Castleton is a village on the River Esk, part of the civil parish of Danby in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

in England. It can be found south-east of

Guisborough Guisborough ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the North York Moors National Park. Roseberry Topping, midway between the town and Great Ayton, is a landmar ...

, in the

North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a National Park in 1952, through the National Parks and ...

. There was once a medieval castle sited on Castle Hill that is thought to have been abandoned when Danby Castle was constructed. Castleton has a local school, church and a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, ''The Downe Arms'', as well as a small

Co-op supermarket A consumers' co-operative is an business, enterprise owned by consumers and managed democracy, democratically and that aims at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of its members. Such co-operatives operate within the market economy, market system ...

, a

tea room A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

and a public toilets. Castleton is a centre for

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

, shooting and many other pursuits. It is said that Castleton was named after a castle built near the River Esk. The village has a

Clapper bridge A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of the English West Country (Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, La ...

that spans Danby Beck; this bridge was listed as Grade II in 2016. Castleton has a primary school (Castleton Community Primary School) with secondary education available at

Caedmon College Caedmon College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. The school is named after Cædmon, the earliest English (Northumbrian) poet whose name is known. Established in 1912 as the County School, ...

Eskdale School Eskdale School is a coeducational secondary school located in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. The school is named after Eskdale, a valley that runs from Whitby to Westerdale. It is a community school administered by North Yorkshire County ...

, which are both in

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Cl ...

. In times past Castleton was actually the main market and industrial town serving Upper Eskdale. There were

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

wool, cheese and cattle fairs, cheese market and a silk mill. There is a show held at Castleton every September on the second Saturday in the month.

Transport

Castleton is served by Castleton Moor railway station on the Esk Valley Line roughly halfway between

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...

and

. Bus services through Castleton barely exist in the winter. However, on Sundays and Bank Holidays from spring to autumn, the village is served by the Moorsbus network. The Esk Valley Walk runs through the village.

Anecdotes

The severed hand, known popularly as the Danby Hand of Glory, was found hidden in a wall of a thatched cottage in Castleton in 1935. The hand is now on display at the

Whitby Museum Whitby Museum is an independent museum in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, run by Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society, a learned society and registered charity, established in 1823. It is located in a building opened in 1931 in Pannett ...

in Pannett Park,

Sport

Castleton Cricket Club was established in 1972 and its ground is based on the northern edge of the village along New Road. Castleton CC have two senior teams: a Saturday 1st XI that compete in the

Langbaurgh Cricket League Langbaurgh () may refer to *Langbaurgh, North Yorkshire, a hamlet near Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England * Langbaurgh (district), a local government district in Cleveland, England from 1974 to 1988, renamed Langbaurgh-on-Tees from 1988 to 1996 ...

and a Midweek Senior XI in the Esk Valley Evening League.

References

External links

Esk Valley website
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire