Yorkshire Walks

Dibble Bridge over Baysdale Beck

Leaving Castleton Moor station we turned right on to the road leading down to the bridge over the River Esk. Over the bridge, we bore right and continued uphill on the Esk Valley Way for 800 metres to a crossroads where we turned right, signed "Commondale 2". This road ran downhill for 300 metres to Dibble Bridge where the Esk Valley Way takes to a footpath on the left. After 500 metres on the path we turned right at a signpost "Esklets" and on our way down to a footbridge over Whyett Beck we passed the sad spectacle of a dead ewe and its half-born lamb, only a short distance from Carr House farm.

With the unseasonal period of warm dry weather forecast to be drawing to a close we grabbed this day as a walking opportunity. For a change we decided on a linear walk requiring public transport. The web site http://www.dalestrails.co.uk/Battersby.htm suggested a good candidate but we preferred to reverse its direction and make some minor modifications. We took the 11.00 train from Battersby station to Castleton Moor station and were walking back towards Battersby Junction by 11.30.

Footbridge over Whyett Beck

Following the Esk Valley Way by a wall on the left

Following a wall on the left over Westerdale Moor

The right of way took us on moorland around a pasture bordered by a stone wall on our left for a further 800 metres over Westerdale Moor before the path veered away from the wall at NZ 663069 and developed into a farm track. To the south we had a hazy view of Westerdale.

On the far side of the beck the Esk Valley Way continued uphill, veering left to moorland where we followed a stone wall on our left for 400 metres and turned right immediately before a pedestrian gate.

No! Turn right before the gate

The path over Westerdale Moor drifts away from the wall

Bridleway on to Little Hograh Moor from John Breckon Road

Footbridge over Great Hograh Beck

Within 350 metres we reached another metalled road and, crossing straight over it, joined a bridleway "Skinner Howe Cross Road" which took us across Hograh Moor and Little Hograh Beck for 1.9 km to a memorial cairn and down to a memorial bench by a footbridge over Great Hograh Beck. Fresh flowers had been tied by the seat, and this sheltered spot, about halfway on our walk, was ideal to pause for lunch.

After a further 400 metres at NZ 659069 we left the track for a grassy track on our left which quickly led to the Westerdale road where we left the Esk Valley Way for a short-cut. We turned left down the road for about 30 metres and then right onto a path at NZ 6584 0685, initially barely discernable but soon becoming clear.

Crossing Little Hograh Beck

East corner of Grain Planting

"Shepherd's House"

An unsurfaced but smooth road led down to Baysdale Beck and then bore left to follow it to "Baysdale Abbey", a stone mansion built on the site of a former Cistercian abbey. The house and its attractive renovated outbuildings now provide holiday accommodation.

Next, a path to the right took us uphill in 100 metres to turn right onto a farm track which ran to the east corner of a forest "Grain Planting", through a farm gate and down to Shepherd's House where refreshments were available. We had now entered Baysdale, a Shangri-La of sheltered pasture surrounded by moorland.

Outbuildings at Baysdale Abbey