25th August 2019 - Ilkley Moor
Walk Details
Distance walked: 14.4 miles
Total ascent: 1917 ft
OS map used: 297 - Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley
Time taken: 7 hrs
Route description: Ilkley-Wells Road-Keighley Road-Millennium Way-Windgate Nick-Nab End-Lightbank Lane-Ghyll Grange-Holden Beck-Pinfold Hill-Holden Lane-Holden Gate-High Moor-Black Pots-Doubler Stones-Addingham High Moor-Buck Stones-Ilkley Moor-Twelve Apostles-Lanshaw Lad-Ilkley Crags-Rocky Valley-White Wells-Wells Road-Ilkley
My second walk of the weekend and I'm glad that I did them the way round that I did. It was hazier today and a lighter wind meant that with the heather in bloom I was pestered by flies at times. Thankfully, a brisker breeze during the afternoon improved the visibility and kept the flies at bay. I've been meaning to get round to seeing the only Stanza Stone that I've not visited, which is "Dew", for some time now, but I couldn't come up with a route that I was happy with that would take me past it. In the end I decided on a rather convoluted one that took me to the western end of Addingham High Moor from Ilkley before looping round past the Stanza Stone and up onto Ilkley Moor for a return to Ilkley. It was a great way to complete a weekend of walking and of seeing all the Stanza Stones.
After parking in the Darwin Gardens car park in Ilkley I set off by walking up Wells Road, then up Keighley Road and onto the trail of the Millennium Way. I followed this west along the edge of the moor to Addingham High Moor where the trail turned right and made its way north down into Wharfedale. I carried on west on a path by the edge of White Crag Plantation to Nab End and down to Lightbank Lane, which I walked south along until I reached a sharp right-hand bend. Here I left the road for the bridleway south around Ghyll Grange, across Holden Beck, and then to Pinfold Hill and Holden Lane. I then walked east up Holden Lane to reach a bridleway on the left that I followed north across Low Moor and High Moor, to and past Black Pots, and to the path up to the Doubler Stones. I took this path north up onto the moor until I reached a wall where I turned right and followed the wall east up to the trig point on Addingham High Moor. I then made my way southeast across the moor to Buck Stones and then east to Whetstone Gate, where I picked up a flagged path that I followed east to the trig point on the top of Ilkley Moor. I carried on heading east from here to the Lanshaw Lad boundary stone and the Twelve Apostles stone circle before taking the path north down to Ilkley Crags. From there I walked down the Rocky Valley to White Wells and then down to Wells Road and back to the car park.
Total ascent: 1917 ft
OS map used: 297 - Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley
Time taken: 7 hrs
Route description: Ilkley-Wells Road-Keighley Road-Millennium Way-Windgate Nick-Nab End-Lightbank Lane-Ghyll Grange-Holden Beck-Pinfold Hill-Holden Lane-Holden Gate-High Moor-Black Pots-Doubler Stones-Addingham High Moor-Buck Stones-Ilkley Moor-Twelve Apostles-Lanshaw Lad-Ilkley Crags-Rocky Valley-White Wells-Wells Road-Ilkley
My second walk of the weekend and I'm glad that I did them the way round that I did. It was hazier today and a lighter wind meant that with the heather in bloom I was pestered by flies at times. Thankfully, a brisker breeze during the afternoon improved the visibility and kept the flies at bay. I've been meaning to get round to seeing the only Stanza Stone that I've not visited, which is "Dew", for some time now, but I couldn't come up with a route that I was happy with that would take me past it. In the end I decided on a rather convoluted one that took me to the western end of Addingham High Moor from Ilkley before looping round past the Stanza Stone and up onto Ilkley Moor for a return to Ilkley. It was a great way to complete a weekend of walking and of seeing all the Stanza Stones.
After parking in the Darwin Gardens car park in Ilkley I set off by walking up Wells Road, then up Keighley Road and onto the trail of the Millennium Way. I followed this west along the edge of the moor to Addingham High Moor where the trail turned right and made its way north down into Wharfedale. I carried on west on a path by the edge of White Crag Plantation to Nab End and down to Lightbank Lane, which I walked south along until I reached a sharp right-hand bend. Here I left the road for the bridleway south around Ghyll Grange, across Holden Beck, and then to Pinfold Hill and Holden Lane. I then walked east up Holden Lane to reach a bridleway on the left that I followed north across Low Moor and High Moor, to and past Black Pots, and to the path up to the Doubler Stones. I took this path north up onto the moor until I reached a wall where I turned right and followed the wall east up to the trig point on Addingham High Moor. I then made my way southeast across the moor to Buck Stones and then east to Whetstone Gate, where I picked up a flagged path that I followed east to the trig point on the top of Ilkley Moor. I carried on heading east from here to the Lanshaw Lad boundary stone and the Twelve Apostles stone circle before taking the path north down to Ilkley Crags. From there I walked down the Rocky Valley to White Wells and then down to Wells Road and back to the car park.
Route map
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. License number PU 100034184.
I leave Ilkley behind by taking the Millennium Way west along the side of Ilkley Moor
Haze and mist as I look back
This reservoir is like a mirror as I look across Wharfedale to Beamsley Beacon and Round Hill
Following the path west
Ilkley below through the mist
The Swastika Stone
Looking west along the edge of the moor from Woodhouse Crag
Addingham, Wharfedale and Beamsley Beacon
Addingham High Moor above
The Noon Stone
Addingham High Moor
Approaching Windgate Nick at the western end of Addingham High Moor
Looking south across the moorland around Airedale with Rivock Moor on the left, which is where I'll be this afternoon
Barden Fell, Wharfedale and Beamsley Beacon
Looking across Airedale to Steeton Moor, Steeton, Keighley Moor, Earl Crag and Silsden from Nab End
Silsden, Silsden Reservoir and Skipton Moor. The flies were driving me mad here with not enough of a breeze to keep them away.
An Airedale view from Lightbank Lane
The road heads down to Brunthwaite in Airedale. I don't though and take the bridleway to Ghyll Grange and Holden Beck.
Descending to the woodland around Holden Beck
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This little waterfall on Holden Beck just below the bridleway was worth stopping to take a look at...
Looking back to Addingham High Moor and the woodland around Holden Beck
Silsden, Airedale and Addingham High Moor as I continue south along the bridleway to Holden Lane
Looking across Airedale to Steeton Moor and Steeton, with Silsden on the right from Pinfold Hill
After a short walk east along Holden Lane I've taken the bridleway north along the western edge of High Moor to the Stanza Stone of "Dew".
and here it is. Visiting "Dew" means that I've now seen all the Stanza Stones.
There's a great view across Airedale from here and I can make out the distinctive profile of Pendle Hill in the distance
A welcome bit of shade as the bridleway passes through a conifer plantation
Back into the open again on the bridleway to Black Pots and Addingham High Moor
At the Doubler Stones. A cap of hard gritstone has protected the softer rock beneath..
Heading up onto Addingham High Moor
and then up to the trig point on Addingham High Moor
The purple of the heather adds to the moorland colours as I look across Wharfedale to Beamsley Beacon, Round Hill and Askwith Moor
Barden Moor, Addingham and Barden Fell from Addingham High Moor
At the trig point on Addingham High Moor
Looking towards Buck Stones and the top of Ilkley Moor
On West Buck Stones
Looking across Wharfedale to Beamsley Beacon and Round Hill from East Buck Stones
Following the wall from Buck Stones to Whetstone Gate
A hazy view into Airedale looking over the wall to my right
Looking back to Buck Stones and Addingham High Moor from Ilkley Moor
Barden Moor, Barden Fell, Beamsley Beacon and Round Hill in the distance
The Stanza Stone of "Puddle". I've already seen this one a couple of times.
Approaching the trig point on the top of Ilkley Moor
A distant Barden Moor from the trig point
Burley Moor ahead of me as I head east from the trig point
Round Hill and Askwith Moor to the north on the other side of Wharfedale
Along with Barden Moor, Beamsley Beacon and Round Hill
The Twelve Apostles stone circle
Beamsley Beacon and Round Hill from the Lanshaw Lad boundary stone
Heading for Ilkley Crags
There's a fantastic view of Wharfedale and Ilkley from the top of Ilkley Crags
Looking towards the Cow and Calf
In the Rocky Valley below Ilkley Crags
Another photo of Ilkley as I follow the path down to White Wells
A stop at the cafe at White Wells for an ice-cream before I make the final descent to Ilkley