Walking to the Cow and Calf, and the Pancake Stone
About 6.5 kilometres - or longer depending on the diversions you choose!
From Ilkley station, turn right and walk down to the crossroads. Cross over to go straight up the hill - the most pleasant way is up through the gardens of Mill Ghyll. When you come out at the top of the gardens, go up Wells Road. Just before the cattle grid, bear left through the double gate, and up the tarmac path leading to The Tarn. At the far end of The tarn, a path leads up in the general direction of the Cow and Calf Rocks.
Cross the bridge over the Backstone Beck, and continue up the steps. The rock above is known as the Crocodile's Mouth - guess why. The path joins the cart track coming up from Hangingstone Road and into the quarry among the trees. Standing at the entrance, looking into the quarry, a steep bank on the right leads up to the .....
Hangingstone Quarry Rock
This was almost destroyed by quarrying in the 1860's, but was fortunately saved. The carvings cover 17 metres and are of an unusual design. There are many cups, rings and grooves, 3 larger than usual. There is also a 1990's carving on the surface.
Return to the quarry entrance, and take the opposite path to the top of the Cow Rock, where there are many Victorian carvings.
Legend has it that the Giant Rombald stubbed his toe on the Cow Rock as he was striding across the valley from Almscliffe Crag, 7 miles across the valley. The Calf broke off.
Continue past the Cow and Calf quarry, and past more rocks on the left, to where a broad sandy track goes off to the right and then up the ridge. Stay on this track to the top, where it joins a cart track. Turn right, making for the green hut.
Just 100 metres before the hut, is a flat rock in the heather, with 34 cups, 3 with rings, 2 with incomplete rings and several grooves.
A few metre south of this rock is another small rock in the heather, known as ....
the second Idol Stone
There are 19 cups and grooves forming an unusual design
Both these rocks lie on a prehistoric site known as Backstone Beck Enclosure, excavated in recent years by Ilkley Archaeology Group. They found flints and fragments of pottery. The hut circles date from the Bronze Age (between 800 and 500 BCE), and have been partly reconstructed. Originally the rubble walling would have been higher, and topped with soil or turf.
The excavations show that this site was lived on for 2000 years before the walling was built
Return along the track to the prominent rock ahead.
The Haystack,
or Cottage Rock
This large rock has designs all over the "roof" - 38 cups, 10 rings and interlinking grooves.
Continue along the broad track until it curves sharply left. At this point, strike off right on the path heading across Green Crag Slack.
Where the path begins to rise more sharply, stands the 2 metre high traingular-shaped Idol Rock. At ground level, 50 metres before it and 2 metres to the south of the path, is the ....
Idol Stone
The smooth flat rock has 25 clear cups, 8 grouped together, and 7 with a groove round them. A groove surrounds the whole design. Just enough to remind my kids of their time in West Africa, playing Awale with beans in holes in the sand!
Half way between the Idol Stone and the Idol Rock, to the north of the path, lies a large un-named rock. It is best viewed from the north, and hs 26 cups, one with a ring. Continue to the group of large rocks ahead. Drop down beneath them to a path through the bracken. Cross another path, and Hangingstone Road is visible below. turn left along the edge of the ridge. Where it branches, opposite the lay-by, keep left to get to the .....
Pancake stone
This large rock balances dramatically over the Cow and Calf Hotel, and has 54 cups, 6 rings, and 5 partial rings - but is severely worn.
Continue on the edge of the cart track and turn up left to return to the Haystack Rock. From the north side of the rock a path leads north west for 70 metres. There three stones, the middle one being known as ......
The Planets
It has 13 cups, 9 rings, and linking grooves.
Continue on the edge to join the path down the ridge. Steps lead to the car park, Hangingstone Road, and back to Ilkley.