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Ilkey
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Ilkley in Bloom on a Beautiful Day

Area: Ilkley
Region: Southern Dales
County: North Yorkshire
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Full Description: Ilkley is a popular town in the Yorkshire Dales it is located a beautiful area and has some stunning scenery, it lies in a valley with moors around providing an amazing back drop shrouded in heather. The moors are an attraction for walkers to explore in a vast and amazing expanse.

Neighbouring towns of Skipton and Otley are bristling with life, originally Ilkley was a quiet, restful place then a moorland spring at White Wells was discovered and the ice-cold waters were used for healing purposes, thrusting Ilkley into the lime light. A squire called Middleton built a small bath-house which was used for the elderly and infirm whose limbs needed soothing. This became known as the ‘Heather Spa’.

The moors provide a haven for walkers and ramblers and they are steeped in history Ilkley Moor is also known as Rombalds Moor there is a very unusual and strange monument called the Swastika Stone. This is a boulder which has a Swastika carved into it, which is supposed to represent fire worship and dates back to the Bronze-age times. Two more of these Swastikas have been uncovered in Sweden and Greece they are the only three in the world. In the town of Ilkley itself there is another interesting monument known as cup-and-ring-stones and these are located in St. Margaret’s churchyard not a lot is known about there origin.

In the main town there are a selection of pubs, restaurants, shops and cafes. There is a large public car park and well preserved Victorian Arcade, the town has retained its Victorian and Edwardian links. There is a river on which boating takes place and the river bank is perfect for picnics. Ilkley is also the starting point for a very popular walk the Dales Way this is 84 miles long, and passes through some stunning scenery you can call at places such as Grassington, Bolton Abbey and Burnstall along the way. The walk ends at Bowness in the Lake District.


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