Keld ~ Hard Walk

Distance Covered: 6 miles   Time to complete walk: 3 hours

Safety Tips: The drive to this beautiful part of Swaledale can be bit of a white knuckle ride. Give yourself plenty of time to ensure you finish the walk in daylight. The Pennine Way part of the walk can be perilous with rocky loose stones but also with amazing views. Complete this walk in the summer.

A walk with beautiful cascading waterfalls and epic panoramic views of Swaledale. The drive to the remote village of Keld is on winding country roads and an adventure in itself. Give yourself plenty of time for the walk and ensure you complete the walk in sunny dry weather as the rocky path of the Pennine Way can be precarious if the path is muddy or slippery.

 

The Keld Walk

 

 

Getting There

 

If travelling from Middlesbrough, take the A66 to Scotch Corner then take the A6108 through Richmond and then follow it and look for a right turn off to Reeth. Exit Reeth and take the B6270 and follow this windy country road until you eventually come to Keld. Parking can be found at the Park Lodge carpark further into Keld. 

 

Map of the Keld walk

 

The Walk

 

From the car park walk ahead down a gravel path signed Muker. Continue along the path as it rises ignoring the path that goes down to the left. Go through a gate, pass a sign to Kilsdon Upper Force and continue on the path which carries on below a crag and to a signpost.

 

 

 

Turn right which is on the Penine Way and go up to a gap in the wall. and to another signpost.

 

 Pennine Way

 

 

The path can be slippy and precarious in frost or after rain, so take special care negotiating the rocky path. Follow the path as it goes over rocky ground and slopes. Cross a ladder stile as the path starts to descend. You will have amazing views as you follow the path. You will cross over more stiles.

 

 

 

Stunning Views

 

Go down to a signpost and you will come across a signpost to the Pennine Way. Ignore that path and join a walled track signed Muker. The track is gravelled and works its way down to the village of Muker.

 

 

Gravel Path

 

 

You will pass a house and then to your left look for a path signed Public Footpath. If you struggle to find it as long as you don't go down into the main village of Muker you will find it. Follow the path through six gates towards the River Swale.

 

 

Path to the river

 

 

Turn a sharp right when you reach the river and look for a footbridge over the river.

 

 

 

Footbridge over the river

   

Ascend steps beyond the footbridge and turn left where it is signed Keld. Follow the clear track along the valley, until it curves right into Swimmer Gill. Take a short detour to see the waterfall. It really is beautiful.

 



 

Swimmers Gill

  

 

Cross the footbridge and head up to a gate. 

 

 

Track around an old barn

 

 

Start climbing the track and follow it around an old barn. Continue steadily downhill and you will come to a gate above East Gill Force. Fork left when you come to a wooden seat and you will then be able to admire the waterfalls.

 

 

East Gill Force waterfall

 

 

After you have visited the waterfalls follow the path over a footbridge,  then bear right uphill and you will be on the track you started you walk on. Head back to Keld for some food and refreshment!

 

 

 

Cross the footbridge

 

 

Keld

 

Keld is a village in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is in Swaledale, in the district of Richmondshire and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name derives from the Viking word Kelda meaning a spring and the village was once called Appletre Kelde - the spring near the apple trees.
Keld is the crossing point of the Coast to Coast Walk and the Pennine Way long-distance footpaths at the head of Swaledale. At the height of the lead-mining industry in Swaledale in the late 19th century the village had a population of around 6,000. During this period a series of remarkable buildings - now Grade II listed - were erected: they include the Congregational and Methodist chapels, the school and the Literary Institute.
Keld has no shop except at the campsite. There used to be a Youth Hostel but it closed in October 2008 and the building has since reopened as Keld Lodge, a hotel with bar and restaurant. There is a series of four waterfalls close to Keld in a limestone gorge on the River Swale: Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force.

 



 



 

 

 

Robin Hoods Bay to Boggle Hole ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 4 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips: No real safety issues- a pair of Wellington Boots would come in handy to explore Boggle Hole.
 

Starting at the popular fishing village of Robin Hoods Bay, make your way down to Boggle Hole and look for fossils in the shallow waters. An ideal walk for children. Wellington Boots will be required for exploring Boggle Hole!

 

The Robin Hoods Bay to Boggle Hole walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank and at the top turn left onto the A171. Follow this road to Whitby. Pass through Whitby and follow the A171 to Scarborough. Shortly after you leave Whitby look for a left turning to Robin Hoods Bay. Parking is to be found at the top of the village.

 

Map of the Boggle Hole walk 

The Walk 

 

Leave the car park and turn right and head down until you reach the Victoria Hotel. Further on from the hotel the road falls steeply down into the fishing village.  

 

 

Road down to the village 

At the bottom just before you reach the shore turn right up Albion Road which is signed the Cleveland Way.

 

                                                                             Albion Road

By Flagstaff Cottage look for some steps ascending steeply to reach the clifftop path.

 

                                                                    Steps by Flagstaff Cottage

 

Where it turns left through a gate follow the Boggle Hole sign. Stunning views of the coast can be seen along the path

                

 

Follow this path until it falls steeply down into Boggle Hole.

 

 

 

 

Time to put on those wellies if you want to explore the shore waters while the tide is out. Fossils from the Jurassic period can be found! There is also a nice café in the YHA   building.

 

 

 

 

 

After you have explored for a while, cross the footbridge to ascend the bank on the other side leaving the Cleveland Way and following the road away from the shore.

 

 

Follow the road past a car park and some houses. Farther on you will come to a fork in the road. Take the right fork signed Fylingthorpe.

 

Fork in the road

 

Cross over a stream and look for a sharp right up some steps onto a dis-used railway line.

 

 

Follow the dis-used railway line

 

Follow the path under a bridge and then cross a lane and continue on the railway path.

 

 

Soon you will go through two farm gates and eventually you will go through another gate onto a main road. Turn right along the road and look for a left turning signed Village Hall which will lead you back to the carpark.

 

 

Boggle Hole

 

 

Walk about a mile south from Robin Hood’s Bay along the ‘Cleveland Way’ or on the beach, if the tide is out, to Boggle Hole.
Here, the bay in front of the old converted Watermill, was once a notorious smugglers’ haunt. Nowadays all ages can enjoy the Jurassic coastline and beachcombers can search for fossils or rockpool life along the shore.
The name Boggle Hole, comes from boggle, or goblin, which is said to haunt the slopes. In local folklore,
Surrounded by a dominant cliff face full of tales of fishermen’s secrets Boggle Hole really is a quaint hollowed out crevice in the coastline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grosmont Rail Trail ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 4 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips: A very safe walk with no issues

Follow the Grosmont to Goathland Rail Trail on this walk - the walk is suitable for wheelchair access. A real treat for railway enthusiasts, however a sighting of the legendary locomotive The Flying Scotsman is not guaranteed!

 

The Grosmont Rail Trail 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.

 

 

 

Map of the Grosmont Rail Trail walk

 

 

The Walk

 

The walk is a point  to point walk with a small incline at the beginning and is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. From the parking area follow the path up and you will soon come to Grosmont railway station. From March throughout the summer steam trains run from Grosmont station to Pickering and it is well worth the fare for the experience. Also when you complete the Rail Trail and arrive at Goathland station, you can get the steam train back to Grosmont.

 

To the right of the station look for the signpost to the railway sheds. Follow this and make a detour to explore the railway sheds and see which locomotives are on the days roster.

 

                                   

 

                                               

 

                                                

 

After visiting the railway sheds look for the sign to the Rail Trail which is above the rail sheds.

 

                                     

 

Follow the track which has a small incline at the beginning and is adjacent to the railway. If youre lucky a train may be passing while you walk. Grab your camera!

 

                                    

 

When you come to a left turning on your path stay straight ahead on the Rail Trail.

 

                                             

 

Keep ahead on the Rail Trail going through several stiles and gates. 

 

 

                                            

 

Eventually you will come to a bridge over the River Esk. Cross the bridge and continue on the rail trail.

 

                                              

 

                                     

 

 

Keep following the sigmposts for Goathland passing through the village of Beck Hole. Once at Goathland look for the train times for the return journey by steam train!.

 

                                     

 

Grosmont

 

Grosmont (GRO-mont; archaically spelt Growmond) is a village and civil parish situated in Eskdale in the North York Moors National Park, within the boundaries of the Scarborough district of the county of North Yorkshire, England.
Grosmont Priory was established in the 12th century and closed during the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. The village was established in the 1830s when the Whitby to Pickering Railway was built, and grew as a result of industrial iron ore extraction, and in the 1860s the development of an ironworks led to further growth. Up to at least the 1850s the village was known as Tunnel.
The River Esk at Grosmont, west of the priory was the crossing place of the ancient structure known as Wade's Causeway.
A priory was established in the early 13th century, but no major settlements existed until the industrial revolution (1830s) when the arrival of railways and demand for iron led to the creation of a new village "Tunnel" later named Grosmont, and to the establishment of an iron works.
Before the industrial period there is evidence of iron ore extraction and iron working in the parish: a 15th/16th century ironworking site has been identified on the banks of the Esk close to the priory; and a late or post-medieval iron forge existed in Smithy Holme Wood less than 0.3 miles (0.5 km) south-east of the present village; and a post-medieval pit for ironstone extraction was located less than 1 km east of the village; alum extraction and refining is known to have taken place near to the site of St. Matthews church.
Grosmont is home to the NYMR's engine shed. A number of structures in and near the village are listed, including: the three arch sandstone road bridge over the Esk, dating from around 1700; the early 19th century 'Eskdale Villa' on the eastern outskirts of the village; and in the village the 19th century 'Rose Cottage'.
Several railway related buildings and structures are listed, including the 'Station Tavern' public house and outbuildings (originally "The Tunnel Inn"); the Post Office (c. 1835); and the former horse tramway tunnel, now a pedestrian route; all built for the Whitby and Pickering Railway in the 1830s. Also listed are the Murk Esk railway bridge (1845); 1845 railway tunnel, and the G.T. Andrews designed Grosmont Railway station (1846), all built for the York and North Midland Railway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carlton Bank ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 2 miles   Time to complete walk: 1 hour

Safety Tips: This is a very safe walk with a gradual climb

Starting at Lordstones which is a subterranean café and shop make your way up a steady climb to the top of Carlton Bank for panoramic views of Teesside. With a graduated steep climb this walk will take around 1 and a half hours to complete.

 

The Carlton Bank Walk 

 

 

Getting There

  

From Middlesbrough, go up Ormesby Bank and at the roundabout at the top, take the second exit towards Stokesley which is the A172. Follow the road and at the next roundabout take the first left turn past Strikes garden centre. Continue on the A172 until you come to another roundabout. At this roundabout take the third exit to Carlton. Follow the road and look for a left turning to Carlton. Drive through Carlton and look for a left turning signed to Lordstones.

This is Carlton Bank and is very steep. At the top turn left into the Lordstones car park which has ample parking spaces.

 

 

Map of the Carlton Bank walk

 



The Walk

 

You can either visit the Lordstones café restaurant and shop now or after your walk. The café is subterranean and the shop is handy for special produce. From the shop turn left as if you were coming out of the shop and head towards the gate on your left. 

 

 

Lordstones Café and shop

 

 



 

Gate to the left of the shop

 

 

On the path ahead take a left turning at the signposts.

 

 

 

Signpost

 

Gate ahead

 







 

Soon you will come to a gate and then cross the road to the path straight ahead. Follow the path until you come to a set of gates with an information point about Carlton Bank.

 

 

 

Gate to the left

 

Information point



Take the left gate and walk onwards on sandstone path. The path is a gradual climb and is the only climbing part of the walk. Whilst walking you will have excellent views of Teesside and Roseberry Topping in the distance.

 

 

A distant Roseberry Topping

 



When you reach the top you will be on open moorland. Look for a path to the right which will take you over the top of the hill.

 

 

 

Path at the top of the hill

 

 

Follow the path until you come to two stone pillars, You are now at the top of the hill and will be rewarded with panoramic views.

 

 

Stone pillars

 



 

After you have enjoyed the view look for a stony path which will take you back down to the gates and information point. Retrace your steps back to the Lordstones.

 

Carlton Bank

 

Carlton Bank is a hill in the Cleveland Hills, in north-east England. It is located on Carlton Moor in the North York Moors and overlooks the villages of Carlton-in-Cleveland and Faceby. The summit provides extensive views of Teesside including Middlesbrough and Redcar to the north as well as the surrounding moorland. Roseberry Topping can also be clearly seen from the summit in a north-easterly direction. The Cleveland Way National Trail crosses Carlton Bank and is part of Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk.
A gliding club aerodrome is situated approximately 500 metres (1,640 ft) south of the summit

Lordstones Café and shop

Visit the Lordstones website here http://lordstones.com/