Ilkley Eastside Wander #1: Intro . . . and Prick?
This is the 1st of a series of 20 caches which takes you around some of the lovely countryside immediately to the east of Ilkley. The cache, a small camo-taped, screw-capped pot, is hidden near the start of one of several tracks leading up into and through Wheatley Rakes - a small patch of woodland between the eastern suburbs of Ilkley and Ilkley Moor above to the south, and Ben Rhydding Golf Course and open countryside to the east.
Series Intro: the IEW series can be done either as two mini-series or one complete sequence from #1 to #20. See Series Map above and in Gallery. The DT values and cache distance/time attributes are based on the nearest access point (parking) for each cache.
Mini Series 1 (10 caches, 3km, 2.5-3 hours - allowing for cache finding/logging and stopping periodically to admire the view, take photos and spot birds): park kerb-side at P1 on Ben Rhydding Road @ or near N 53 55.240 W 1 47.962, adjacent to this cache, and follow the sequence circuit from #1 to #10.
Mini Series 2 (10 caches, 3.7km, 3-3.5 hrs, as above): park at P3 N 53 54.778 W 1 47.634 on Moor Rd / Hangingstones Rd about 300m south-east of the Cow & Calf Hotel and head approx. 385m further southeast along paths through the bracken and/or along the road to the gate at N 53 54.698 W 1 47.315. From here head down the lane and follow the sequence from #13 to #20 then pick up #11 and #12 on the way back to the starting point.
Complete Sequence (20 caches, 6.7km 5.5-6.5 hrs, as above): park as for Mini Series 1 and follow the cache sequence from #1 to #6. Then head south and continue with #11 to #20. Finally, do #7 to #10 to complete the series before returning to the starting point.
Alternative Approach for Early-Series Caches: park at P4 in the car park of the large hotel on Hangingstone Road some 200m south of the Cow & Calf rocks or in the large parking P5 at the rocks. From either, make your way to the start of the public footpath @ N 53 54.962 W 1 47.918 and past IEW#4 to the upper access gate for the golf course @ N 53 55.012 W 1 47.916 to access IEW #5 onwards, or continue further down to access IEW #3 and then IEW #2 and IEW #1 in Wheatley Rakes (the woods).
Alternative Approach for Mid-Series Caches: park at P2 towards the top end of Ben Rhydding drive in case access is required for certain caches in the series from this location adjacent to #6. To reach there, take Ben Rhydding Drive starting at N 53 55.482 W 1 47.838 and continue all the way up to the junction @ N 53 54.998 W 1 47.071 at the retirement village entrance. Turn right here and follow the road around a left-hand bend to N 53 54.954 W 1 47.158. Turn right again and follow the lane heading up to Gib Field Farm. Park at the top of this lane @ or near N 53 54.970 W 1 47.398 taking care not to block gate or lane access.
From #1 follow the trail up through the woods to #2 toward the top of the woods.
You may feel a bit of a prick looking for the cache . . . but don't worry, it is just protected by some branches of a useful common tree . . .
Holly! Its leaves have a high calorific value and were once used as hay supplement or replacement for cattle and sheep fodder when food was scarce or the land covered with snow so animals could not graze. Upper branches would be cut for the fodder and such ‘pollarding’ did not harm the tree.
Leaves developing at ground level are wavy, with large triangular ‘teeth’ bearing spines but as the tree 
grows (up to 25m high) the leaves become less spiny. The spines are a means of protection against grazing animals and are no longer needed when the tree becomes tall.
Being essentially evergreen it was able to provide fodder throughout the winter. In some areas, it was used to feed deer. Holly was also useful as shelter for animals in bad weather and woods or groves of holly trees (hollins) were common.
Its leaves contain a bitter alkaloid - ilicin. This may deter many leaf-eating insects - compared to many trees it is not subject to sustained insect attack - though leaves can harbour the holly leaf miner. This is the larval stage of a fly and activities can cause leaf partial or total discolouration. Another holly associated insect, the holly blue butterfly, feeds on its berries.
Holly has been extensively used for garden hedging - Evelyn's holly hedge at Say's Court, Deptford was some 400' long and 9' high. It is impenetrable and durable, but compared to hawthorn - another favoured hedging plant - it grows very slowly.
Its wood was used in joinery, cabinet making, engineering, for making mathematical instruments, for wood engraving and veneering. The wood is essentially white (except for the heartwood) and dyes readily - so when dyed black, it was used as an ebony substitute (eg. for teapot handles, whip handles (see here) and walking sticks).
It has been used for millennia to decorate homes and holy places. Evergreens were used in places of worship in pre-Christian times (eg. pine, cedar, fir and box). Holly was placed at the entrance of a house to stop ‘evil forces’ entering. In the Roman festival of Saturnalia, its branches were used to symbolise 'good wishes'.
An early reference to its use at Christmas is found in Stowe's 
'Survey of London' (1598) . . . 'every man's house [and] the corners of streets were decorated with holme [holly]'
Various carols dating back many years also refer to the use of Holly at Christmas. Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe are associated with the festive season - all are evergreens with foliage which lasts well in garlands, wreaths, and other displays. Whilst the berries of Holly are bright and attractive, they are also toxic!
So it has (had) many useful properties and its many cultivars offer variety in the garden.
Finally, another 'use' was to predict a harsh winter - an old wives' tale says that a profusion of holly berries means a big freeze is on the way. However, it is spring that affects the number of berries, not the likelihood of a chilly winter. Generally, if March and April are cold, but not freezing, and a warm summer follows then holly with be fruitful. This is because harsh frost kills the white flowers produced in early spring, so pollination cannot occur. Similarly, if the holly is not regularly watered in summer, it is too hot or not in the shade, no berries will grow as the flowers fall off early.
According to the Woodland Trust, holly is fruiting about 17 days earlier in the year than a decade ago, with an annual trend of increasing berries. This is likely due to the climate becoming warmer and, if it continues, so will early plant flowering and fruiting. For every 1oC temperature increase, the plants growing season increases by 10-20 days.