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If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Whitby for an afternoon why not try this short walk to the pretty village of Ruswarp. The Whitby to Ruswarp route will take you under the Larpool viaduct one of the highlights of the Cinder track and mentioned in our more detailed post about the Cinder Track Route. The viaduct was built in 1882 to carry the railway over the river Esk and is also known as the Esk valley viaduct. It is constructed from over five million bricks and is mentioned in Bram Stokers novel Dracula.
Whitby is located on the east coast of the UK roughly equally distanced between Scarborough and Middlesborough. It’s on the Cleveland Way and is part of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. It is a popular resort on the coast with walkers, cyclists, campers and people just out for the day at the seaside.
If your planning to make a weekend of it or may be a little longer there are plenty of accommodation options for all budgets. Campsites, B&B’s, Pubs with rooms and the odd luxury Hotel. Click Here for some options
Our Whitby to Ruswarp walk today starts from the main carpark in the centre of Whitby and is just over three miles in length. The route follows the present day rail line to Ruswarp under the viaduct then carries on into the village then back via the Esk Valley Walk hiking trail.
Map of the route. If the download file for gps option does not work then just right click on the link and choose the save as option.
After you have parked up head to the far end of the carpark where you will see a foot crossing for the railway. Don’t cross but take the narrow path on the left hand side of the track. This initially takes you down the side of a boat yard but soon opens up onto the side of the river estuary.
This path takes us under the new road bridge then onto the and under the Larpool viaduct. You can get quite close to the viaduct itself as the path goes through one of the fourteen massive arches. This path takes us all the way into Ruswarp.
We come out on the road in Ruswarp right next to the old station house, now a private residence. Steam trains run on this line if you get lucky one may pass while you’re on the path. Turn right and cross the road then turn immediate left past the toilets and follow the road up past the weir in the river. After about 500m the river becomes calm as the weir stops the tide.
Another 200m up the road you will come to a small estate. Here there is a very nice cafe that looks out over the river and a miniature train ride for the kids, old and young. When your ready retrace your steps back to the main road through Ruswarp turn left, up the hill slightly, cross the road and you will see a sign post for a path that cuts between two houses. Take this path and you’ll find that it initially follows the other side of the train track.
The path turns away left from the train track. Follow this path down the side of a field and then into the woods. The path splits in the woods we follow the signs for the Marina. The path crosses an old railway via steps down and then back up again then leads out onto the cinder track.
Cross the cinder track and carry on between the school playing fields. You will soon come out onto the main road. Follow the path down the right hand side of the main road then cross the road. There is an under pass if you can find it its at the end of the path but it is over grown and doesn’t look like it has been used for quite a while.
Once across the road take the path left, just before the road bridge starts and follow it back down to the railway crossing. Cross the train tracks carefully and you will find you are back in the carpark you started from.
The are many places to eat in Whitby itself. Why not try some of it’s famous Fish and chips. In Ruswarp we stopped for refreshments at the Riverside Cafe over looking the river. We got a table on the grassy river bank as it was a very nice day. They do have tables inside if the weather is not to good.
In Whitby itself there is a variety of restaurants, cafe’s, pubs and harbourside food vans selling everything from cockles to Ice cream.
Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. The information in this post is provided free of charge and is only provided as a guide; it is each walker’s responsibility to check it and navigate using a map.
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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Catbells is a wonderful little hill and a great introduction to walking the lake district fells. The views from the top are outstanding giving a wonderful return for your effort.
To a local lad like myself born and bred in the area it’s known as just The Hill, although at 557m it’s not far off being classified as a mountain
Wycoller, with it’s ruined hall and ancient bridges, is a fantastic day out for the whole family. Believed to date back to the tenth century Wycoller was virtually abandoned as the weavers left to work in the nearby mills during the industrial revolution.
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2 thoughts on “Whitby to Ruswarp | A Walk under the Larpool viaduct”
A lovely walk, looks like you had a beautiful day for it as well. Great blog, glad to have found you.
This is a great post! I love walking tours and that area looks stunning.