A long winter during which I had suffered with my health meant that, apart from at Christmas and New Year, I had hardly done any serious walking and I was still not fully recovered as I started on this holiday, but I hoped that a good multiday hike would provide me with the recuperation I needed. I had eventually settled on returning to the Yorkshire Dales, partly because it is nine years since I was last there, despite making plans on many occasions to return. Previously I have thought about doing the long distance trail, the Dales Way, but that doesn’t satisfy me as it mostly keeps to the bottom of the valleys without climbing any hills. However, another trail has been created called the Dales High Way, which keeps high, over the hills for much of the way, and so is much more appealing to me. Therefore I caught a train to the World Heritage site of Saltaire, though I wasn’t interested in the industrial village and soon I was walking along the canal being passed by many people on bicycles on a beautiful day under gorgeous blue skies. The weather had been terrible for the last month, but this had cleared just in time for the start of my holiday, which I was very thankful for. Leaving the canal, I crossed the River Aire and entered the woods of Shipley Glen, which was a magical place that was soon reviving my enthusiasm after the difficult winter.
The path steadily climbed up the side of the valley and soon I was stripped to my baselayer, but I did wish that I was at the bottom and enjoying the stream of Loadpit Beck, though my guidebook reassured me that I was still on the Dales High Way. I did appreciate the sentiment in aiming high as it afforded me with views across the valley and toward Hope Hill, on my right. An optional route goes over the hill, but I elected to keep to the prescribed route that took me past many awesome crags that overlook the deep glen. The path eventually joined the Glovershaw Beck, which was decorated with dog’s mercury and later by daffodils as I followed the delightful path beside a slender stream up to Glovershaw Farm where the path surface deteriorated to a farmers’ track. After passing Goldcar Farm I was now on open farmland, which was rather tedious to me, but it wasn’t long before I reached the edge of the open moorland of Ilkley Moor. This is a well-known and popular place, but I had never been there before, so I was looking forward to crossing the moor, though my first impression was not good as it seemed to just be a vast, empty, featureless heather moor.
After crossing a wall the path became horrendously wet, but I could see a good path ahead of me (part of the Dales Way Link), so I consoled myself in aiming for that, though it seemed to take me forever to reach it. Eventually and with much relief, I reached the good path and this took me north past increasing numbers of people to the Twelve Apostles stone circle and just beyond there the ground began to drop which provided me with great views into Wharfedale and the hills beyond. The path descended steeply down Ilkley Crags and brought me to White Wells where I stopped to have something to eat and a rest, which was well-needed as I was no longer used to this much walking. When I set off again my headphones began to fail and faced with the prospect of no music for the rest of my holiday I immediately left the path and descended through the streets of Ilkley into the centre of the town where I bought some replacements and also a knee support. The only problem with this was that I now had to climb all the way back up the hill until I reached the open moor again and the Dales High Way. Fortunately, I had not planned a long walk for this day and I had plenty of time to spare, though I thought this exertion was ironic after I had just taken a rest at White Wells.
The walk continued along the northern edge of Ilkley Moor and provided me with stunning views up Wharfedale under the bright sunshine as I slowly revived and I began to enjoy the walk while absorbing the sunshine and the great views. It has felt like we haven’t seen any sunshine for months, especially on a Saturday when I could appreciate it, and this has frustrated me, so I loved this good weather and it was doing wonders to my wellbeing. This was not a perfect walk as parts of Ilkley Moor were featureless or exceptionally muddy, but the very popular northern edge was great with good footpaths that helped immensely. I wasn’t sure exactly where my campsite for the night, Ghyll House, was located, so when I reached the turning where the Dales High Way descends off the moor I hesitated. I thought maybe it was further west, but a search on Google Maps revealed that it was just off the trail on reaching the first road, so I happily took the path steeply down and soon I was at the camp site after a wonderfully refreshing walk.
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