WALK 3 GREAT AYTON TO CASTLETON via Gribdale,Sleddale and Commondale

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Multi Media Mapping.

Leave the station via the steps up on to the road,  turn right over the railway bridge and proceed along the road past some houses on the right. You eventually reach a telephone box with a row of houses on the left and it is there that you leave the main road and take the track behind the houses.

 At the end of the row of houses you see a stile on your right into a field and once over the stile turn left along the side of the field to another stile out of the field. Cross the stile and continue up hill along the path until you reach another stile into what is called Gribdale car park and picnic area. At ten o’clock from you across the metalled road is a set of stone steps leading up hill and signed ‘Cleveland Way’ which you must take until at the top you reach a gate.

 Go through the gate and continue walking  keeping, first a fence and then a wall on your left hand side for about a mile until you reach another gate in the corner. (go through the gate for a few yards  you will get a splendid view of Roseberry Topping and then return to the gate)    

Put the gate at your back and in front at ten o’clock you will see a well defined stone path which you should proceed along until in about half a mile you reach another gate. Go through the gate,  turn right and follow the path until you come to a gate on your right with a path to the left.

 Go through the gate and again take the direction of ten o’clock from the gate where you will be met by a multitude of paths. Try to keep on the high side of the hill for you are making for the corner of a wall straight in front of you. There is a farm a little bit to the left and the direction is to keep the farm  to the far left.

 Just before the corner of the wall you cross a little stream via wooden boards which is a haven for frogs, continue  keeping the stone wall on your immediate left. Part of the way along the stone wall you must go through a gate  where afterwards the track bears left and goes up hill to another gate leading into some woods.

 Do not go through the gate but continue on keeping the wood on your left first up and then down where at the bottom is a gate on the left. Again go up hill where at the top the track turns sharp right which you should follow past a trig point.

Keep following this track  which bears left about half a mile past the trig point and then 200 yards further on offers a turn to the right which must be ignored. Four hundred yards past that turn there is a definite turn to the left which must be taken even though it seems to be in the wrong direction. After another 300 yards the track takes a definite turn to the right and starts to rise slightly before going again downhill where after about half a mile you will see off the track on your right a war memorial. It is to two first world war Scots Guardsmen. Why not stop a while  

 Just after the war memorial keep a look out for a wooden crossing over a stream on the left for you should take it and continue along a well walked path until you come to a stream after about a mile. At the stream turn left and walk keeping  the stream on your right until in a short while you are required to cross it to reach the other side.

 Cross and climb steadily up hill  until you reach the main road on which you should turn left. This is just outside Commondale village and you will soon pass first houses then a scout camp on the left and a pub on the right. At   the pub turn right towards the railway station and at the next junction a few yards further on keep straight on until you reach a five-barred gate with another gate on the right  leading down to the station.

Go through the five-barred gate and follow the metalled road, which eventually becomes a farm track. At a bend in the farm track you will see a gate with a yellow walkers’ directional arrow emblazoned upon it.

 Take no notice of the arrow, as the walk is very overgrown but continue to follow the farm track, which after about a mile joins another metalled road. Go down hill on this road for about quarter of a mile and through the railway bridge you will be rewarded by the sight of the Eskdale Inn and time for a couple of pints before the train goes back.