This is an easy walk along well maintained tracks and roads.  The route traverses woodland, fields, riverside paths and town streets.

Circular | 12.9km (8 miles) | Difficulty: Easy

Please note that the route given is a rough guide and should not be relied upon solely when planning a walk. Remember to plan ahead, get a proper map and ensure you have the right equipment.

Along the way are plenty of opportunities for taking shortcuts for walkers who feel the route is too long.  The few inclines on this route are short and fairly shallow so walkers can feel free to follow it in any direction.

1: The route starts off by leaving the car park and crossing the bridge over the Swale.  On the other side of the river walkers have a choice.  The woodland loop the route follows to the West can be traversed by either following the path ahead which heads uphill or the path on the right which follows the river upstream.  Walkers could also head left head direct to point 3 and skip the woodland loop.  Heading up the path ahead is advised as it allows walkers to get the uphill section out of the way first.  The path heads along the top of a slope through the woodland then after some time starts to head downhill again.

2: At the bottom of the hill the path meets the riverside track.  The route follows this back to the bridge.  From here the route continues along the riverside Eastward.

3: The route now requires walkers to walk along the rocks at the side of the river.  This can be dangerous as the rocks here are often wet and slippery so caution is advised.

4: Eventually the track leads to the bridge into Richmond.  The route crosses this bridge then follows Riverside Road on the right which leads along the slope beneath the castle to the Richmond waterfalls.  From here the route continues following the path into a park and crosses the grass up to a road.

5: There is another opportunity for a shortcut to be taken here.  Walkers can choose to head uphill into Richmond, skipping straight to point 9.  Otherwise the route crosses the bridge (this requires crossing the road here which can be busy so caution is advised).  The route then passes The Station (a good stop for refreshments) by passing through the car park.  Walkers will find a track on the other side which continues straight on ahead for some distance.

6: Eventually the track crosses a bridge.  Immediately after the bridge the route turns left, following the road toward Easby Abbey.

7: At the car park the route turns left and heads past the abbey’s ruins before heading through a series of gates leading onto a field track.  The track soon turns left through a gate.  Here the route heads down the stairs to the riverside path which it then follows all the way to a drive.  The route then follows this drive back into Richmond.

8: The route turns left at the end of Easby Low Road, leading walkers back towards point 5,  From here walkers are advised to stay on the same side of Station Road and head uphill.  There is a choice here for walkers, crossing at the lights and heading straight into the market place is the most direct route.  However, to see more of Richmond’s historic streets walkers can continue uphill, following the road as it snakes round.  Walkers can then cross onto Dundas Street and follow it until they reach a zebra crossing.  From here the route heads into the market place through King Street.

9: Once in the marketplace walkers again have an opportunity to take a shortcut by heading uphill to the top of the market place at point 10.  However, this results in missing the views offered by looping around the castle.  This can be reached by heading downhill and leaving the marketplace by Millgate; a quiet road.  Along this road walkers should stay on the path to the right, Castle Terrace, which splits off and loops around, heading along the slope which the route followed the bottom of earlier.  The path eventually loops round to a road, The Bell Castle Hill, which leads back to the market place. 

10: The route follows Finkle Street, a short road out of the market place.  At the end of the road the route turns left, following Newbiggin Lane.

11: The route now heads North along Cravengate, crosses Victoria Road then Quakers Street before heading uphill along Westfields.  This is a long incline but it isn’t too steep.  Eventually the road levels out and offers some amazing views across the Richmond and Swale Valley.  The route continues along this quiet road for some distance.

12: Eventually a track on the left is reached called Green Lane.  the route follows the track as it heads downhill, turns right then back downhill again.  At the bottom of the track the route turns left and follows a small lane till it reaches Reeth Road.  The route crosses the road to a small opening in the wall on the far side.  The track here leads directly to the car park the route started in.

Richmond offers a wide range of shops, cafés and restaurants for refreshment.  There is also plenty of parking available along the route.  The car park the route starts off from now uses pay-and-display so parking at Easby Abbey (at point 7 on the map) may be the cheaper option, though spaces there are limited.