Parking
Start at Levisham station car park and leave from the station yard over the level crossing. There are no toilets along the route; refreshments are available in nearby villages and may be available at the station.
Overview
About Newtondale
Why go
- Varied mix of dale, woodland and moorland walking
- Distinctive wooded cleft and heritage railway atmosphere
- Circular route with no stiles
Heads up
- Steep, uneven and rocky sections
- No toilets on the route and limited facilities at the start
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation70–253 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active North York Moors alerts
- ClosureHawnby Bridleway 110 closurePublic Bridleway 25.122/110/1 in Hawnby is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians because its bridge is unsafe. - The closure is between grid references SE 5309 9073 and SE 5335 9097.Official details
- ClosureWest Ayton Footpath 1 closurePublic Footpath 1 in West Ayton (Forge Valley) is temporarily closed because its boardwalk is unsafe. - The closure is between SE 9860 8494 and SE 9839 8712.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
Your drive to Newtondale, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North York Moors National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
The Line They Chose to Save0:00 / 0:27
“The railway through Newtondale could have been lost after passenger trains stopped in 1965.”
Plays on the road 0.7 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Sparrow with Cheek Spots
- The Valley the Ice Left
- The Rector's Moorland Tower
- The Church Below Levisham
- 298 audio storiesacross North York Moors’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Red Deer, Grey Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 126 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Newtondale
The routeA closed circular walk of 6 miles (9.
A closed circular walk of 6 miles (9.8 km) starting and finishing at Levisham station car park, roughly 8 miles north of Pickering. Allow about 3 hours at an ordinary pace, with roughly 172 m of ascent and the same again in descent. Fit walkers who keep moving have done it in around 2 hours 35 minutes, but the steep and uneven sections make three hours the sensible planning figure.
SequenceLeave the station yard over the level crossing and follow the stone track onto Hardigate Road.
- Leave the station yard over the level crossing and follow the stone track onto Hardigate Road.
- Turn onto a bridleway that drops into woodland and cross a wooden bridge.
- Pass through the field before Kale Pot Hole Farm, going through its two gates.
- Continue on tracks to Raper's Farm Picnic Place.
- Climb through the upper forest roads and bridleways.
- Descend on a grassy bridleway and track, then rejoin Hardigate Road back to the station.
What you getThe walk mixes quiet lanes, forest tracks and narrower paths, a wooded cleft thick with mosses,…
The walk mixes quiet lanes, forest tracks and narrower paths, a wooded cleft thick with mosses, ferns and grasses, easy dale-bottom walking, and open views across the wooded valley to the moorland beyond. The heritage railway line runs close by, so you may hear a whistle or catch steam rising above the trees as you walk.
Difficulty and terrainDifficulty: 6/10.
Difficulty: 6/10. Moderate overall, but with several genuinely steep ascents and descents and stretches of uneven, rocky ground. There are two gates and no stiles. Parts of the route cross Forestry Commission open-access land. Expect occasional forestry vehicles and local traffic on Hardigate Road and the forest tracks, so listen out and step aside on blind corners. Boots with decent grip and ankle support are worth having.
DogsDogs are welcome under normal control.
Dogs are welcome under normal control. In the woods they may be off lead if they are reliably controlled, but keep them on a lead in the field near Kale Pot Hole Farm, where livestock may be present.
Parking and facilitiesPark at Levisham station car park, which is also the start and finish of the loop.
Park at Levisham station car park, which is also the start and finish of the loop. There are no toilets anywhere on the route. Refreshments can be found in the surrounding villages and may also be available at the station, so it is worth carrying something to eat for the walk itself.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North York Moors
15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
79 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around noonSighting map
26 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
