Description
Pickering and the North York Moors Railway
Pickering and the North York Moors Railway (NYMR) is our 2026 annual weekend away. Over the weekend, we have two walks which will be combining the dramatic beauty of the moors with the stunning views from the wonderful heritage railway.
Saturday Walk Details – Hole of Horcum
| Hills: |  |
There are some hills. |
| Distance: |  |
Medium distance (Approx. 8 miles) |
| Grade: |  |
Moderate |
| Map: |  |
|
| This walk is on OS map Explorer OL27 North York Moors – Eastern Area. Click on map image to buy this map. | ||
| Declaration: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | ||
The start – Levisham Station
We will start at Levisham Station. To get there we will take the train from Pickering at 9.40. A Pickering to Levisham return is £14.95. Levisham is one stop from Pickering, and it takes about 20mins to get there.
From Levisham Station, we will follow the road and then a path onto the moor, to reach the Tabular Hills Walk.
The Tabular Hills Walk
The Tabular Hills Walk is a long distance route between Helmsley and Scarborough. We follow this route as far as the Hole of Horcum car park, at Saltergate.
The route takes us over Levisham Moor, which is similar to moors in Northumberland. It is covered in heather and cotton grass. When Sue and Martin walked this, they saw Curlews, Lapwings and Skylarks, as well as a Yellowhammer.
The Hole of Horcum
We will stop for a break at the top of the path into the Hole of Horcum. This gives us spectacular views of the large bowl that legend says was scooped out by Wade the Giant. It was actually formed by underground springs undermining the slopes.
We take a lovely path into the Hole of Horcum, and along the base of it, before joining a path along the side of the valley. This path takes us to Levisham Village.
Levisham Village
When we reach Levisham Village, we can avail ourselves of the facilities at the Horseshoe Inn. Afterwards, we will take a short route back to Levisham Station and catch the next train back to Pickering at either 3.30pm or 5.30pm.
Sunday Details – Grosmont to Goathland
| Hills: | |
There are some small hills and a big one up to Goathland. |
| Distance: | |
Short distance |
| Grade: | |
Moderate |
| Map: | |
|
| This walk is on OS map Explorer OL27 North York Moors – Eastern Area. Click on map image to buy this map. | ||
| Declaration: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | ||
The start – Grosmont
We will start at Grosmont Station. To get there, we will take the train from Pickering at 9.30 am arriving in Grosmont at 10.35 am. A Pickering to Grosmont return is £34.95.
This journey travels through beautiful and spectacular countryside and takes just over an hour, so plenty of time to enjoy the train ride.
You can drive and park in Grosmont if you prefer.
The Old School Coffee Shop
When we reach Grosmont, we will visit the Old School Coffee Shop. This is located across the Murk Esk River. The usual footbridge has been deemed not safe and has been replaced with a temporary bridge a little way downstream. We have not used this new bridge but we can still access the coffee shop.
There is the Church of St Nicholas just behind the coffee shop which is an interesting visit.
The Esk Valley
From Grosmont, we follow the railway south. Initially, we walk on a track beside the railway. and then follow the old railway track. This route is the original 1836 George Stevenson horse drawn railway and was known as the Whitby and Pickering Railway.
Beck Hole
When we reach the tiny village of Beck Hole, we will visit one of the smallest pubs in Britain, the Birch Hall Inn – the pub/shop are cash only. They also serve a small menu of snacks. There is also a sweet shop attached to the pub.
Mallyan Spout Waterfall
On leaving Beck Hole, we will leave the railway and take a path that follow the West Beck. This follows the river towards Mallyan Spout Waterfall. The source of this waterfall is from springs on the adjacent moor. It falls about 70 feet into the West beck.
The route to Mallyan Spout has large stones to it but it is well worth it.
Goathland
From Mallyan Spout, we backtrack a little and take the steep footpath, from the beck, up to the Mallyan Spout Hotel. It’s only a short distance to the centre of Goathland and the Goathland Tea Room and refreshments. We then take the train back to Pickering at 3.15pm.
Julie and Martin x
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