Hole of Horcum ~ Medium Walk

Distance: 5.25 miles   Time to complete walk: 3 hours

Safety Tips: A walking stick is essential to clear the way ahead as the path can be overgrown by foliage along the way. Be careful crossing the road as it can be busy and the cars
whizz along it.  Wear sunscreen to avoid being sunburnt on the moor.

A walk that combines a trip by steam train on the North York Moors Railway from Grosmont to Newton Dale Halt and then rejoins the train tracks at Levisham. The walk features the show-stopping Hole of Horcum which is one of Yorkshires most impressive natural features. If you can complete the walk without taking at least 30 photos you will be lucky!

 

The Hole of Horcum Walk

 

 

Getting There

 

From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank and take the left turning at the roundabout at the top of the bank. Follow the signs to Whitby on the A171 and then look for a right turning to Grosmont. This passes through Egton and look for a left turning to Grosmont. Parking can be found to the left after you cross the narrow bridge into Grosmont. Parking is £4.50 for over 2 hours. Look for signposts in the car park for the station. At Grosmont station purchase a return to Levisham which was £22.00 at the time of the walk. Remember to speak to the guard to stop the train at Newton Dale Halt which is where the walk begins. The guards are very good and will escort you to the part of the train you need to leave at. It is recommended that you get the early 10.30am train from Grosmont to give you plenty of time to complete the walk and catch the return train from Levisham.

 

 

 

 

Map of the Hole of Horcum walk

 

 

The Walk

 

Board the train at Grosmont and remember to let the guard know you need to be dropped off at Newton Dale Halt as the train only stops there on request. More information about train times and ticket prices can be found here..NYMR website 

 

Enjoy the journey to Newton Dale Halt which passes through Goathland and leave the train at Newton Dale Halt station.

 

 

Leave the train at Newton Dale Halt

 

Train leaving the station

 

 

Sign at the station

 

From the station follow the sign with a telephone and turn left to go under the railway bridge.

 

 

Go under the railway bridge

 

 

After the bridge turn left to follow Pickering Beck upstream until you come to a footbridge.

 

 

Go over the footbridge

 

Follow the path which is beside a fence until you come to a stile to cross over to the other side of the fence.

 

 

 

Go over stile to the other side of the fence

 

Get ready for the only significant climb of the walk which is a big climb and take regular pitstops along the way to replenish your stamina. Eventually you will come to a welcome gate at the top onto the moor.

 

 



 

Gate at the top of the climb

 

Remember to look back at the top and savour the spectacular results of your hard work climbing the steep steps. You can even see the station you left below.

Also keep your ears and eyes peeled for trains coming from Pickering and you can see the steam from the train billowing up past the trees. It really is a spectacular sight. 

 

 

 

Train from Pickering

 

Views of Newton Dale

 

Turn left and keep beside a fence to arrive at a wall. Turn right and head towards the farm buildings in the distance which is Glebe Farm. (you are at point 1 on the map)

 

 

 

Turn right to follow the wall

 

Follow the path

 

 

When the path ends cross over a track to keep ahead. Then turn right joining a track from the left near a gate.

 

 

 

Bear right to join a track from the left

 

Keeping the valley below to your left, join another track and follow this to the left towards the farm buildings. The traffic on the road ahead will help you get your bearings. Go over a stile towards Glebe Farm.

 

Go over the stile

 

 

Follow the track to Glebe Farm

 

 

Go through the farm and head towards the road ahead and the abandoned pub the Saltersgate Inn.

 

 

 

The Saltersgate Inn

 

Cross the road very carefully and look for a hidden footpath sign to the right.

 

 

 

Footpath next to the main road

 

This path climbs through a gate and a conifer plantation. Follow the track until you merge through a stile at the main road again.

 

 

 

Go over the stile onto the road again

 

Turn right and again cross the road very carefully and look for a track below and follow this to the right.

 

 

Follow the path below to the right

 

Soon you will see a gate ahead and a fork in the track. Fork left and follow the track down.

 

 

Take the left fork in the path



 

You can now see stunning views of the Hole of Horcum- see the end of the blog post for the fascinating versions of what made the Hole. Keep on the track ahead.

                     Follow the path ahead (you are at point 2 on the map)

 

Continue on the path through gates and then to the left and in front of an abandoned cottage which is called Low Horcum.

 

 

 

Follow the track to the cottage

 

Walk to the left and in front of the cottage

 

 

Beyond the cottage ignore a track heading into the woods and keep ahead on the track

 

 

Keep on the track ahead

 

 

Eventually you will come to a gate at a fork on the right. Go through the gate and follow the path and the valley soon narrows with the stream to your right below.

 

 

Go through the gate

 

Follow the path and eventually you will come to a footbridge. Walk over the footbridge and then immediately ahead over another stream. (You are at point 3 on the map)

 

Go over the footbridge

 

 

Follow the path ahead and when you come to a signpost turn right to follow the way signposted as Dundale Pond.

 

Turn right at the signpost to Dundale Pond

 

Follow the path and when you come to a fork in the path take the right fork.

 

Take the right fork in the path

 

Keeping to the right, look for a signpost ahead in the distance at a junction. When you reach the signpost head in the direction of Levisham station.

 

Take the direction to Levisham Station

 

 

When you come to  the corner of a wall another signpost points ahead to the station. Keeping the wall to the left follow the direction to the station. (You are at point 4 on the map)

 

Follow the signpost to the station

 

 

Soon you will come to a drop. Look for a path to your left which winds its way down to the road at the bottom.

 

Follow the winding path downwards

 

 

Head through a shortcut through the bend of the road ahead and join the road on the other side. Turn left and head wtowards Levisham station at the bottom. For the return journey to Grosmont head onto the far platform.



 

Levisham station

 

Train to Grosmont

 

 

Hole of Horcum

 

The Hole of Horcum is a section of the valley of the Levisham Beck, upstream of Levisham and Lockton, in the Tabular Hills of the North York Moors National Park in northern England. The hollow is 400 ft deep and stretches approximately three-quarters-of-a-mile across. A "Devil's Punchbowl" type feature, local legend has it that the amphitheatre was formed when Wade the Giant scooped up a handful of earth to throw at his wife during an argument.
The Hole was actually created by a process called spring-sapping, where water welling up from the hillside gradually undermined the slopes above, eating the rocks away grain by grain. Over thousands of years, a once narrow valley widened and deepened into an enormous cauldron – and the process still continues today.
The location earned 11th place on the list for Rude Britain