Ideas for a day out
A few tried-and-tested ways to spend a day in the valley. Times are generous; the Esk Valley is not a place to rush.
The steam and stepping stones day
Take an Esk Valley train to Grosmont. Walk through the tunnel to the engine sheds and watch the locomotives being prepared, then board a North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam train to Goathland, where the station will look familiar from Harry Potter and Heartbeat. Walk the Rail Trail back down to Grosmont via Beck Hole, stopping at the Birch Hall Inn, and finish with tea at the station. About 3.5 miles of easy walking.
The bridges day
Catch the train to Glaisdale. Cross Beggar's Bridge and follow the trods through Arncliffe Wood to Egton Bridge, where the stepping stones, St Hedda's Church and two pubs are waiting. Continue along the river and lane to Grosmont for the train home, or stop at Egton station. Four to six miles, mostly flat.
The moorland day
Start at The Moors Centre in Danby. Climb to Danby Beacon for the views, drop into Danby village for lunch, then walk up Danby Dale past the castle and over Duck Bridge, returning along the river. Six miles with one good climb. Or drive or cycle the road from Castleton over Blakey Ridge, past Ralph Cross, for the finest moorland scenery in the park.
The seaside day
Ride the whole line to Whitby. Climb the 199 steps to the abbey and St Mary's churchyard, walk back through the old town for fish and chips on the harbourside, and cross to the West Cliff for the beach and the whalebone arch. If the tide and weather allow, take a boat trip from the harbour. On the way home, get off at Ruswarp for an hour in a rowing boat.
The waterfalls day
For those with a car: park at May Beck and walk down to Falling Foss and the tea garden at Midge Hall, then drive over to Goathland for the steep descent to Mallyan Spout. Two waterfalls, two woods, about five miles of walking in total.
A rainy day
The Moors Centre in Danby has exhibitions, a gallery and a café. Grosmont's engine sheds are under cover. Whitby has the Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby Museum in Pannett Park, the abbey visitor centre, a great many cafés and, of course, the pubs.