Great Hograh Beck drains the moor of the same name and is a tributary of Baysdale Beck which in turns flows into the River Esk. This neat little bridge carries the Skinner Howe Cross Road across the beck. The Skinner Howe Cross Road is not really a road in the modern sense of the word, nowadays it is just a Public Bridleway but probably follows the old packhorse route from Whitby to Baysdale Abbey.
The bridge was built by local estate worker and resident of Baysdale and amateur archaeologist Roland Close (1908 – 1978) and has a keystone with the date 1938 on it. Mr Close had a intimate knowledge of the moors and carried out numerous archaeological excavations.
The memorial bench on the left appeared overnight a few years ago much to the annoyance of the gamekeeper and landowner. Permission had not been obtained. Quite a task to carry it the 2 km. from the nearest road including cement. Memorials of all types represent a difficult problem for landowners and authorities. Even with proper authorisation, how many can an area sustain before the natural beauty is destroyed? Only last week Bradford Council announced that no new benches will be allowed on Ilkley Moor and it’s been the policy on Ben Nevis for some time to remove all plaques and memorials.
Out and About ... 
I think you have made a mistake with your facts. Permission was sought and granted for the memorial bench!!
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Not what I heard.
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Well I’m afraid you’ve heard wrong as I’ve seen the proof! The bench was placed there following the stipulations in the permission letter. I really feel you need to ensure you’re posting accurate facts from the source before you publish anything online.
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As I said I will confirm the history from someone I know who used to live in the dale.
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I’ll check with my source the next time I see him.
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