Series of 10s Moor Walk #3: History & Owners
This is the 3rd in a series of 9 caches (8 caches + a bonus final) along a 9km 'circular' walk which, allowing for caching operations - and taking in the awesome scenery, photos, bird-watching and refreshment stops - should take around 3-4 hours.
The cache, a large (broken) food container with a smaller one inside, is hidden near the trail running along the ridge (Addingham Edge) some 200m before Millstone Lumps - a disused millstone quarry which operated from the 17th century - possibly much earlier as Iron Age querns (a simple hand mill for grinding corn, typically consisting of two circular stones, the upper of which is rotated or rubbed to and fro on the lower one) have been found in the fields below the quarry, where over 40 broken or unfinished millstones still lie together with similar stone water and feeding troughs. See here for more information on the quarry.
For background info on the series and parking waypoints, see GC2V7T8 Series of 10s Moor Walk #1: Intro & Start.
History & Ownership
- Although seen as a natural & wild place, the moor is the product of 1000s of years of human influence and natural processes
- It was sporadically inhabited in Mesolithic times (Middle Stone Age 15,000-5,000 BP [before present]) = 15-5 ka (kilo annum or thousand calendar years ago)
- Extensive woodland clearance took place during the Mid-Bronze Age (2 ka)
- In 1893 the moor was acquired from the previous owner, Marmaduke Middleton by the Local Board of Health for the District of Ilkley, as a public pleasure - later owned by Ilkley Urban District Council
- Since 1974 it has been owned by City of Bradford MDC and managed by their Countryside & Rights of Way Service
- The surrounding moors making up the rest of Rombald's Moor are all privately owned
See the Ilkley Moor Management Plan for comprehensive info on all aspects of the moor.
This cache was originally called 'The series of tens moor walk No3' and the original text is shown below.
Original text: A yomp around Addingham high moor. The name will come obvious on the way round. Addingham and Ilkley moor is one of the best walking areas in the country, views on a good day are second to none please enjoy one of my favourite walks. The caches are not hard to find as it is an area of SSI, and the name will become obvious on the way round. Add the numbers you find on the main lid and use them to find the final GC2V7YA.