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My neighbour, Jim, and I had an early start (well early for us) at 8.45 and drove to the Falcon Inn a few miles north of Scarborough on the coast road to Whitby. The weather forecast was for a bright start to the day with rain moving in from the west so we started early and drove as far east as we could. We set off through the Falcon Inn car park and across the grass at the back of the pub to a footpath along the edge of the woods heading towards Ravenscar. After about a quarter of a mile from the pub the path continues round the edge of the wood but there is a forest track off to the left and we followed this (it's well walked) to emerge onto the moor near the northern corner of the wood. From here we followed a well worn path to the radio mast above Ravenscar village. There was a lovely view south along the coast with Scarborough castle in the distance. At the mast we turned inland to follow the route of the Lyke Wake Walk across the moor to the main coast road about one and a half miles away. We crossed the main road into a long lay-by formed by the old route of the road. The Lyke Wale Walk continues straight ahead on an old concrete roadway bur we turned right along the lay-by road for about a quarter of a mile to a footpath on the left that follows the edge of Burn Howe Dale for a mile before reaching Jugger Howe Beck. We followed the footpath downstream on the northeast side of the valley. There are some lovely views along the valley from the moor top. The valley bottom is always very wet and boggy with large areas of bog myrtle (a low growing woody plant with an aromatic sap that I believe is used as an insect repellant). After about a mile and a half on this path we reached the top a waterfall on a small side stream. There were trees growing in the gulley ormed by the stream and the whole effect was very pretty. The path crosses the top of the waterfall and then descends to the valley bottom and continues beside the beck to a wooden footbridge. There was a group of around 20 people - students I think- gathered by an instrument of some kind set on a tripod in the middle of the beck about 30 yards up stream of the bridge. We continued for 250 yards to cross another wooden footbridge which brought us to a gate into a woodland nature reserve managed by the Woodland Trust. The path followed the beck through this woodland for about a mile. The whole area is very attractive and interesting, with wooden sculptures, a whole range of trees from young sapplings to tall mature specimens and the dead trees left in situ providing holes for all kinds of birds and animals to inhabit. At the end of the woodland Trust site we followed a bridleway over a bridge and up the hill to the lane beside Chapel Farm. We walked down the lane for about 200 yards and took the path on the left across the fields to Harwood Dale. There were a few electric fences to negotiate along the way - the farmer is a bit naughty really and I'm sure he would complain if any of them were damaged by walkers on this public right of way. In Harwood Dale village we turned left onto the road for almost half a mile. About 100 yards after a sharp right hand bend we turned left off the road onto a bridleway across along a muddy track to Harwood Dale forest. The map showa the bridleway continuing straight across the forest for about tree quarters of a mile to Teydale Farm and the lay-by where we started but it's not quite as simple as that. About two hundred yards into the forest the track meets a stone forest road and the bridleway should continue straight on. It's best to turn left onto the stone forest road and follow the road along Cowgate Slack back to Teydale Farm, then just across the main coast road is the Falcon Inn lay-by. The whole route is almost 12 miles and took us just over six hours including two stops.

Jugger Howe Beck flowing through the Woodland Trust site.

Stunted tree beside Jugger Howe Beck

© 2008 Frank M Firth
Original design by Andreas Viklund