Ilkley West Ramble #1: Intro & Start
This series of 28 caches will take you on a memorable ramble through some fine, varied West Yorkshire countryside immediately west of Ilkley and south of Addingham.
It incorporates low moorland, fields of grazing sheep & cows, shady gills and woody groves, stone stiles, babbling becks, farmyards, country lanes, a Roman road, historic stone farmhouses, barns and cottages and stylish country mansions with lovely gardens.
There are stunning panoramic views throughout, especially to the north towards Addingham, the Wharfe valley, Beamsley Beacon and other high moorland, and to the south towards Rombald's Moor and the crags along the ridge of Addingham High Moor.
The 8.3km ramble is of low strenuosity and should be doable in 5-6 hours at a steady pace but allowing time for regular stops for caching, taking in the views, bird-watching, photos, refreshments and greeting livestock & humans en route.
It can be done anticlockwise following the cache sequence, where height is lost in the 1st quarter (Q1) of the route but after Q2 contouring is regained in Q3 before a longer Q4 contour return to the start.
Clockwise (ie. in the reverse sequence) will involve the opposite: Q1 contour Q2 lose height Q3 contour Q4 gain height. This will involve more effort towards the end of the walk when you may be more tired.
Whichever route you choose, remember to stop periodically to turn around and admire the view behind you!
A map with caches, trails and parking spots is provided in the Gallery of each cache.
Kindly note that Difficulty/Terrain ratings and Attributes are based on doing the caches in sequence. These may of course differ if alternative access routes are chosen.
Parking Spots:
P1 (Heber's Ghyll Drive): roadside @ or near N 53 55.340 W 1 51.269 use this if doing the caches in sequence or reverse sequence.
P2 (Moorside Road): very limited space @ N 53 55.611 W 1 53.470 (one car tucked well in) is available near IWR #20 and could be used to access nearby caches in the series.
P3 (Cocking Lane): limited space available roadside for brief parking @ or near N 53 56.108 W 1 53.666 near the highpoint of this relatively narrow country lane which could be used to access nearby IWR $16.
P4 (Southfield Lane, Addingham): plenty of kerb-side space available @ or near N 53 56.558 W 1 53.135 at the end of this road. This enables access to a public footpath heading west which links up with the AEG Series trail (@ AEG #2) and heads south to meet the busy A65. This could be used to access IWR #14 and other caches in this northern part of the IWR Series.
The ramble starts at P1 and the signposted public footpath trailhead at the end of Heber's Ghyll Drive on the edge of the Heber's Ghyll wood (with its own caches).
Head west along the road with (the first of many) super views north/north-west to Addingham, the Wharfe valley and Beamsley Beacon. After passing the gates of the splendid Brackenwood (sold for #2.6M in 2008) you start to approach Briery Wood Farm - the wood of that name is the one to the north of Heber's Ghyll Drive.
After admiring the view NW from the farm gate down the driveway to the farm, carry on a short distance along the upper road then leave this near the metal lamp-post and take the signposted diverted footpath on the left which runs up and across the grassy slope above the farm cottage. Follow this across a small beck to the stile next to the field gate. Cross the stile and look for IWR#1 (a small screw-capped camo-taped plastic pot).