Rombalds Moor [Ilkley Moor]

Rombalds Moor [Ilkley Moor]

Rombalds Moor rises between Wharfedale and Airedale in West Yorkshire. Ilkley Moor is its northern, town-facing part. The hill recorded by the Database of British and Irish Hills is 402.5 m high, with 245.5 m of prominence, and qualifies as a Marilyn.

Finding the summit

The summit is the ground beside the trig pillar at SE114452, just off the flagged high-level path. DoBIH records possible highest ground a few metres north and northwest of the pillar. The Twelve Apostles stone circle, Cow and Calf rocks and White Wells are separate landmarks; visiting them does not by itself reach the summit.

The moor combines heather, grass, peat and gritstone outcrops. Broad views include Wharfedale and the surrounding Pennine landscape, depending on visibility. The underlying Carboniferous sandstone and shale, later shaped by ice and landslips, help explain its crags and wet ground.

Summit walks

The Friends of Ilkley Moor's White Wells circuit climbs via White Wells and the stone steps to the Twelve Apostles, then heads west to the trig point. It continues past the Stanza Stones and Thimble Stones and returns on Keighley Road to White Wells car park. The guide suggests about two and a half hours.

For a Cow and Calf start, the Get Lost Mountaineering circuit is 10 km, with a published estimate of three to four hours. It takes in Ilkley Crags, the Apostles, summit, Thimble Stones and Whetstone Gate, then returns from Keighley Road across Ilkley Crags to the rocks and original car park. Stay back from the sheer rock edges.

Bradford Council's Length and Breadth of Ilkley Moor walk is an 11.2 km circuit from Wells Road car park beside Darwin Gardens. Its western approach visits the Swastika Stone, Crawshaw Moss and Buck Stones before crossing the summit and descending through White Wells. The leaflet's shorter 9.2 km option turns down at Whetstone Gate and does not visit the summit.

The Great Outdoors publishes a different White Wells circuit: 9.4 km, 290 m ascent and four hours. It includes the summit and a Badger Stone detour, returning by the paths around Spicey Gill and White Wells. Its figures apply to that complete route.

The Rombalds Stride is a much longer organised winter challenge. The organiser's published route is 23 miles, about 37 km, starting and finishing in Guiseley and crossing Baildon Moor, Rombalds Moor and Otley Chevin. It does not finish in Ilkley. The published ten hours is an event cutoff, not a normal walking-time estimate; consult the organiser for the current route, access arrangements and entry requirements.

Heritage and access

The Twelve Apostles is a scheduled Bronze Age stone circle on Burley Moor, east of the summit. Its stones have been re-erected, so the present arrangement should not be assumed original. The wider moor also has prehistoric rock carvings. White Wells developed around spring-water cures in the late eighteenth century, and Ilkley's council bought the moor in 1893. Local stories associate Rombald with a giant; that is folklore rather than a proven name derivation.

Use the Wells Road/White Wells car park or the public Cow and Calf car park appropriate to your route. Ilkley railway station has Northern services from Leeds and Bradford Forster Square; check the current timetable and walk uphill through town to the moor. White Wells refreshments depend on opening; the flags indicate when it is open. Carry food and water for the walk.

Moorland care and safety

Expect steep steps, uneven rock, boggy patches and slippery paving. Wind and mist can make the exposed moor harder to navigate, and ice increases the risk on steps and rock. Carry a map and compass and suitable waterproof clothing, and stay clear of crag edges.

Ilkley Moor is protected for its moorland and blanket-bog habitats and birds. Follow existing paths, leave carved rocks and standing stones undisturbed, and take litter home. Bradford Council asks for dogs to be controlled, with leads around livestock and during March to July. Do not light fires or barbecues. Access arrangements on neighbouring privately owned moors can differ. For a hill emergency call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.