7.5 miles
Outdoor Leisure Map OL26 - North York Moors (Western
Area)
This walk is taken from the book "The Walker's Guide
to the Cleveland Hills" by Tom Scott Burns. Although published in
1993, the walk described below is essentially the same as in the book.
The first section of the walk, from the Lord Stones Cafe to Brian's Pond,
Barker's Crags and onward to Holiday House farm is fairly straightforward
with respect to navigation, - very much helped by the finger posts and
waymarks placed by the North Yorkshire Moors Park authorities.
The section from Fog Close Farm to the Snotterdale Plantation and onwards
to the Cleveland Way is a little less clear, and a 1:25000 OS Map was
found to be fairly essential.
There is some rough moorland walking involved in parts of the walk, and
several gradients. Only the last gradient, - the descent of Carlton Bank
might prove of difficulty.
For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the above
link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory Map)
Some new mapping software is now available which you may
want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from
the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO,
you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory
Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers web site,
- just use QUO!!
Start from the car park beside the Lord Stones cafe at the
top of Carlton Bank (NZ52482 02996).
Cross the road outside the cafe / car park and head for the finger post
that directs you towards the Cleveland Way footpath.
Where the Cleveland Way continues ahead, there is a gated track on your
left. Take this track and continue South, - mostly along the track, but
also on a broad moorland footpath, to reach Brian's Pond.
At the pond, bear left along the track until you come to a gate across
the track.
Here turn right and follow the fence line (some rough moorland walking
along a faint track) until you reach a stile. Here turn right and continue
on the well-defined path towards Barker's Crags.
There is a well defined, and indicated, path from the crags down to Scugdale
Hall.
At Scugdale hall, turn left and follow the track to High House Farm.
Pass through the farmyard (very much in ruins on this walk) and look for
the footpath on your right past the ruined barn.
Head Westwards across fields to the Scugdale Beck. The footpath is not
clear, but just before crossing the beck there is a waymark sign.
After crossing the beck, cross the stile (where there is another waymark)
and head Westwards to Holiday House Farm.
From Holiday House Farm take the track and then road to Fog Close Farm.
Take the track and then footpath (indicated by a fingerpost) that takes
you round the farm and through a field gate.
Continue up a slope and cross a small beck, continuing uphill across rough
pasture.
There is a gate with waymark on it which takes you to a clear track leading
to the Snotterdale Plantation.
At the Plantation there is a sign requesting you to keep to the footpath.
However, we found that the onward footpath presented great difficulty,
and it might be best to seek an alternative route at this point (where
there is a track leading out of the plantation towards the Cleveland Way
footpath).
By following the onward footpath, initially obvious but becoming less
so, over bracken and rough moorland we were obliged to cross a barbed
wire fence at an impromptu crossing (made by other walkers with the help
of large stones).
Now follow the track which takes you to the Cleveland Way footpath on
Faceby Bank, and return to the Lord Stones cafe car park by following
the Cleveland Way footpath.
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