Skinningrove echoes with the sound of bats
Skinningrove is alive with bats.
More than 300 bat-call detections, representing at least six species, were recorded during the first of three autumn Bat Walks organised by Land of Iron and Cleveland Bat Group.
The village may seem quiet after sunset, but specialist detectors reveal a landscape echoing with activity. Bats are hunting and navigating around Skinningrove Beck, through the village and across the surrounding valley while most of us remain unaware of the sounds above us.
Land of Iron and Cleveland Bat Group are inviting people to experience this hidden side of Skinningrove through three guided evening walks. Each event begins with an introduction to the bats found locally before the group ventures out with specialist equipment that makes their high-frequency calls audible.
Recordings from each walk are analysed afterwards, helping to identify the species active around Skinningrove. The first evening has already revealed Daubenton’s bats, pipistrelles and several other species, with hundreds of calls recorded along the route.
Skinningrove’s ironstone heritage may be its most visible story, but its beck, green spaces, sheltered valley and coastal setting support another world that comes to life after dark.
This page will follow all three Skinningrove Bat Walks. We’ll update it after each walk and share what Cleveland Bat Group discovers from the recordings.
Saturday 12 September 2026
More than 300 bat-call detections, representing at least six species, were recorded during our first walk. Daubenton’s bats and pipistrelles were among the bats most frequently detected around the village and beck.
The evening began at Land of Iron with a short introduction to bats, their behaviour and the species that can be found locally.
Our group then headed out into Skinningrove with specialist recording equipment. Walking through the village and alongside the beck, we listened for the high-frequency calls bats use to navigate and find food in the dark.
Image: Locations around Skinningrove where bat sounds were recorded during the first Bat Walk. Each marker represents a recording location rather than an individual bat. View the complete bat-recording map
The recordings were subsequently processed using specialist analysis software.
The initial findings included:
more than 300 bat-call detections;
at least six bat species;
Daubenton’s bats and pipistrelles among the bats most frequently detected;
recordings collected from several locations around the village and beck.
Table: Automated analysis of the recordings collected during the first Skinningrove Bat Walk. Different call types from the same species appear on separate rows. View the complete sound-analysis table.
The analysis indicated the presence of common and soprano pipistrelles, Daubenton’s bats, Brandt’s bats and whiskered bats. A recording initially classified by the software as a Leisler’s bat is thought to have been a noctule.
As with any automated wildlife analysis, the results require informed interpretation. Non-bat sounds identified by the software, including possible crickets, a shrew and a bird, should be treated with caution.
Saturday 19 September 2026, 6.45pm–approximately 8.30pm
Our second group will take the specialist detectors back into Skinningrove to discover what is active as the evening begins.
Will we record the same species again? Will activity be concentrated around the beck, or will the bats lead us somewhere different?
Places are limited and tickets must be booked in advance: Find out more and book your Bat Walk
We’ll add the findings from Walk 2 to this page once the recordings have been reviewed.
Saturday 31 October 2026, 5pm–approximately 6.30pm
Our final walk takes place on Halloween, when the clocks have changed and darkness arrives much earlier.
It will give us another opportunity to explore Skinningrove after dark and discover how bat activity may have changed as autumn has progressed.
Places are limited and tickets must be booked in advance: Find out more and book your Bat Walk
Return to this page after the walk to see what was recorded.
Identifying a bat is not always as simple as catching a glimpse of it against the evening sky. Its size, flight pattern, surroundings and echolocation calls can all provide clues.
Bat detectors make those high-frequency calls audible and allow them to be recorded for later analysis. Specialist software can help identify likely species, but the recordings still require careful interpretation and it is not always possible to reach a definite answer.
Cleveland Bat Group has produced downloadable identification guides explaining some of the features, habitats and flight patterns to look for. You can also listen to sample detector recordings of common pipistrelles, Daubenton’s bats and noctules.
Explore Cleveland Bat Group’s bat-identification guides and recordings
Daubenton’s bats are sometimes called “water bats” because they frequently hunt just above rivers, ponds and other bodies of water. They use their feet and tail membrane to take insects from close to the water’s surface.
The number of Daubenton’s bat calls recorded during the walk demonstrates just how active the area around Skinningrove Beck can become after sunset.
Common and soprano pipistrelles are among Britain’s smallest bats. They may appear very similar, but their echolocation calls are produced at different frequencies, allowing specialist equipment to help distinguish between them.
Both common and soprano pipistrelles appeared in the first walk’s results.
Brandt’s and whiskered bats are closely related and can be difficult to tell apart. Both are small bats associated with wooded habitats, hedgerows and areas close to water.
Calls attributed to both species appeared in the automated analysis from the evening.
One recording was initially identified by the software as a Leisler’s bat. Following review, it is thought more likely to have come from a noctule.
Noctules are among Britain’s largest bats. They are powerful flyers and can often be found hunting high above open ground.
Skinningrove is rightly known for its ironstone mining and industrial heritage, but that is only one part of its story.
The village sits in a distinctive valley where the beck meets the coast. Water, green spaces, trees, buildings and darker corridors through the landscape can all provide opportunities for wildlife.
Our Bat Walks invite people to experience this familiar landscape in a different way: more slowly, after sunset and with technology that makes an otherwise hidden world audible.
The first results show that once daylight fades, Skinningrove’s night shift is already busy.
Cleveland Bat Group works to raise awareness of the bats found across the Cleveland area and the importance of protecting them.
Its work includes studying and monitoring local bats, providing training, helping injured or orphaned bats and giving people opportunities to encounter and learn about bats through walks, talks and other events.
Visit the Cleveland Bat Group website
Two Land of Iron Bat Walks remain during autumn 2026:
Saturday 19 September: 6.45pm–approximately 8.30pm
Saturday 31 October: 5pm–approximately 6.30pm
Tickets cost £10 per person, plus an online booking fee. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.
View the remaining Bat Walk dates and book
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Land of Iron’s programme of events and activities is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
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Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum
Address: Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, Mill Lane, Deepdale, Skinningrove, Saltburn-By-The-Sea, Cleveland, TS13 4AP
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