Esk valley Way Walk Run February 2026

Mizzle, a portmanteau of mist and drizzle, fine persistent, skin soaking rain, draping the land in low cloud which clings to trees, hedgerows and hilltops. Not the most august of mornings to start a run, though on the plus side it did feel warmer than previous days. Setting off across Larpool Viaduct I caught sight of the skeletal remains of Whitby Abbey on the headland to the east of the town. Built in 1884 the viaduct is mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Mina Murray"s journal which forms chapter six describes the size of the viaduct and the deepness of the valley that it spans high above the little river Esk.

From the viaduct I followed the Esk Valley Walk path towards Ruswarp. Part of the path is an old flagged trod, often called the Monks Trod, traces of it can be seen at numerous places across the moors which it traverses from Guisborough Priory to the coast and Whitby Abbey. Guisborough Priory was founded in 1119 nearly 600 years after Whitby Abbey, both were seized by the crown officials of Henry VIII during the reformation during 1539, however Guisborough Priory managed to hold out until April 1540 before it finally passed to the Crown making it one of the last monasteries to be dissolved.

Once through Ruswarp the Esk Valley Walk path took me through fields towards Sleights, the fields sodden after weeks of rain were slippery underfoot making ascending or descending a slower affair than normal. Even the livestock appeared to be nonplussed by the unwearying precipitation, huddling listlessly in equally sodden any hedge-backs.

Livestock are adversely affected by sodden fields and persistent rain, their grazing transformed into swathes of churned up mud, known as "poaching", disease from parasites and foot rot increase due to the accumulated water. Feeding becomes problematic because of the lack of quality forage available, especially critical now that it is coming into lambing season. Lets hope that the end of February into March brings some much needed drier weather. The halcyon blue sky days of last summer are very much a washed out memory...

Fields eventually give way to a green lane leading onto a metalled road on the outskirts of the village of Sleights. Sleights from the old Norse "sletta", meaning flat land. The name seems incongruous when you see the hills that surround Sleights, and now make up the vast majority of the villages expanse. One can only guess that when it was first inhabited, possibly as early as the 11th century it was centred around the Esk at the bottom of the hills where the present day Carr Lane meets the A169. This would tally with the location of the remains of the 13th century Eskdale Chapel which is situated on the flat land between the river Esk and the A169 in the heart of Eskdale.

On leaving Sleights the Esk Valley Walk Path follows the meanderings of the Esk and Esk valley railway line through woods and fields through Eskdale to the village of Grosmont.

Along the way you pass Newbiggin Hall, a 19th century manor house which replaced an earlier hall, first mentioned in the 1773, when purchased by John Yeoman of Whitby, as being "an ancient house". Which would suggest that it had been there for some time beforehand. However, Newbiggin as a word derives from Old English, niwe, for new and biggin, meaning building, house or Hamlet, put together as Newbiggin, meaning a building or settlement that is of a later date to those around it. Nowadays some of the buildings within the present halls curtilage are used as holiday lets.

After encountering more of the Monks Trod the Esk valley Walk path follows a farm track and metalled road to Grosmont, home of the North York Moors Railway. In the summer months engines as illustrious as the Flying Scotsman, the Mallard or the Sir Nigel Gresley can be seen building up a head of steam on the platform, before carrying passengers to Pickering.

The Esk Valley Walk path turns away from Grosmont and follows the old toll road towards Egton, once the main thoroughfare between the two villages. Though as its name suggests you would have had to pay to make use of it. At the Grosmont end of the toll road there is a large oak of venerable age, judging by its. circumference, which appears to be in excess of 15 feet, it could be over 232 years old. meaning it may have started growing in 1815 when George III was the King and Wellington defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo...

When on the toll road you are also following Wainwright's Coast to Coast route, which you will continue to do until you reach the 17t century packhorse bridge on the outskirts of the village of Glaisdale known as Beggars Bridge.

Shortly after leaving Egton the Esk Valley Way and Coast to Coast paths take

you through East Arncliffe Wood, there you will find an abundance of native deciduous trees such as, alder, birch, ash , sycamore , oak and holly. Coppicing, the cutting back of a tree to ground level to promote growth, took place in East Arncliffe Woods from medieval times. Clog making also took place there, woods where coppicing took place were ideal locations for the clog makers, or "cloggers".

As they relied heavily on coppiced timber. Both activities continued in tandem up until the end of the First World War. Coppicing, has made a comeback recently, and is used as a way of managing woodland.

Alder was the wood of choice for cloggers, especially when producing everyday use clogs.Traditionally known as "cloggy wood", its favourability for use in clog making coming from its soft, non splitting nature, along with a tolerance to the effects of water and moisture. The work of the Coppicer can still be seen as you pass through the wood the poles, or off shoots, still growing straight from the cut stump, or stool.

Evidence that Spring is not far off can be seen throughout the woods of the North York Moors, alder, birch and hazel have already begun to produce male catkins, although they are all monoecious, meaning they produce male and female flowers, the male catkins are often produced first. This is known as dichogamy, which is a blueprint promoting cross- pollination with other trees as opposed to self-pollination.

A  concrete foot- bridge takes you across Low Gill beck which flows through West Arncliffe Wood to join the Esk near to Beggars bridge. Leaving the two long distance paths, I, concluded my run by adding my foot steps to those of the centuries old procession of travellers who have crossed the Esk on the coursed sandstone blocks of Beggars Bridge. Many of the stones were probably taken from the  ruins of a previous Bridge built on the site, which collapsed in 1577 after more than 200 years of use.

A total of 10.29 miles, 1,289 ft of elevation in just under 2 hrs, along the Esk Valley Way Walk, long distance path, from Larpool viaduct just outside of Whitby to Beggars Bridge on the eastern edge of the village of Glaisdale North Yorkshire.

My morning trail run was so much more than some stats on a watch or fitness app. Trail running and ultra trail running gives us so much more than personal bests, splits , moving time, elapsed time and all the rest of the accumulated data that somehow seems to have become omnipotent, an all powerful deity that we pay homage to. every time we pull our trainers on...