What a way to kick the cold season off!

I must have hiked across Ilkley Moor nearly a hundred times in my life, but never in conditions as amazing as those I saw today. Crisp winter perfection.

So why was I there for the hundredth time? Why not head to somewhere new?

Well, as you all know I am working on a brand new long distance walk for West Yorkshire, now 99% finished, called ‘The West Yorkshire Heritage Trail’. As well as the actual trail, I plan to include twelve circular walks to match the 12 stages of the main circuits and to also match the months of the year. So yep, you guessed it, January will be the next one…

The entire project should be finished for November 2024, with historical write ups and a full bibliography. This also coincides with the the Bradford City of Culture in 2025. What’s not to like?

The Ilkley circular starts in the town centre, heads up onto the northern edge of the moor, passes by the Swastika Stone, and makes for a long dry stone wall near a small wooded coppice. From there, it heads east to a radio mast, then the trig point, the Twelve Apostles, and then traverses Burley Moor to meet the Ebor Way, before heading north west to the Cow and Calf. Finally, it heads through Rocky Valley to White Wells and back into Ilkley. Allow about 5 hours.

Famous Grouse(s).

What is the plural of Grouse?