EAST CHESHIRE RAMBLERS
EVERY year, East Cheshire Ramblers organise one or two weekends away and recently went to the delightful Yorkshire spa town of Ilkley.
Over the weekend six walks of varying lengths were on offer and on the Saturday the shortest walk of just seven miles explored the Bolton Abbey estate area with a leisurely walk beside the River Wharfe and a lunch stop by the Bolton Priory ruins.
The medium walk of nine miles and the long walk of thirteen miles ventured up onto the moors via the Valley of Desolation and across Barden Fell to Simon’s Seat and here went varying ways with the medium walk descending to the river Wharfe and the long walk continuing via Howgill Lane, High Skyreholme, Parceval Hall, Trollers Gill, Harrington and Appletreewick, returning along the Dales Way past Barden Tower and The Strid back to Bolton Abbey.
On Sunday all the walks started from Ilkley and ascended to Ilkley Moor.
It was quite a humid day, having had a late cloudburst on the previous day.
All the walks passed Ilkley Tarn,which is now a wildlife haven. They went on to White Wells, a former spa bath, which now has a small café.
The bath was outdoors when built in the 18th century but is now enclosed with interesting interpretation boards on the history of Ilkley as a spa town.
At this point the walks went their separate ways.
The short walkers headed east towards the famous hanging stone, known as the Cow and Calf.
Ilkley Moor was originally known as Rombalds Moor, but thanks to the famous song On Ilkley Moor Baht ‘At, it is always known as Ilkley Moor.
As the short walkers continued their walk, they passed the Little Skirtful of Stones and the Great Skirtful of Stones.
Ilkley Moor is well known for its archaeology and the short walkers also passed the Twelve Apostles, a ring of Bronze Age standing stones.
The medium and long walkers followed the millennium way to the Swastika Stone with its engraving of a swastika shape.
There is debate as to whether it dates from the Bronze, Neolithic or Roman ages.
The medium walkers followed the Dales High Way to Addingham and then back along the River Wharfe to Ilkley.
The long walkers walked along the moor with views extending over Silsden then turned south and descended through The Glen to reach Sunnydale Reservoir.