Walk · North Yorkshire

Westerdale Head and Ledging Hill

Castleton · YO21 2DA
Westerdale Castleton Blakey Lane River Esk River Esk River Esk N 1 MILE © OpenStreetMap contributors
10.5MILES
4h 43mON FOOT
300mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 85% 15% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 45%Lane & track 40%Road with traffic 15%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
YO21 2DA
Directions to the start →

A 10.5-mile moorland round with 300 metres of ascent and roughly four and three quarter hours, heading up Westerdale to the springs where the Esk rises at Esklets and swinging west over Ledging Hill before the long return; this is remote ground, the paths fade on the tops and it should not be attempted in poor visibility without a map. It starts at Castleton village, where roadside parking is free and Castleton Moor station is on the Esk Valley line, and there is nothing at all in the way of shops or shelter once you leave Westerdale village. The infant Esk and the moor becks give water throughout and the ground is wonderfully open for a dog to range, but this is grouse moor with free-ranging sheep and important ground-nesting bird habitat, so leads on the moor from 1 March to 31 July.

THE SMALL PRINTLeads on the open moor from 1 March to 31 July for ground-nesting birds, and near sheep anywhere on the tops

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed
Livestock — leads on
REGION · NORTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 54.4633, -0.9403
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.KOMOOT.COM/SMARTTOUR/E1231396284/LEDGING-HILL-VIA-WESTERDALE-HEAD-LOOP
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