Exploring Scugdale from Carlton Bank

7 miles           Cold and dull, but dry

We drove up Carlton Bank to the Lord Stones Cafe and parked in their car park, knowing that we would repay their hospitality on our return.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Clevelaand Hills

After booting up we walked back along the Carlton road for a few yards until we reached a new Cleveland Way sign. Here we turned left off the road and almost immediately turned right off the Cleveland Way to follow the wide access road for the old Gliding Club (now demolished) steadily uphill.

Turn left at the wooden Cleveland Way sign

Following the old glider club track uphill

We are saluted by geese as we start to climb

Reaching the moor top we turned left off the access road where a footpath sign indicated our track across the heather.  The first feature one comes to on this path is the rocky outcrop of Stone Ruck.  Tom Scott Burns explains that Ruck is derived from the Old Norse bruga meaning 'to pile or heap up', as in a cairn.  

Looking left as we climb towards Cringle Moor

Wet tracks after recent heavy rain

Stone Ruck

We followed the path for a mile or so across the moor until we came to Brian's Pond which looked dark and uninviting.  There was no sign of life in th pond so we continued on our way climbing steadily over Clough Gill Top, where a signpost indicates a choice of routes.

Brian's Pond

Go right at the sign just after the pond

We took the right fork that ascends steadily to the moor rim where we suddenly came upon the valley of Scugdale.   To our right were the rocks of Barker's Crags and below us the buildings of Scugdale Hall.

Left is Holiday House and centre is Scugdale Hall

Panarama showing the whole of Scugdale

Barker's Crags

TSB refers to Scugdale as 'the sheltered dale' from the Danish skygger - to overshadow.  

We descended across a couple of fields to reach the dale road where we turned left to walk towards the top of the valley and High House.   Over the years the dales road has been strengthened with stones, tarmac,  pottery and bricks and we found several old bricks embedded in the lane bearing the name Old Linthorpe.  

We saw several Linthorpe bricks embedded in the road surface

A google search shows that these bricks were manufactured by a George Grubb Dalton, Brick Manufacturer, Builder & Contractor, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, who is recorded in the London Gazette as giving Notice of Intended Dividends on the 13th November 1888.

Descending into the dale...

... to reach the Dale Road that runs from here to Swainby

We followed the dales road south to reach High House. TSB records that in this old farmhouse lived Harry Cooper who was reputed to be the tallest man in the world, standing at 8'6".  He left Scugdale to join Barnum's Circus in America and died in 1898 at the age of 41.

The house is currently unoccupied and its outbuildings falling into ruin.  Just beyond the house we turned right off the lane into fields at a dilapidated stile.  This part of the walk appears untrodden but there are guiding way-marks at field boundaries and we descended to reach and cross Scugdale Beck where we found (as on our previous visit) the old bridge that continues to serve no useful purpose, having been displaced by winter storms some years ago. 

Approaching High House

Unoccupied but by no means a ruin

Over the stile at High House...

Spoil heaps at the head of Scugdale

Descending to Scugdale Beck

We have to cross the beck to reach the bridge!

After crossing the beck we climbed up a steep bank to join the faint path that took us down the valley of Scugdale, walking under old alum workings. When we reached some sheltered grassy banks just before Holiday House Farm we stopped and enjoyed our coffee and scones looking across at Scugdale Hall.

Walking westwards along the valley

Holiday House comes into view

Barker's Crag and Scugdale Hall from our coffee stop

Holiday House was shown on 1940's maps as such. It seems a strange name and we would like to know why it is so called.

We get a noisy reception as we pass the rear of the farm

Hardy looking calves 

Holiday House Farm

Passing Holiday House we followed its long access track to the dale road, where we turned left and walked for a mile or so to reach the farm buildings of Fog Close.  Here we turned right into the farm's track although we didn't see the footpath sign, and then right again through a gate, also unsigned, before reaching the farm buildings. Here we turning left and walking up the side of the farm towards Live Moor we came upon a waymark at last.

Following the farm track westwards

We are led by a trio of escapees from a nearby field

There used to be a footpath sign here!

And there was once another on this gate..

After a steep climb to reach Live Moor we followed the escarpment with a misty view down into the charmingly named and little known valley of Snotterdale, to which there is no road or path access. 

Looking back to Scugdale from Fog Close Farm

Snotterdale

A waymark at last! Climbing to Live Moor

Nearly at Live Moor

Panorama of Snotterdale

Opposite a conifer plantation the path turns left across Carlton Moor where we were soon walking on the old gliding station runway, before crossing to join the Cleveland Way/Coast to Coast walk that follows the ridge with spectacular views all the way to a trig point at 1338 feet.  

Low flying RAF plane buzzes us on Live Moor

Bear left off the main track to climb to Carlton Moor

The old glider club runway

Fine view of Whorl Hill and Faceby from the Cleveland Way

Follow the Cleveland Way along the ridge

We followed the Cleveland Way into a bitter north easterly wind and soon caught up with a lone hiker carrying a big pack.  He told us he was walking the Cleveland Way and didn't know where he would lay his head tonight.  We were full of admiration but pleased we didn't have to do it!

A rain squall, hope it misses us..

Lone Cleveland Way walker

Weather station on Carlton Moor

Carlton village below

On reaching the trig point we took the steep and stony path down to the road and then, after de-booting, to the Lord Stones Cafe where we cheerfully repaid our parking debt by purchasing a couple of pints of Black Sheep Ale.

Trig point and boundary stone

Descending to the Lords Stone cafe