Richmond Castle Walk

Richmond is a great town with a lot to offer and is well worth a visit. For more information please follow the links at the bottom of this article.

Most of the walkers amongst you will know Richmond as a welcome stop on Wainwright's Coast To Coast walk, and a chance to enjoy shops, pubs and a brief look back at how day to day life goes on before heading back to the trail!

This is a short walk starting at the market place in the "Gateway to the Dales" town of North Yorkshire.

I often do this walk in the morning with a coffee, before starting the day at work and it means the day always gets off to a good start. It only takes about ten minutes and without any steps or rough terrain this is also perfect for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Richmond Castle is an English Heritage site, for more information please click here:

Starting at the marketplace, you head up to the top of the square and from here a signpost points the way.

One of the first things to notice is Culloden Tower, built in 1746 to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Cumberland's army over Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Culloden Moor.  The footpath here has recently been resurfaced and the new gravel means this walk is manageable whatever the weather. As you head down the slope the river Swale comes into view far below.

Walking round the back of the castle and the town is out of sight, with the high castle walls on one side and the steep bank down to the river and the meadows beyond on the other side.

From here you are able to hear the distinct roar of the Richmond Falls, especially after a period of heavy rain, and as you round a bend, you catch a brief glimpse of the falls between the trees. The path down to the falls is a short walk down the steep hill.

Ahead of you is the bridge across the river and just beyond is Richmond Station, home to a cinema, exhibitions, a tasty cafe and some excellent artisan food and drink stores and producers such as Lacys cheese, Richmond Station brewery and Archers ice cream.

You now face the five minutes of hard work, as you head back up the steep bank which takes you to the bottom of the market square. As I mentioned at the start this is just a very short walk, but with more than its fair share of rewarding views!

For further information on Richmond:
Richmond Online: http://www.richmond.org/
Richmond Station: http://www.richmondstation.com/