🥾 RICHMOND WALK: RIVERSIDE CIRCUIT VIA APPLEGARTH AND EASBY ABBEY
🌿 This is a walk with a bit of everything, taking in open countryside, ancient woodland, and one of the loveliest stretches of the River Swale in North Yorkshire. Starting and finishing in the historic market town of Richmond, it follows part of Wainwright's Coast to Coast Path out to Applegarth before dropping down to the river and looping back through Richmond, then heading out to Easby and returning to the town. It makes a rewarding day out for anyone who enjoys history and scenery in equal measure.
🧭 The route begins in Richmond town centre and climbs gently up Westfields onto the Coast to Coast Path, heading west past Whitcliffe Farm and Whitecliffe Wood beneath the crags of Whitcliffe Scar. At Low Applegarth it leaves the Coast to Coast and drops down to the River Swale, following the riverside back towards Richmond by way of Round Howe and Hudswell Woods. From Green Bridge it passes Richmond Falls, The Batts and Mercury Bridge before heading out along the old railway line on the Easby Loop to Easby Abbey and St Agatha's Church, then returning through the town by way of the Market Place.
📋 This is a figure-of-eight route that first heads west to Applegarth, loops back to the town, and then strikes out east to Easby Abbey. It begins and ends at Nuns Close Car Park in the town centre, a pay and display car park with toilet facilities. The going is varied, with tarmac lanes, stony tracks, grassy field paths and gravel woodland paths, and there are gentle climbs and descents rather than anything too strenuous. There is a good chance to pause for refreshments at The Station or the Easby Loop café before the final stretch back into Richmond.
🏰 Richmond itself is a handsome market town, set where Swaledale opens out into the Vale of Mowbray, close to the eastern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It was founded in 1071 by Alan Rufus, a Breton nobleman, and takes its name from the Old French for "strong hill". The town grew prosperous on the Swaledale wool trade and later on lead mining, and much of its fine Georgian architecture dates from that time. At its heart lies one of the largest cobbled market places in England.
📷 There is a great deal to enjoy along the way. The higher ground near Applegarth opens up broad views south over the Swale valley towards Hudswell, while the riverside offers quiet, restful scenery beside the water. Other highlights include the Millennium bench with its Wainwright verse, the charming little dog memorial to Jane in the woods near Lownethwaite Farm, the ancient woodland around Round Howe, and the tumbling limestone ledges of Richmond Falls. The historic highlights are the real treasures, from the restored Victorian station to the peaceful ruins of Easby Abbey, the medieval wall paintings of St Agatha's Church and the legend of the Drummer Boy's Stone.
✨ If you enjoy walking that combines fine scenery with plenty of history, this circuit around Richmond is well worth adding to your list. You can read the full route directions, along with all my photographs and background on the landmarks along the way, on the full walk page. I hope it inspires you to explore this lovely corner of North Yorkshire for yourself.
Expect woodland tracks, open meadows and grand river views on this Richmond walk, which ends among the historic ruins of Easby Abbey.