The Gallon Walk: We tried the 8-mile pub crawl villagers want to ban
The hills were alive, not with the sound of music but with the groans and curses of two city dwellers who were woefully unprepared for a pub crawl that local villagers despised.
This week, my news editor suggested I undertake a bar crawl through a North Yorkshire village known as the Gallon Walk. It's an eight-mile trek with a difficulty rating of 83/100, typically completed by hen or stag parties or large groups attempting to raise funds.
The walk/crawl is loathed by some residents between Goathland and Egton, near Whitby, who argue it disrupts the tranquillity of their quiet villages and small pubs. Such is the level of opposition that some pubs on the route have 'boycotted' the event, choosing not to open on Saturdays.
Not wanting to embark on this journey alone, I enlisted the help of my father - after all, it wouldn't be much fun solo, and I was the designated driver. All was going well as we neared Goathland, until the weather took a turn from sunny blue skies to cloudiness and then fog - which raised concerns about our safety given the length and remoteness of the route.
Regrettably, once we parked up, the weather didn't improve, so we were grateful for our raincoats and jumpers. Typically, the route begins in Egton, but I opted to start in Goathland due to the more secure parking for my car. Plus, it meant we could visit The Goathland Hotel, famously known as The Aidensfield Arms from Heartbeat, reports Yorkshire Live.
The pub, which only opens until 3pm, was the ideal spot to kick-start our day as we relaxed and strategised in the same room used for a popular 90s TV show. With our drinks - a coke and a Carling - in hand and maps sprawled across the tables, we plotted our afternoon's journey.
Hogwarts Express
Despite our next stop being further up the road, we took a quick detour to Goathland train station - my dad was sceptical that it was the filming location for the Hogwarts Express. Realising time wasn't on our side, we decided to bypass the second pub in Goathland and head straight for Beck Hole.
Thankfully, the route to our next destination was clearly marked on a National Trust footpath sign, which also passed Mallyan Spout waterfall - North Yorkshire's tallest waterfall. The path involved descending what seemed like an endless steep and slippery bank down to the waterfall.
Fortunately, we were wearing our hiking boots, but we couldn't imagine this route being part of a pub crawl - we envisioned many people tumbling down the hill or over the side into the river. Alternatively, it could sober up many participants due to the lengthy trek to the waterfall, especially as it requires some concentration to scramble over the rocks to see the stunning feature even after just one drink - as we discovered, it was quite easy to slip.
After admiring the stunning cascading waterfall, we embarked on our journey to the next spot, a 3/4 mile trek involving numerous hills and stairs. We were exhausted but found humour in how ill-prepared we were for this hike.
We seized every opportunity to rest on the hilltop chairs, catching our breath while taking in the lush green valley views. We both agreed that it was nothing like the Lake District walks we undertook as a family during school holidays two decades ago.
The lack of information about the trail didn't help either. Eventually, we reached Beck Hole, our stomachs rumbling in anticipation of a hearty meal at The Birch Hall Inn.
However, we had to make do with crisps after discovering that the only food available was a pork pie with pickle sauce - not exactly our cup of tea. It's no surprise that this pub opts not to open on Saturdays when groups might attempt a pub crawl; a party of ten could easily fill the entire space, leaving others to stand outside.
As we rested our weary feet, we soaked in the picturesque view of the North Yorkshire woods and the village's traditional buildings, including an old sweet shop adjacent to the pub. By a stroke of luck, we found ourselves sharing a table with another couple we had met at the waterfall. We shared our plans and showed them the maps we were following.
They studied the maps and informed us that our next destination, Grosmont, was about an hour's walk away. Given it was already 3pm, they advised us to check the train times back to Goathland as soon as we reached Grosmont, especially considering the isolation of the last two villages, Egton Bridge and Egton.
Their advice made us question whether we had taken on too much by attempting this in autumn with sunset at 5.48pm. The overcast weather didn't help either, adding to our concerns as we plotted our course to the next village.
We were grateful for the couple's advice when we arrived in Grosmont and realised we only had two trains left to catch back to Goathland for the night. After consulting our map, we knew we wouldn't make it to the remaining pubs before dark.
Conceding defeat, we were both secretly relieved to have a confirmed route home. To mark our three-mile trek, we stopped at The Station Tavern for a celebratory drink where I enjoyed a refreshing half pint of cider before heading back to the train station and our car in Goathland.
Unfortunately, we had once again missed lunchtime, so a bag of crisps had to suffice until we got home. We finally returned to our starting point around 6pm, only to find the entire village had closed up and my car was the only one remaining in what had been a bustling site.
On our journey home, we reflected on the fun we'd had, despite the exhaustion from trekking up and down hills, the anxiety of unfamiliar territory and routes, and uncertainty about how the pub crawl would pan out. Everything went smoothly, there were no arguments, and all footpaths were clearly marked - the only thing that could have improved the day would have been clearer skies and warmer weather.
For future success, we plan to undertake the adventure during summer, park at Grosmont, catch the train to Egton, walk down to Egton Station, then either walk or take the train back to the start, head to Beck Hole and finish in Goathland.
It would also be wise for us to note down the pubs we intend to visit, check their opening hours and meal times, or simply bring plenty of snacks. All in all, it was a delightful day and a wonderful way to explore North Yorkshire with my dad.
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