Exploring Scugdale from Carlton Bank

7 miles           Cold and fine

We drove up the steep hill on Alum House Lane, the Carlton to Chop Gate road, and parked at Lords Stone Cafe where parking is permitted during cafe hours.

Leaving the car park we walked back along the Carlton road for a few yards until we reached a 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.

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

Leave the road at the Cleveland Way signpost

... and follow the path uphill to Bilsdale West Moor

Pop-up shrines seem to be on the increase nowadays

Looking back towards Lord Stones, Roseberry in the distance

Raisdale to the left as we 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.  

Bear left at the sign

On Bilsdale West Moor

Stone Ruck

We followed the path for a mile or so across the moor until we came to Brian's Pond and pondered on its unusual name. Did Brian drown there or did he once own it?  The name's origin seems lost in time and my previous efforts with books and Google have come to nought.

Reaching Brian's Pond

This has apparently become a popular spot for wild swimming

No one in the water today

Leaving Brian's Pond we climbed steadily over Clough Gill Top, where a signpost indicates a choice of routes. We took the right fork that ascends steadily to the moor rim where we suddenly came upon the valley of Scugdale.   To one's right are the rocks of Barker's Crags and below are the buildings of Scugdale Hall.  This spot gives one of my favourite views in North Yorkshire.

Bear right at the sign

... and reach the lovely valley of Scugdale

We see High House in the distance

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.  Cattle have been turned out to graze freely in the north of the dale and the dales road has suffered consequently, as have all parts of the valley down to Scugdale Beck which has formed a barrier to them.

Scugdale Hall

Barker's Crags

Looking across Scugdale

Go right through the new gate..

... and follow the track to reach..

.. the dale road

Hardy cattle have free rein in Scugdale

The remains of jet mining

As we walked towards High House we looked at the hillside to our right and saw the light snow had emphasised the spoil remains of jet mining.  After jet jewellery became fashionable in Victorian times Bilsdale, Raisdale and Scugdale were mined heavily.  Mining was a simple affair, the miners tunnelled into the hillside and the shale was brought out and examined for jet.  The spoil was then tipped down the hillside leaving the long piles of rubble seen above.  An interesting article here provides more information about mining in the area.

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 are falling into ruin.

Approaching High House

A sad sight

High House

The outbuildings are in a perilous state

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 a are a few guiding way marks at field boundaries and we descended to reach and cross Scugdale Beck where we found (as on our previous visits) the old bridge continues to serve no useful purpose, having been displaced by winter storms some years ago.  

Cross with care!

Scugdale from High House

Approaching Scugdale Beck

No paths so aim for the trees and look for signs

This one's no use

We spot the old bridge through the trees

But you must cross the beck to reach the bridge!

Beached for many years now

After crossing the beck we climbed up the steep bank to join a faint path that takes one north along Scugdale, walking under the old jet and alum workings.

As we approached Holiday House we stopped in a sheltered spot to enjoy our coffee and scones with a fine view across Scugdale.  As we did so a stoat with white winter coat ran down the hill less than twenty feet away.  My fumbles for my camera were in vain.

Climbing up from Scugdale Beck

Follow the sign straight down Scugdale

Barker's Crags, Scugdale Hall and its outbuildings across the valley

Stiles and two bridges before Holiday House are very slippery

A sheltered spot

After our break we walked past Holiday House and met a hiker coming our way.  "I've just seen a white stoat!" he said, and we wondered if it was the same one we had seen ten minutes earlier.

This jury rigged stile rocks alarmlingly when crossed

Scugdale Hall

Approaching Holiday House

Holiday House

Holiday House is a strange name and the farm was so named on a 1940s map that I have seen.  I would be interested to know the origin of its name.

We followed the farm track down and on reaching the dale lane turned left and walked north for a mile or so, until we reached the buildings of Fog Close Farm.

This is the most difficult part of the walk as there are no waymarks until you have actually passed the farm.  So, from the dale lane go through the farm gate for Fog Close, then right again to walk past the farm buildings.  Just past the farm take a left and head up towards the fence line where finally there is a waymark to be seen on a gate.  This area is all freely grazed by cattle and the right of way is very difficult in places with deep slurry.

Walking north along the dale lane

Through the farm gate

Hardy cattle at Fog Close Farm

Snotterdale from Fog Close Farm

Through the unmarked gate and right in front of farm buildings

Then left through the gate

A waymark at last

We walked up to a path running under Live Moor, which we followed with fine views into charmingly named Snotterdale, a quiet and uninhabited valley.

Snotterdale ahead and Scugdale to the right

Our path under Live Moor

Opposite a conifer plantation the path turns left across Carlton Moor at a rocky outcrop.  We passed over the old glider station runway and reached the Cleveland Way/Coast to Coast path that follows the ridge  with spectacular views all the way to a trig point at 1338 feet.

Our path across the stile to Gold Hill

A last look back to Snotterdale and distant Scugdale

The old glider runway

We reach the Cleveland Way

Whorl Hill and Faceby below

A bracing ridge walk in today's cold wind

We can see the sea

Storm damage

Trig Point on Carlton Moor

Carlton village below

We start the steep descent

Immediately after the trig point we started the steep descent to the road and the car park at the Lord Stones Cafe.

Carlton and the Blackwell Ox pub were just down the road and we were soon discussing this interesting walk that takes in one of our favourite dales over a well-earned pint.

"Whose round is it again..?"