Words & Photos Paul Richardson

December 03 2009

I’m not a railway buff by any means but there’s something about a steam train that makes me feel my journey is worth making. I recently took the opportunity to indulge, with a walk from Levisham station heading north to Goathland and a delightful return journey on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The southernmost point of the railway is Pickering, so I caught the train there to make the short journey to Levisham. My fellow passengers were on chatty form: during the 20-minute ride I got to know a surprising amount about their reasons for being there and where they’d come from. So it was with slight reluctance that I left their company to continue on foot.

After a short section on forest track, I was soon heading steep uphill through Yorfalls Wood, the eastern edge of the substantial Cropton Forest. At the tip of the ridge that overlooks the gorge of Newton Dale stands the ruins of Skelton Tower. This is what’s left of a shooting lodge built by the vicar of Levisham in the mid-1800s; some say he wrote his sermons here, others say he enjoyed a tipple here. Either way, who could blame him for lapping up the dramatic landscape looking along the gorge towards North Dale?

As I made my way along Levisham Bottoms it struck me that Levisham Moor and the Hole of Horcum – areas I have walked many times – were just beyond West Side Brow, a mere 200 metres to my right. To find such variety of distinctive and dramatic geological features in a comparatively small area is luxury indeed, but the familiar sights would have to wait for another day. My route took me instead through Pifelhead Wood to begin a forest walk around Wilden Moor.

I don’t always enjoy walking in forest. You have to go where the tracks take you – even if they are not where the map states! – and frequently have to wade through mud stirred up by machines. But this section of Cropton Forest had no such obstacles. Next I crossed Howl Moor along Simon Howe Rigg, over the more familiar terrain of heather moorland. Curlews seemed to be everywhere on this moor but the well-established track keeps walkers away from the birds’ nesting spots.

From Simon Howe the Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station on Fylingdales Moor was visible, several miles to the east. I couldn’t stop looking towards it, wondering if my every move was monitored as I made my way to Goathland.

I’d aimed to catch the penultimate train of the day and as I passed the tarn on my descent, it was obviously going to be a close call. I made it to Goathland station with four minutes to spare before a truly relaxing and scenic ride back to Pickering.

Distance: 11 miles/18km Ascent: 1100ft/330m Time: 5-6 hours Start: Levisham rail station (GR: SE 817911). Limited parking available. Finish: Goathland rail station (GR: NZ 836013) Map: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheet OL27 (North York Moors – Eastern area) Information: Pickering TIC: 01751 473791; NYM Railways: 01751 472508, www.nymr.co.uk Travel: trains to Levisham and return from Goathland

Technical Spec
From Levisham station take path N as far as Rain Dale entrance. Cross railway line and head directly uphill then NE following edge of woods before taking track in Levisham Bottoms. Take track at E edge of Pifelhead Wood, cross railway line and take paths W and N through Wilden Moor. Continue N along Simon Howe Rigg, taking left hand track at Two Howes Rigg and into Goathland.