Yorkshire Walks

Heber's Ghyll Drive at the start of our walk

Bridge carrying Heber's Ghyll Drive across the ghyll

Heber's Ghyll is a rocky stream bed that runs straight down the hillside through the woods from Ilkley Moor. The footpath zig-zags across the stream as it climbs towards the moor with a total of eight footbridges over the ghyll. It was a very pretty route amongst the snow covered trees. We emerged from the wood at the top of the ghyll onto the moor.

This morning I drove, with my son, to the bottom of Heber's Ghyll in Ilkley and parked in the lay-by on Heber's Ghyll Drive at map ref. SE100472. The snow has been lying since before Christmas and there had been a few centimeters more overnight. From the lay-by we set off at about 11.00am along the footpath climbing up Heber's Ghyll.

Start of the path up Heber's Ghyll

Looking up Heber's Ghyll

Memorial to the crew of a crashed Halifax bomber

A little further on there is a memorial to the crew of a Halifax bomber that crashed on to the moor here on 31 January 1944 killing the seven young men, all in their twenties.

We turned right to head west along the edge of the moor, following the path to the Swastika Stone map at ref.SE095469. The symbols were not visible today under the snow but the is a good photo and background information about it here.

Memorial to the crew of a crashed Halifax bomber

Winter sunlight over the moor

After about 400m we came to a ridge at map ref. SE086467. At the ridge we continued along a path heading east for just over 2km.

We continued along the edge of the moor for another kilometer to map ref. SE085470. Here we turned left to follow a path climbing up the moor.

Boundary stone marked "C" on one side & "N" on the other

Pigmy Shrew by the path

Pigmy Shrew by the path

I recognised it as a pigmy shrew and managed to get some photos of it before it disappeared into a tiny hole in the snow less than a centimeter across.

Along the way we noticed a tiny creature moving very fast between the snow covered tufts of grass by the path. We stood very still and it continued to move around in fast bursts quite close to us.

Pigmy Shrew by the path

Entrance to the pigmy shrew's nest

Path across the moor near Black Beck

Wireless Station at Whetstone Gate in the distance

At this track we turned left to follow the Kieghley Road down hill for about 500m to map ref. SE107466.

We continued along the path and came to the Kieghley Road at map ref. SE106461. This is an ancient route across the moor to Riddlesden and Keighley.

Looking across the moor to the East & West Buck Stones

The Neb Stone overlooking Ilkley

The Keighley Road heading across Ilkley Moor

At the bottom, map ref. SE104469 we turned left to follow a path for about 500m back to the top of Heber's Ghyll.

Here we turned left on to an access road to an isolated house on the edge of the moor. At the gateway to this house we turned right to go down a steep slope.

Passing a small reservoir going back to Heber's Ghyll

Heading back down Heber's Ghyll

The whole walk had been about 7km and had taken us almost 3 hours to walk with many stops to admire the snowy scenery.

We retraced our steps down Heber's Ghyll to our car at the bottom and drove back to my son's house in Ilkley where my daughter-in-law had made us a good lunch.

Waterfall near the bottom of Heber's Ghyll