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Easington Beck & Staithes from Loftus

North York Moors Walk

Nat Park - North York Moors - North York Moors East

County/Area - Redcar and Cleveland & North Yorkshire

Author - Andy Chaplin

Length - 11.5 miles / 18.7 km    Ascent - 1380 feet / 418 metres

Time - 7 hours 10 minutes    Grade - moderate

Maps Ordnance Survey Logo Anquet Maps Logo

Ordnance Survey Explorer OL27Sheet Map1:25kBUY
Anquet OS Explorer OL27Digital Map1:25kBUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Easington Beck & Staithes from Loftus
Click image to visit gallery of 3 images.

This walk on the fringes of the North York Moors National Park takes a broad, circuitous route around the Boulby mine. However, fear not, the mine is only visible from a short section of the Cleveland Way (CW) from the coastal path section. Otherwise, there are great views in the Easington Beck, Roxby Beck and Borrowdale valleys. The coastal path west of Boullby is spectacular.

Park in one of the side roads in East Loftus (grid ref. NZ729181). After parking walk east on the main road. Turn right down Loy Lane which is a bridleway signed to the cemetery. The road soon becomes a track and then a path as it passes the large cemetery, crosses the railway and heads south to come out on South Town Lane (grid ref. NZ740162).

Turn left on South Town Lane to a T-junction. Turn right on Grinkle Lane then go off left on the track towards Spring House Cottages. Take the first farm track on the right to Grinkle Park Farm and, after passing it, take the road on the left that goes down to cottages to become a path into the pretty Easington Beck valley. The path climbs to a lane. Turn left and take the path on the right into the equally pretty Roxby Beck valley.

Cross the footbridge out of the Roxby beck valley and take the stile into the field. Then angle uphill to the left and come out on the farm track behind Park House. Carry straight on taking the field track across two fields then angle over to the right as you come to the top of Honeypot Hill. The path continues to Roxby Lane (grid ref. NZ764150).

Cross straight over on the path to Moor Lane. Then on the path onto Borrowby Moor. The route here is indistinct but the path you are looking for starts at NZ770150 and then keeps to the fence on the left all the way to Low Borrowby. The path then continues along the west side of Borrowdale to just short of Plum Tree House. All the way down the valley there are good views to the coast at Staithes.

The path goes to the left around the Plum Tree farm then follows the fence of a horse enclosure and goes over a couple of stiles. When it gets near to Borrowby lane a bridleway is signed off to the right down to the footbridge near the campsite at Dalehouse. Continue to the Roxby Lane road, turn right towards the pub then immediately left behind the pub and over the old bridge. A path/old road leads up to the main road.

Go left up the hill and right on the first path past Cowbar farm, under a redundant railway bridge to the CW path. Take the CW westwards for 4kms. Part of the old Cowbar Lane coast road now goes over the cliff edge at the start of this coastal section. After a mile and a half, the CW turns inland to climb up Rockhole Hill. There is then a further mile and a half along the cliff tops, passing a trig point then coming to a National Trust sign for the old Loftus Alum quarries.

After this take the next path away from the coast at NZ737198. You pass an information board for the Street House excavations then cross the Upton Hill road at Upton Farm and continue south then, at a junction of paths, head south west to the main Whitby Road back into Loftus.

Other walks nearby

Walk 1841 Saltburn and Skelton from Skinningrovemoderate10.4 miles
Walk 1476 Boulby Mine to Whitby by the Cleveland Waymoderate12.5 miles
Walk 1452 Leaholm Moor & Scaling Dammoderate9.8 miles
Walk 2174 Warsett Hill from Saltburn-by-the-Seaeasy4.3 miles
Walk 3532 Runswick Bay to Staitheseasy3.8 miles
Walk 1887 Runswick Bay & Kettlenessmoderate9.0 miles
Walk 1050 Highcliff Nab & Roseberry Topping from Slapewathmoderate10.5 miles
Walk 3737 Commondale & Esk Valleyeasy/mod8.2 miles
Walk 1450 Little & Great Fryup Dalesmoderate8.3 miles
Walk 2685 Highcliff Nab and Guisborough Moormoderate11.1 miles

Recommended Books & eBooks

The Cleveland Way Map Booklet

The Cleveland Way Map BookletMap booklet of the Cleveland Way National Trail, a 177km (110 mile) walk around the North York Moors National Park. This booklet is included with the Cicerone guidebook to the Cleveland Way and the Yorkshire Wolds Way, and shows the full route of the Cleveland Way on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps.
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