold wet ground and mud after rain

Both ends are stations on the Esk Valley Railway, which makes this genuinely practical as a point-to-point. The standard approach is to travel by train from Grosmont to Lealholm, then walk back to Grosmont, so you end where you began the day. Lealholm village also has a free car park if you prefer to start from that end. This is not a loop, and you do not need a car to do it.

The route crosses the Esk at Egton Bridge by stepping stones. If the water is up, or you simply do not fancy them, there is an alternative road route across instead. No shame in taking it.

Dogs are welcome under the normal public-access rule. Keep them on a short lead near livestock, under close control in woodland and along the river, and on a lead on bridleways where cyclists and horse riders come past.

Dry spells suit this walk best, when the field paths firm up and the stone trod loses its slickness. Toilets and refreshments are available at the start and finish villages, with refreshments also in Glaisdale and Egton Bridge, so you can break the walk into easy village-to-village stages.