SideTracked – The Wharfedale Line - Ben Rhydding
This cache replaces Eeee bi gum’s GC1KX4R, an earlier version of the same name which was hidden on 18/1/2009 and archived on 9/8/2025 after some 240 finds and 2 FPs. It is a short multi which can be completed in 10-15 minutes.
To Find the Cache:
After parking roadside nearby, eg. at N 53 55.475 W 1 47.846 on Wheatley Lane, make your way to the station and published coordinates at . . .
Step 1: where you will be standing near a telegraph pole with 3 ID plates attached to it. The digit on the 2nd small circular white plate = A
Step 2: move up to Platform 1 (trains to Ilkley) and along to the large metal post @ N 53 55.542 W 1 47.824 supporting the overhead cables which is numbered vertically AY 3B8 15 where B is the number required.
Step 3: continue along a short distance to the lamp post @ N 53 55.542 W 1 47.813. From here look across the rails to the base of Platform 2 where you will see a Datum Plate with 2 of its 3 figures visible. These plates are fixed to structures (bridges, platforms and overhead line masts, etc.) located near the track. The details on the plate specify the relative position of the track from that structure, which can then be monitored for movement (see here for details).
The upper number on this, which is the plate number is 00C.
Step 4: retrace your steps and cross over the footbridge to Platform 2 (trains to Leeds/Bradford). In the small waiting room on this side, you will note that there are red metal bench seats for D passengers.
Step 5: walk west along the platform to N 53 55.549 W 1 47.890 where you will be standing on or near a large metal inspection cover with various types of ID info stamped on it including a web-site address with the name of a person. The number of letters in his first name = E
Step 6: now turn around and walk back and under the footbridge to the eastern end of the Platform where you will be facing a wooden fence with a Network Rail station ID plate on it.
The Engineers Line Reference (ELR), identifies the specific rail line (ILK2) and shows the distance of the station from the line datum (starting point) - London King’s Cross Station - which is 210 m(iles) and F0 ch(ains).
From the same location, look through the fence to the round bridge ID sign which has a large number 1G where G is the figure required.
Beyond this you will see a signal with an ID plate numbered L 3H52 where H is the figure required.
The cache, a camo-taped preform tube, is hidden at:
N 53 55.ECG W 1 47.(D+F+2)(H-G)(B-A)
The Wharfedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. It connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford and is served mainly by 4-coach Class 333 electric multiple units as well as some 3-coach Class 331 EMUs.
The line was originally owned by the Midland Railway from Leeds to Burley- in-Wharfedale where the line became joint property, with the North Eastern Railway, and was known as the Otley & Ilkley Joint Railway (O&IJt). The two lines from Leeds and Bradford come together south of Guiseley at Esholt Junction - the location of an 1892 crash.
The route from Leeds leaves the main line near Calverley and continues along the Aire valley until climbing a hill to Guiseley, Menston, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Ben Rhydding and Ilkley.
A new station, Kirkstall Forge, opened in 2016 on the Aire Valley section of the route between Leeds and Guiseley. This provides a service on the Wharfedale line outside of peak hours only. Plans also exist to reinstate the O&IJt branch line to Otley from Milner Wood Junction, between Menston and Burley.
The first section of the route from Bradford Forster Square is also used by the Airedale and Leeds–Bradford lines. The service to Ilkley branches north of Shipley station to: Baildon (a reopened station), Esholt (station closed), Esholt Junction for the line to Leeds, and on to Guiseley, Menston, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Ben Rhydding and Ilkley
The line was electrified throughout using 25 kV AC Overhead in 1994-1995 by British Rail. This brought quieter, cleaner trains and helped secure the line’s long-term viability.
The now-closed and lifted Skipton-Ilkley line continued west of Ilkley via Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Embsay to Skipton. The section from Embsay to Bolton Abbey was reopened in 1981 by enthusiasts who operate steam locomotives as the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.
Ben Rhydding station, built as part of the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway, was opened to passenger traffic on the 1 July 1866, 11 months after the opening of the railway on 1 August 1865. In April 1865 the North Eastern Railway Board had ‘ordered that a small wooden station consisting of booking office, waiting room and retiring room for ladies be provided as a temporary accommodation at Ben Rhydding’.
Six years later, in May 1871, the Joint Committee reached an agreement with the proprietor of the Ben Rhydding Hydro*, that more a more permanent station structure should be built at the expense of the Hydro, with a ground rent of a penny per annum, so long as the structures met the approval of the railway engineer, a Mr. Crossley.
*The Hydro was a huge Victorian hotel - the Ben Rhydding (Hydropathic Establishment) - founded on the craze for spa water treatment, or hydrotherapy, which was regarded as a cure for all ailments (see IEW #4: BRGC Warren Hill for details). This grand spa hotel attracted visitors from across the country who came for water-based therapies, fresh moorland air, and fashionable society. The station was crucial to its success, delivering wealthy clients almost to the door. Special carriages and well-timed services ensured a seamless journey from Leeds or even from London via connections at Leeds Wellington station. Although the Hydro closed in the early 20th century, the station has retained its role as a convenient entry point to Wharfedale.
The Hydro's arrangements with the company lasted until 1885, when their structures - a stone-built station house on the south (down) platform and a wooden structure on the north (up) platform - were sold to the railway company for £240. Clients of the Hydro were met by their horse-bus, and later motor-bus, up until sometime after WW1.
The station was opened to goods traffic in 1888, and suitable sidings were provided. A new signal box was opened in 1901, situated at the Ilkley end of the northern platform. Goods traffic ceased on 5 July 1965, and the sidings were later removed. Station staff were withdrawn on 7 October 1968, when 'pay-trains' were introduced. The stone station building has subsequently been demolished, and shelter on both platforms is restricted to simple bus-stop type covered areas.
Trains typically run every half-hour to both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square, with Ilkley one stop away to the west. The service frequency and free station parking make it a popular choice for commuters seeking an easier drive-and-ride option compared to parking in Ilkley.
