Friday 18th July 2003
Weather: Fair, some light rain, then sunshine.
Levisham Station - Skelton Tower - Newtondale - Goathland
( 11 miles )
. 
Today's is a
'linear walk', so we took the North Yorkshire
Moors Railway steam train
from Goathland Station (above)
to the start of our walk at Levisham Station ( £6 single fare at
the time of writing).
. 
Goathland Station
has recently become famous as the setting for scenes in the
popular 'Heartbeat' TV series
and as 'Hogsmead Station' in a couple of recent 'Harry Potter'
movies.
. 
After a 10-minute short, but pleasant journey we disembarked at Levisham Station (GR 818 910).
. 
From the station
walk east along the road for a few yards crossing a cattle grid
then look for a footpath sign to the right.
Continue on through a small wooded area before emerging through a
gate into a field - go gently uphill across the field
then through a gate at the top before joining a pleasant grassy
track running diagonally up the hillside.
Near a seat, it's
worth pausing to enjoy the view back across the wooded valley
- here we see a couple of steam trains passing each other at
Levisham Station.
Continue on uphill along the path before reaching a gate emerging into a cultivated field.
.
. 
Follow the path on the left of the next two fields then walk along a narrow surfaced road into the village of Levisham.
If you wish, you
can enjoy a pint (or two) in the Horseshoe Inn before continuing along the road (Braygate
Lane)
to the left of the pub - go straight ahead at a junction until
reaching a gate (GR 827 917) onto the moor (Dundale Rigg).
Continue ahead
parallel with a dry-stone wall and fields to your left - where
the fields end, go straight ahead
(north-west) along a grassy track and follow it as it descends
for the next ¼ of a mile or so until...
...you arrive at the ruins of Skelton Tower (GR 820 929).
Skelton Tower was
built as a shooting lodge in 1850 by the Rev Robert Skelton,
Vicar of Levisham.
Some say he wrote his sermons in here, others prefer to believe
he enjoyed a quiet drink!
Skelton Tower
stands close to the edge of quite a spectacular precipice with
glorious views north-east along
the deep, forested gorge of Newtondale, where the spectacular
route of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs.
We were lucky enough today to 'catch' a train as we walked along
the cliff-top track.
. 
The path continues
on north-east, hugging the top edge of the valley - at a junction
of tracks keep left
- take care wherever the path nears the edge of the cliff.
A bit further along you get a good view of the line as it curves north.
. 
Near a drystone
wall there's a small path leaves the main track on the left to a
stile (GR 847 945)
- go over the stile and continue (today) through thick bracken
and steeply down the hillside (take care)
. 
At the bottom cross
another stile and follow the path towards the railway line - it's
a bit wet and marshy down here
- cross the line (stop, look & listen) . . .
. 
. . . then follow the path up the other side towards the trees (Cropton Forest).
. 
Turn left along the
forest track then soon look for a narrower path into the forest
on the right (GR 843 952).
Follow the path directions uphill to Needle Eye then when
emerging from the trees follow a wide track
then grassy path on the left hand side of part of the forest to
GR 821 858.
Bear right at the gate above and go across the fields towards Simon Howe Rigg . . .
. . . and onto the moor (here looking back).
. 
Follow the clear moor track north . . .
. . . until reaching the ancient burial mound of Simon Howe.
Continue straight
ahead towards two more tumuli on Two Howes Rigg
(above is the view looking east to Fylingdales Radar Station seen
on the horizon)
Follow the path ahead and north passing to the right of The Tarn . . .
.. . . before descending the path back to Goathland and return through the village to the station.
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