Sleights

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Sleights is a large village in North Yorkshire, located in the Esk Valley near Whitby and is served by Sleights railway station. It is on the main North - South route between Whitby and Pickering (The A169), which crosses the North Yorkshire Moors. The village follows the route of the road on its steep journey up the valley side. At the top end of the village is Blue Bank with a gradient of 1 in 4. Following spates of accidents on the hill over the years, the side of Blue Bank is equipped with an escape lane of soft sand to stop vehicles careering into buildings at the bottom of the hill. At the bottom of the village the road crosses the Esk Valley Railway and River Esk on a high bridge, opened on the 26th January, 1937, before rising up the hill on the other side to reach the A171 Whitby - Middlesbrough Trunk Road. The plaque on the bridge reads:

==SLEIGHTS BRIDGE ==
THIS BRIDGE AND APPROACH ROADS WERE CONSTRUCTED
BY THE
NORTH RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
AND OPENED ON THE 26TH JANUARY 1937.
TO REPLACE THE ANCIENT STONE BRIDGE OF THREE ARCHES
WHICH CROSSED THE RIVER 168 YARDS DOWNSTREAM
DESTROYED BY FLOOD IN 1930.

MAJOR R.B. TURYON.
CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL
G. BLAIR. ESC
CHAIRMAN OF THE HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES COMMITTEE.

R. SAWDEEL. A.M.I.C.E.
COUNTY SURVEYOR.

It also has a Village shop, Post office, tea rooms, 2 pubs, and a sports field, used mainly for football.