Stroll With Stu: take a late summer walk through the Esk Valley

In fact you can combine the two (I’ve shown that on my map) to make a longer circular walk, starting at Castleton or Commondale.

On this leg, we start at Castleton Station.

Turn right, under the bridge and over the river, turning right along the road signposted for Westerdale.

After the cattery entrance, the wall bends uphill on your left accompanied by a path that snakes up to the top of the village.

We paused for breath at the top and indulged in the customary 10 minute chat about the various tablets that we are on these days – a conversation repeated daily around the UK by anyone over the age of 60.

Rattle on uphill to a triple junction.

One road dives down to the right, the main road bears left and a thinner road goes straight on.

To the right of that, a signed footpath heads straight on, but eventually bears slightly right into heather and grass.

After a mile or so, a wall pops up to say hello on your left, and you soon need to follow it as it bends away to the left again, dropping down to a little road above a farm.

Go straight over the road steeply down to the perimeter of the farm, and turn right always keeping the farm buildings on your left.

Follow the clear path, above a footbridge (only a fool [ie me] would drop down to cross that when they are heading to Commondale) as it curves right to eventually drop onto the road at Dibble Bridge.

Cross the baby River Esk and admire the views as you slog uphill for half a mile, eventually turning right along the road to Kildale.

After a left bend, follow a path on your right after a stone wall, noting that three sheep had a better idea and took an alternative route that allowed them to knock five minutes off the time, meeting us later on after they’d stopped for a chat and a coffee.

Having exhausted our collective lists of tablets and potions, we’d moved on to discuss the various ailments our younger readers can look forward to in later life.

I opened with gout and arthritis, but was trumped by Leigh’s potential viral meningitis only for us to be blown away when Simon reminded us that his heart was kept going by a couple of Duracells and some wires.

All of this was soon dismissed as trivia though, because ahead in the distance we got our first glimpse of the pub.

The track goes through a gate in the wall on your right, but you need to go straight on, soon skirting a couple of old quarries, then edging left of Scale Cross Farm.

The path drops downhill through a field then left in front of the wall at the bottom.

Follow this up the valley, through the farmyard at Thornhill Farm and on through a wheat field that was soaked with overnight rain.

It’s always hard to decide what to wear and shove in your rucksack on a summer walk in the UK.

For me, it is always waterproof shoes, light trousers and shirt, a sun hat, a bottle of water, my ancient camera, a Dictaphone, a map, a packet of fruity sweets, a bottle of water and my stick.

Others carry additional coats and waterproofs whatever the forecast, and maybe a couple of cheesy baps to distract the flies.

But, short of a waterproof onesie, there is nothing that could have protected us from the thorough soaking we got in that wheat field.

It drenched our trousers, then migrated downwards through our socks until our waterproof boots were squelching from the inside.

Splosh over a ladder stile on your right at Westgate Farm – it was good to see that the derelict shell I witnessed last time I was here was now being restored - and follow diversions to soon drop down behind the building works through giant gorse bushes, a stretch of gloop, then a footbridge over Commondale Beck.

You immediately climb up to cross the railway line, then it is left to a path above the railway station.

The pub – the Cleveland Inn – is half a mile along the road.

I was here shortly after it reopened and I said I’d be back!

Kirsty runs a lovely little community pub in this pretty village (population 129), with its resident wild chickens, a little art gallery, a big scout camp and a fish and chip van in the pub car park at 4pm on a Friday.

Outside seating by the brook, or inside the refurbished pub?

Decisions, decisions.