Scarhouse

About trip

Start and finish Scar House Reservoir SE 068 766 

Distance 24km (15 miles) 

Toilets Scar House Reservoir 

Pubs and cafes Ramsgill, Lofthouse, How Stean, and Middlesmoor 

Nearest train station Harrogate (a long way off) 

An all weather classic with barely any tarmac. Starting at the head of Nidderdale this 

classic tour takes you up onto stony tracks high above the valley, before dropping down a 

rubble slope to Bouthwaite. A section through farmland back up the valley, then leads to a 

climb to Middlesmoor, and the superb descent back to the reservoir. 

ROUTE DESCRIPTION 

1. Head out over the reservoir dam and turn left up the cobbly climb to a hut. At the 

hut turn right on to a grassier track, follow this for 1.5km. After two steep valley dips 

you will climb gradually toward a drystone wall. 

2. At the wall do not go through the gate, turn 90 degrees left and climb for 200m until 

you reach another gate in the wall further up. Go through this gate and follow the 

obvious doubletrack for 4km until you reach another gate. Go through this gate and 

carry on the same bearing for 1.8km, the track gets rocky as it descends to a stone 

building. Pass by the building and stick to the track as it bends 90 degrees left and 

joins the road after 500m. 

3. Turn left at the road, after 100m turn right on to farm road. After 800m of this track 

turn right down (initially grassy) doubletrack. Follow this obvious track for 3km until 

you reach a gate. 

4. Go through this gate and carry on the same bearing joining another farm road. After 

1km turn right and head downhill to Bouthwaite (on a wide and increasingly rubbly 

track). 

5. Continue straight on along the tarmac road, cross over the river and meet another 

road in Ramsgill. Turn left on the road then after 50m turn right on to a gravel road 

until you reach a white gate on your right (signposted Nidderdale Way). Go through 

this gate and follow the bridleway signs for 3km through grassy farmland until you 

join a metalled farm road, follow this for 500m until you reach to a large concrete 

farmyard. 

6. Pass through this farmyard and after 100m turn right over the river, as you meet 

another (bigger) road turn left and the climb up to Middlesmoor. Pass through the 

village and keep straight on as the tarmac stops and becomes farm road (which in 

turn becomes rocky track). Stick to this obvious track for 4km to Scar House 

reservoir with an excellent rocky descent to finish.