A very calm night but it did feel a bit cold just before dawn, even though the temperature was 4degC and nowhere near freezing. The moor I’m camping on is popular with walkers and dog owners and the huge amounts of dog muck everywhere back that up. There was even someone walking nearby as I packed my tent up just before 07:30am. I rejoined the Bingley Road and continued down, over the cattle grid and on to Glovershaw Farm where the path heads right up the Golcar Farm access track. As I passed the buildings I realised it was some sort of dog place as it didn’t seem like a working farm. The path crossed fields and up to Otley Road where I turned left and continued to an interesting looking pub called Dick Hudsons.

Dick Hudsons

the Twelve Apostles

While Wells Bath house

£1.40 pasty

Rombald's Well behind the bath house.

The Well today

Ilkley in bloom.

Then I descended to Wells Road and down in to Ilkley. This is one of the nicer Yorkshire towns that has kept its wonderful stone buildings. Much planting of colourful flowers has paid off and not only the colours accompanied me through the town but the flower smells as well. I left the road at New Brook St and walked down the steps to Riverside Gardens which is a memorial to the war dead. Today it is in sunshine and filled with people enjoying themselves, thanks to those who died making it possible. I followed the path nearest to the river so I could get a good view of the fine old Ilkley Bridge. Bushes and trees obscured the best of the view. The bridge is closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians and cyclists. Once across I turned left to follow the road round then took the right branch to head straight up the steep hill.

Near the top of the steep bit I came to a newish looking church with three statues in a grassy glade by the road. It always puzzles me why a religion wants to depict a man being tortured and nailed to a piece of wood as a form of execution with two other people standing by with pious expressions on their faces. Well, if it makes them happy and I don’t have to join in. A short way up the lane was a fine old stone way marker saying 5 miles to Keighley with a pointing finger showing the way. The road continued up until it levelled off but I continued up along a farm track up on to the moor. Once on the open moor I wasn’t sure of the right way to go. I continued along the track for a while but soon realised I was going in the wrong direction.

Keighley 5 miles

Cup marks on Middleton Moor

I cut off left and soon found the right path. I was passing through an interesting area of cup marked rocks but didn’t have time to search them all out. Approaching the building of Wards End I turned off the indistinct and boggy path and headed straight up the hillside towards Beamsley Beacon. It was a bit rough in places but improved when the gradient eased. On the way I thought I’d check out Riding spring which is shown on the map. There is no spring of any kind now and I’ve found this with several springs shown on the map. The Ordnance Survey should show them as redundant. At the beacon there was a trig point, a huge stone cairn and a group of people finding their mobile phones more interesting than the view.

I headed NE across Beamsley Moor and hoped to find some water for a camp. There was none to be had but the path and walking was pleasant. I kept going until I reached a wall and a couple of gates. Through the pedestrian gate was a couple enjoying a picnic in the warm weather. I turned left to descend along a track. I soon left it to check out a stream shown on the map. I found there was just enough running water in it for a water supply and a patch of grassy ground nearby made for a good campsite.

Sunset from the tent