Westerdale

Westerdale is where the River Esk begins its journey to the sea, gathering the becks that drain the high moor around Westerdale Moor and Baysdale. It is a quiet place of stone farmhouses, dry-stone walls and skylarks, with the moor rising on three sides.

The village's best-known feature is Hunter's Sty Bridge, a medieval packhorse bridge over the young Esk that was restored in the 19th century by the Duncombe family. Christ Church, built in 1838, sits above the village.

The Esk Valley Walk loops through Westerdale on its way round the head of the valley from Castleton, and the lanes to Castleton and Hutton-le-Hole (over Blakey Ridge) offer some of the finest moorland driving and cycling in the national park.

There are no shops or pubs in Westerdale. The nearest facilities are in Castleton, about two miles away.