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Egton station takes its name from the village three quarters of a mile away. Egton (with charters for markets and a fair dating back to the reign of Henry III) and Egton Bridge (a later settlement) are separated by a continuous steep hill and typify the way in which the railway influenced the area.
The original bridge was washed away in the floods of 1930 and
a temporary structure remained until 1993, when the award-winning
new bridge was opened. A gentle stroll across this bridge leads
through an avenue of ornamental sequoia, planted in the last century,
to the picturesque Horseshoe Hotel, situated next to the River
Esk. A footpath down the side of the hotel leads to the original
stepping stones which take you back across the river and up by
the old water mill, where herons can sometimes be seen.
Visitors using the Esk Valley Walk can continue west, past the
Hotel and on towards Glaisdale, through
the beautiful Arncliffe Woods.
For those wanting to head in the opposite direction, the Esk Valley
Walk follows the Old Toll Road eastwards to Grosmont,
the next station and the terminus for the North Yorkshire Moors
Railway.
A pleasant and easy two and a half mile circular walk can also
be started from the station.
Egton Bridge, with its strong history of Catholicism, was home
to the martyr Father Nicholas Postgate, who was born in 1597 at
Kirkdale House. Father Postgate was tried for treason and in 1679
was executed in York at the age of 82. The Postgate Inn, originally
called “The Station”, takes its name from the martyr.
The nearby church of St. Hedda’s has some fascinating external
detail and the tiny village school, once the original church,
is home to the famous Egton Bridge Annual Gooseberry Show.
Take the path to the farm between the Postgate Inn and the station.
The route takes you through woods and fields to Egton village
and returns along the road past St.Hilda’s Parish Church,
which was built in 1349.