Celebrating Yorkshire Day the proper way.
What better way to celebrate Yorkshire Day on 1st August than with a yomp up on Ilkley Moor (baht ‘at?)
People have been wandering around Ilkley Moor since the Bronze Age. Here one can find a variety of carved rocks featuring cup-and-ring markings, more intricate designs, and even one with a Swastika on it (the older symbol, not the fascist one). Rombald’s Moor, which Ilkley Moor is a part of, has the 2nd highest concentration of ancient carved stones in Europe.
A famous feature of Ilkley Moor is the Cow and Half, a massive millstone grit outcrop with a smaller boulder near it. It’s around this area that climbers and boulderers come to test their skills.
After taking in the town’s festivities, we hiked up past and above the Cow and Calf, then continued up towards Ilkley Crags for some fantastic views and an abundance of beautiful late-summer heather.
All photos taken on my iPhone 17 Pro Max. RAWs developed in Lightroom, then edited and finalised in Photoshop.
Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire, Summer © 2026 by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
This frankly massive boulder, seemingly invading the privacy of the couple lower down the slope, is the “Calf” of the Cow and Calf. The Calf is said to weigh about 1,000 tonnes, separated from the Cow within the last 10,000 years.
Scrambling up through the Cow & Calf rocks, the late-summer heather quickly becomes abundant. What also catches my eye is the outcrop rock you can see, which to my eye resembles the side profile of a human face.
Beautiful heather punctuates the millstone grit boulders and formations from within the Cow & Calf. In the distance, Ilkley nestled within Wharfedale.
Above the Cow & Calf, we circled back to the area’s former quarry, particularly favoured by rock climbers new and experienced.
Another former quarry near the Cow & Calf, completely reclaimed by nature and covered in beautiful magenta heather.
The panoramic views from Ilkley Moor are immense. Zooming in tight, I pick out the valley side above Ilkley, light scanning across the fell side, with an isolated manor higher above in the shadow of a cloud.
Lisabet happily placed herself precariously upon the edge of a crag for this composition from Ilkley Crags. Heathcliff…
A burst of sunlight from betwixt the clouds illuminated the scene as I picked my way across Ilkley Crags, daring to get as close to the edge as possible for some vertiginous compositions.
Looking eastwards from Ilkley Crags. Below is Rocky Valley which carries the Dales Way.
Descending from Ilkley Crags, we approached White Wells. This little cottage houses a spa bath, with one surviving plunge pool. It was built in the 18th century with a few changes since. The single plunge pool is still in use today, particularly on New Years Day when folk see in the New Year with a plunge in the natural spring water. The water is not particularly noteworthy for any mineral content, but it is cold.
The plunge pool in question. A bit low, what with the intense and dry summer we’ve had, and merely a trickle dropping into it. Have to say, with the consistently high temperatures we’ve had, it weren’t half tempting…
