Scaling Dam to Goathland – 8 October 2022
If you are really observant you might notice some changes in this post. Yes, there are changes all round, the first change and a major one is that we are not going out on the 1st October, the date is now the 8th October. The second change is that we were originally going from the Lion Inn to Kirkbymoorside and it is now Scaling Dam to Goathland.
The reason for the changes is that 22 club members are coming back from a holiday in Menorca on the 1st October which would have left very few going off to the Lion Inn on that day. The reason for the change of location is that in April this year we went from the Lion Inn to Hutton-le-Hole and the route from the Lion Inn to Kirkbymoorside is very similar but with only a slight change in the last few miles of the route. At least we are still in the North Yorks Moors so have not changed things completely.
We were last in Goathland in 2018 and before that in 2012. Goathland was used as the fictional village of Aidansfield in the ITV series Heartbeat which ran from 1992 until 2010. Goathland used to get a lot of visitors during that period as the series was very popular but as the memory of Heartbeat fades it’s probable that the village has become less busy. However, it has another claim to fame as the Goathland railway station just outside the village was used as the fictional railway station called Hogsmeade that featured in the Harry Potter films. So maybe there is a different group of people visiting Goathland now.
To get to Goathland we have three routes which are all getting off the coach on the A171 road a few minutes from Scaling Dam. The first route to start is the 10-mile route that is going south to Glaisdale and then east to Egton Bridge before picking up the old Esk Valley disused railway line that goes to Goathland.
The 8-mile and 11-mile routes are off together a few minutes later with the 8-mile route going south on a shorter route to Egton Bridge but then to Grosmont before also taking the Esk Valley railway route to Goathland. Finally, the 11-mile route is going south and passes to the east of Glaisdale before turning east and crossing Egton Grange and the oddly named Murk Mire Moor before coming to Beck Hole and the final stretch of the Esk Valley railway into Goathland.
A week later than originally planned and a different location but a great place to go to especially in this Autumn period. If you would like to join us for this walk you can get in touch with us using the Contact Page of our website and you can also download the walk descriptions below and the GPX routes here. Just in case you are not sure we will still be going out again as usual on the 15th October and every two weeks after that.
The image for this post was taken on a visit to Goathland in October 2012 when we started from Robin Hoods Bay.