Sleights to Whitby

Sleights holiday 5

On the first full day of my holiday, I set off fairly smartly after breakfast to walk from Sleights (pronounced Slites) to Whitby, part of the Esk Valley walk, about 4 miles. It promised to be a very hot day so I wanted to make the most of the cooler morning. The path follows closely beside the North Yorkshire Moors Railway line, which runs from Whitby to Pickering. It is a heritage line, run by volunteers, and normally runs a regular steam train service. As a result of the restrictions caused by Covid and now the recent dry weather, I gather it is struggling to be sustainable. The drought conditions meant that they were only using diesel locos this summer but then tourists, on which the line depends, are less interested in travelling... so, after a few rain showers, they brought back some steam-hauled services, with enhanced fire-watch precautions. The week that I was on holiday there, there were several trackside fires (caused by sparks from the engines) so they have once again had to stop using the steam locomotives. Having said that, I was lucky enough to catch sight of one of them as I was walking. I find the familiar chug-chug as they pass heart-warmingly nostalgic. And yes, the loco was travelling backwards... 

The drought was evident from the very low water in the River Esk too. Further along in Ruswarp (pronounced Russop) it was a little deeper, so the boat and paddleboard hire business was doing good trade.  It was hot by now, so I made my way along to a riverside café and gratefully sat in the shade with a drink for a while. 

I resumed my walk, choosing to walk along the more shaded and more direct path alongside the rail line down to Whitby. Near Ruswarp, the 13-arch brick-built Larpool Viaduct, constructed in 1882, used to take trains on the Scarborough to Whitby railway. That closed in 1965 and the bridge is now a cycle path. 

Much nearer to Whitby, the high level bridge, built in 1980, carries the A171 road across the Esk. Before this was built all the traffic used to have to go over a narrow swing bridge down in the old part of Whitby, by the harbour, which must have been a nightmare! The slender columns frame views of Whitby Abbey and St Mary's Church on the headland above the town.