North Yorkshire walk: Yarm, Egglescliffe and River Tees

A good Boxing Day walk route has three key criteria. It should be accessible and cover a modest distance ideally with options to suit different energy levels or end early. Most crucially it needs an eatery that you can guarantee will be open because most cafes and restaurants are closed. This wander from Yarm ticks all the boxes.

I was still initially hesitant about its suitability for this magazine, however, given that the town is within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees which is outside present day Yorkshire.

Yarm is enclosed within a meander of the Tees that noses audaciously into old Durham and used to delineate the county border. To my relief and delight, while researching the route I passed a sign in the town denoting Yarm’ s position within the Historic Riding of North Yorkshire. That’s certainly within God’s Own Country and good enough for me.

Further to the town’s White Rose characteristics, the broad high street echoes Northallerton, Thirsk and Bedale with quaint wynds leading off it adding to the appeal.

Home to a leading public school, Yarm comes across as a prosperous town. Residents have included Middlesbrough footballers, ex-England manager Steve McLaren and Dragons

Go folly-spotting – this wall-top folly is a model of old Yarm castle. (Image: Paul Kirkwood) Den’s Duncan Bannatyne.

The route has a sense of déjà vu as you will cross the Tees four times if you break the walk with something to eat in Yarm and complete both wings of the butterfly. Another striking piece of Victorian civil engineering is the railway viaduct.

Spare time for a saunter around the town, including its recently restored town hall, the Two Lovers tomb figures within St Mary Magdalene’s Church and, opposite, Yarm Castle, a folly model of the town’s old castle which was built onto the top of a garden wall in 1882.

Tees Heritage Park sign. (Image: Paul Kirkwood) THE WALK

1.  Walk north beside the river on Silver St. Pass under the road bridge then turn immediately left up a passage and through a floodgate. Turn left and left again to cross the road bridge. On the far side turn right in front of the Blue Bell pub onto the signed Teesdale Way. Proceed beside the river to your right.

2. At an old steel fingerpost turn left signed to Egglescliffe. After a second metal kissing gate turn right through a metal fieldgate keeping a hedge on your left. Pass a farm on your left and through a kissing gate then bear right onto the farm track.

Base of ancient village cross, Egglescliffe.   (Image: Paul Kirkwood) 3. At Egglescliffe village green head towards the phone box and turn right up Church Rd. Pass through a double wooden gate and continue ahead on a tarmac lane past the church tower. At the war memorial bear left and downhill back to the Blue Bell. (Cross back over the road bridge if you wish to break your walk with refreshments in Yarm.)

The Tees fingerpost by the river. (Image: Paul Kirkwood) 4. Turn left briefly onto the A67 and, just before the road bridge, turn right across the road on to the Teesdale Way signed to Aislaby. Prior to a fenced sewage plant turn left to keep right beside the river. After 1.5km at Holme House Farm turn right up a concrete path with a fence on your right. At the top of the slope bear left, pass through a red metal gate and bear right onto a track.

5. Opposite a duck pond turn right through a stile and onto a track. After 100m as the track bears right, keep ahead to the left of trees and after 30m bear left to cross the field. On the far side in front of a gap in the hedge turn right. Pass over a stile and bear left. Cross a footbridge and continue along a field edge below a pylon. Continue to Aislaby Rd reached by a stile.

6. Turn right onto the road. Just before it bears left, turn right around a gate and on to a tarmac lane that passes the sewage plant. Retrace your steps to and cross back over the road bridge. On the far side turn right and immediately right again back through the floodgates encountered earlier.

7. Turn left onto True Lovers Walk which runs beside the river. Shortly after the rear of St Mary Magdalene Church turn left. Turn right at t-junction with West St and very soon left down High Church Wynd and under the viaduct. Cross High St at the town hall and continue ahead down Central St. Turn left at the river back to the car park.

Yarm Town Hall has recently reopened with new visitor centre (Image: Paul Kirkwood) Compass points

Start/finish: Yarm, TS15 9DE, grid ref NZ 420128

Distance/time: 10km for the full route/3 hours.

Accessibility: Easy walking, some on tarmac paths.

Maps: OS Explorer 304 Darlington & Richmond and OS Landranger 93 Middlesbrough.

Parking: Castle Dyke Wynd long stay car park.

Map link: bit.ly/Yarm

EAT HEREFourteen Drops, Yarm (Image: Newsquest) Fourteen Drops, High St, Yarm. Good coffee, artisan bread sandwiches, deli platters and likely a mulled wine on offer over the festive period. Great wine list and some seating outside. fourteendrops.com

Cena, Yarm. (Image: Newsquest) Cena. High Street, Yarm. Authentic wood-fired pizza, plus rustic and authentic pasta and mains. Welcoming and bustling atmosphere. cenayarm.com.

The George and Dragon, Yarm (Image: Paul Kirkwood) For pub food, The George and Dragon, High Street. Burgers and curries plus lunchtime options of jacket potatoes, toasties, wraps and baguettes. Food usually available all day every day but check during the festive season. Dog friendly and large beer garden.

greatukpubs.co.uk/george-and-dragon-yarm.

The route also passes the Blue Bell on the north side of Yarm bridge and Pot & Glass in Egglescliffe.