Scout Rock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scout Rock |
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View looking West from Scout Rock Summit
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| Type | Cliff |
| Location | Upper Calder Valley |
| Height | 130m |
| Owner | Hebden Royd Council Farmers / Landowners |
Scout Rock, also known as Scout Rocks by local people, is a huge rock face. It was once a quarry, which is a place where stone is dug out of the ground. It's part of a hill called Hathershelf Scout. You can find it on the south side of the Upper Calder Valley in the village of Mytholmroyd, close to Hebden Bridge in England.
This impressive cliff rises 130 meters (about 426 feet) above the village. You can see its exposed rock face from far away places like Chiserley and Luddendenfoot. Most of the rock face is now covered with plants and trees. At the bottom of the cliff is Hathershelf Forest, and a large beacon (a type of signal light) stands about halfway up the hill on the western side.
Contents
What Happened at Scout Rock?
The 2015 Floods and Landslide
In December 2015, the Upper Calder Valley experienced very serious floods. Because of these floods, a large landslide happened at the bottom of Scout Rock. A landslide is when a lot of earth and rocks suddenly slide down a hill.
This landslide caused some problems for the area. It affected a row of houses called 'Scout Road' and a school, 'Scout Road Academy', both located at the base of the cliff. The school and about 20 homes had to be moved because of the damage.
Scout Rock in Local Culture
How Scout Rock Connects to Mytholmroyd
Scout Rock is a very important landmark for the village of Mytholmroyd. You can see it from most parts of the village, and it's often the first thing people think of when they hear about Mytholmroyd. When it's dark, the cliff creates a completely black background behind the village.
Scout Rock and Famous Writers
The famous poet Ted Hughes lived across the valley from Scout Rock. The view from his window looked out onto the cliff. He was very interested in Scout Rock, and it even appeared as symbols or ideas in some of his poems and stories.
A photograph of Scout Rock can be found in a book called Remains of Elmet. This book was a special project between Ted Hughes and a photographer named Fay Godwin.
Scout Rock and the area around it are also the main topic of a non-fiction book called Under The Rock. This book was written by Ben Myers.
