A side shoot of Scugdale, I remember Snotterdale as a lovely little valley. But alas no Public Rights of Way exists through so it remains hidden from public gaze. I had the opportunity to explore the woods in 1996 when they were used to stage the Jan Kjellström orienteering relays. And, as far as I know, it has never been used since; such a pity. The name of my home city of Nottingham is said to derive from a Saxon chieftain called Snot; thus Snotingaham, the settlement of Snot’s people. I wonder if the chief’s name had the same as the modern meaning. He would have been tortured at school. I like to think therefore of Snotterdale as the valley of Snot. Dale, of course, could come from either the Scandinavian dalr or the Old English dael. But I may be way off the mark. Once above the moor fence, the dale undergoes a name change and becomes mapped as Thackdale.
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