Parking :
There is not much parking in Grinton itself, the road is too narrow. The Bridge Inn has a good car park but it is for patrons only. You can park there but only if I intend to have a meal in the pub afterwards.
Heading out of the village and over the bridge towards Fremington, there are places for two cars just over the bridge and on the right of the road. You might also get cars parked carefully on the verge between the bridge and Fremington but the verge can be soft and you must ensure that you do not obstruct the road. In Fremington, there is patron only parking at the Dales Bike Centre and space for two cars just past the Bike Centre at the right hand turning onto the road over to Marske.
This walk starts at parking up the hill out of Grinton at the junction where the road to Redmire turns right off the Leyburn road; there is space here for about six vehicles. If that is full, there is parking further along the road to Redmire at (2).
(S/E) From the parking, walk up the Redmire road on the right hand side to where it bends to the left and a good track leads off on the right. You know you will be in the right place as there will be a grouse moor sign. Take the good track and ignore any feint paths lead up just after the grouse moor sign. About 250m along the good track, you will come to a more grassy strip running up on the left. As you look up you will some grouse butts.
(1) The grassy strip leads up to grouse butts, follow the path up beside the butts to where it joins another good track coming in from the road to Redmire. (It is also possible to park here.) Cross the track and follow the path slanting up and left, this brings you to a wooden fingerpost beside the road to Redmire. Turn right and follow the road. You are looking for a place where on the left where there is a vague stream (Ridley Hush) and then on the right where parking is obvious there is a grouse moor sign and wooden fingerpost indicating the path to the Heights of Greets.
(2) Now cross the road and take the 4x4 track which leads to the right of the more obvious V shaped hush; this is How Hush. The 4x4 track can be followed all the way down to the old level but it is more interesting to leave the track after about 300m and drop down into the hush where there is a clear track at the bottom. The track leads down to the old levels and the remains of a building where you will pick up the 4x4 track again. Continue along the 4x4 track crossing a stream and then dead down towards Grinton Smelting Mill; the old flue is an obvious landmark, running up the hillside.
(3) Explore the mill and then head uphill taking the path on the left of the flue. It is also possible to crouch down and walk up the flue itself, you will not need a torch as it is broken in places and there is always 'light at the end of the tunnel'. Keep a lookout for a path on the left just before the outcrop of rock on Sharrow Hill. You are following the path to head for three man made arches in front of the crag which look like the remains of lime kilns. Follow the path past the arches and crag to where it joins and crosses the Leyburn Road. Go through the gate on the other side of the road and follow the path across the field to a second gate.
(4) As you can see on OS map, many paths intersect at this gate. After passing through the gate, the main path goes down and around to Cogden Hall and the road into the village. This is the best descent if there has been a lot of rain. If you are doing this walk in a dry spell, then follow the following directions.
After passing through the gate (4), trend diagonally left across the field, descending gently. There is no path but there is a small wooden gate in the dry stone wall. To make sure that you get to the gate, aim off to left by walking towards the end of Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel which you will see on the far bank of Cogden Gill. Once you see the dry stone wall in front of you, start to veer rightwards keeping the wall to your right and you will soon see the small gate in the wall. Go through the small gate and down the step. Now, follow the small track diagonally down the bank and to the bottom of the gill. The gill and path here were badly eroded in the floods of 2019 but the gill is still passable when the water is not in spate. If you think that you cannot cross, you will have to go back and follow the main path via Cogden Hall.
Presuming that the gill is not in spate, turn right and head upstream with the gill on your right. On the far bank, you will see a ramp descending, that is your route. Walk upstream until it is possible to cross the gill using stones and boulders. We managed to do this at the point where the ramp on the far side meets the stream. Walk up the ramp to a drystone wall, wooden post and gap/stile.
(5) Cross the wall, then a wooden board and head diagonally left again to cross two further walls, the gated stiles are obvious. Head across the next field where there is a gate in the corner. Go through the gate and follow the wall on the right, then squeeze between two stone uprights just in front of a stone culvert that takes a stream beneath the wall. Cross the next field diagonally again, heading towards the end of a low stone barn. There is another obvious gate here. Go through the gate and head downhill with the wall on your left to cross a final wall and onto the road.
(6) Cross the road to the path, turn left and walk into Grinton. The Bridge Inn serves good refreshments.
(7) At the junction next to the Bridge Inn, turn left and walk up the road. Partway up you will see a footpath on the right running up beside the stream to rejoin the road at Vicarage Bridge. At the time of writing, this was out of action because of the 2019 flood damage so take the road all the way back to the car (S/E)
