Hidden Scugdale

10.9 miles Fine with chilly east wind

Although this is not a Tom Scott Burns walk, Harry Whitehouse, its originator, in his book called "North Yorkshire Coast and Moors, The Classic Walks" freely admits it was inspired by and developed from one of Tom Scott Burns' walks in "The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills." The walk provides a thorough circumnavigation of Scugdale.

We parked in Swainby on the road near to The Blacksmith's Arms and walked straight up Swainby High Street until the road splits into Coalmire Road to the right and the dead end Scugdale Road to the left.

Today's walk from "North Yorkshire Coast and Moors" by Harry Whitehouse

The Black Horse

Swainby knitters have been busy for Saturday's Coronation

Even the 'trap door' has been decorated

We turned left into Scugdale Road and just past the access to Mill Farm we crossed a stile to the right.

Bear left into Scugdale Road

... and look for the stile in the hedge

We crossed the field to another stile and passed the farm, pausing to admire their noisy peacocks. Crossing another stile and field leads to the corner of Millfield House. Here we turned sharp right on reaching the buildings and walked across the field to reach another stile in a fence which we crossed before descending some steps to a bridge over Scugdale Beck.

Peacocks at Mill Farm

Descending towards Clain Wood

Down the steps to the bridge

We soon came to a fine display of bluebells in Clain Wood.

Bluebells in Clain Wood

Cross Scugdale Beck at the bridge

After crossing the beck we climbed up to reach the remains of a dismantled railway. In the mid 19th century a railway served Ailesbury Ironstone Mine in Scugdale which was situated at Huthwaite Green. A tramway carried the ore from Huthwaite Green to large calcining kilns and the remains of these kilns are still to be seen. Last year we went along the disused tramway to reach the ruins of the kilns and found them almost hidden in vegetation. It was impossible to get very close to them.

This year we decided to stick to Harry Whitehouse's route shown in the map above and after crossing the beck we climbed straight up to reach the Cleveland Way track.

The disused tramway

Photographs of the ruined kilns from our last walk

Today we climbed straight up to reach

... Coalmire Lane

.. and the Cleveland Way

We followed the Cleveland Way until it turns towards Huthwaite Green, but here we carried straight on. We now crossed several fields before reaching Harfa Bank Farm.

Following the Cleveland Way

Near Huthwaite Green

Where the Cleveland Way turns left towards Huthwaite Green we go straight on

Following a faint path across sheep fields

Harfa Bank Farm

I think these are Wiltshire sheep

At Harfa Bank Farm we turned left and continued through fields to eventually turn right onto Scugdale Road, leaving it after a few hundred yards to enter the farm track for Holiday House.

Harfa House

Fog Close Farm opposite

Turn in to Holiday House Farm

A lucky lamb

Unlucky lambs. They appear to have fallen from the bank and drowned

The footpath goes behind Holiday House Farm

Finding ourselves out of the stiff easterly breeze we decided to stop for coffee facing across the dale to Scugdale Hall and behind that, Barker's Crags.

Coffee with a view. Scugdale Hall and Barker's Crags

Now refreshed we descended through fields to cross the beck near to the landlocked bridge and then made the climb to High House.

Descending towards Scugdale Beck

The hardy cattle have the run of the dale and are not interested in hikers

We saw a couple of dead sheep, perhaps victims of the recent awful weather

Head House appears opposite

Cross the beck after crossing the bridge..

Looking down Scugdale

We arrive at High House

High House, presently unoccupied

We then followed the broad track from High House to reach the end of Scugdale Road, which we then followed to Scugdale Hall.

Passing Scugdale Hall we followed the lane down dale to Raikes Farm. Here we left the lane for a while, cutting across fields before rejoining it and passing Sparrow Hall and Sunnyside House.

We passed a white bull in a field and as we reached a track opposite Sunnyside House we saw a young bull loose on the track, about 50 yards away. As we were looking at it a van pulled up next to us and a farmer jumped out telling us the bull had jumped the fence. He was going to walk the bull back down the track and asked us to remain where we were and to wave our arms should it try to go in our direction rather than back towards its field. All worked according to plan and our services weren't required.

Scugdale Hall

We'll drink to that.

Holiday House opposite

The dale road

Raikes Farm

We leave the road for a while and cross fields

No interest in hikers

Back to the road through a pinch gate

Sparrow Hall

White bull in field

White bull out of field!

All is safely gathered in

A little further along the dale road and we reached the Cleveland Way once more. We joined it and where it enters woods through a gate to the right we left it once more, via another gate to the left.

Highland cattle in Scugdale

A peacock butterfly finds a warm spot

Back on the Cleveland Way

We enter Live Moor Plantation

We walked through the trees of Live Moor Plantation which turns into Faceby Plantation. Eventually our path left the trees through a gate and we crossed a field to Bank Lane, where we turned left to walk down to a stile next to a building on the left.

We crossed into Whorl Hill and as we climbed steeply up we were once again astonished by another fine display of bluebells.

Live Moor Plantation

Leaving the trees

High Farm in Bank Lane

Low Farm

Leave Bank Lane at the Stile

Steep climb up Whorl Hill

Bluebells at Whorl Hill

After circumnavigating Whorl Hill we dropped down to Whorl Hill Farm and followed the signpost to Whorlton, we walked along field boundaries to reach the road.

We passed the old Church of the Holy Cross and Whorlton Castle both of which we have visited and looked round quite recently, and followed the road back to Swainby where we were delighted to find the Black Horse open for business.