Hats off to Ilkla Moor (From Gazette & Herald)

Hats off to Ilkla Moor

THIS week's Rural View comes from Ilkley, a small West Riding of Yorkshire town which is noted, among other things, as being the home of the famous Yorkshire anthem, On Ilkla Moor baht 'at.

It means On Ilkley Moor Without a Hat and the song is a traditional warning of what happens when one goes up to the windswept moors without being properly attired.

However, there is much more to Ilkley. Its location is splendid, being tucked beneath the imposing bulk of Rombalds Moor, part of which is known as Ilkley Moor. The peaceful town with its wide streets, gardens, imposing buildings and splendid small shops has spread along the southern bank of the River Wharfe and most of its properties boast extensive views north towards the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Not surprisingly, its location has always attracted those who wanted to live here and its history pre-dates Roman times.

The moors above Ilkley provide evidence of those early settlements with numerous barrows and enclosures, but the most famous and puzzling are the cup and ring carvings on moorland rocks. These are etched in the stones and perhaps the most strange is the one shaped like a swastika. Down the ages, this has been the emblem of long life and happiness, being known throughout Europe and the East a thousand years or more before the Romans came to Britain.

The Romans settled in Ilkley, the town then being known as Olicana. Ptolemy referred to Olicana as one of the cities inhabited by the Brigantes but little evidence of their occupation remains. In the parish church, however, along with other Roman remains, there is a stone relief which portrays Verbeia, the Romano-British goddess of the River Wharfe. It is thought that Verbeia is the Latin form of Guerf, the Anglo-Saxon name for the river we know as the Wharfe. Verbeia is shown wearing drapes which represent river weeds and she holds serpents in her hand, these being long associated with the winding routes of our rivers and streams.

Ilkley remained a very small village until the middle of the 18th century when water from the moors was found to be very pure while possessing curative qualities. This propelled Ilkley into competing with other noted Yorkshire spa towns such as Harrogate and Scarborough and by the mid-19th century it was full of smart hotels, large houses, convalescent homes and hydros.

A railway line was constructed to carry visitors from the major West Riding centres such as Bradford and Leeds - and that railway still exists. It has never extended beyond Ilkley.

Some of the larger establishments were purpose-built to accommodate patients rather than tourists and included extras such as Turkish baths, bowling alleys and health-giving outdoor facilities, often with a resident physician. Although these houses, usually called "hydropathic establishments", were built especially to cater for patients and those who were convalescing, they did admit non-patients on the understanding that the meals, facilities and public rooms might be more primitive than the smarter hotels in town.

As one walks through the modern Ilkley, it is easy to imagine Victorian gentlefolk strolling along The Grove or through the gardens, and although the craze for "taking the waters" faded away during the early years of the last century, Ilkley has retained the gentle image of a small spa town.

Towering above is the bulk of Rombalds Moor with the famous Cow and Calf Rocks. I believe there used to be a Bull Rock too, but this was removed and used to construct local buildings. Access to the moor and those rocks is via the appropriately named Cowpasture Road and from the summit there are superb views across Wharfedale along with an opportunity to examine the numerous cup and ring rocks. The views from this lofty windswept spot embrace both Ingleborough and Whernside as well as the Vale of York, Fountains Abbey and over the moors to Settle.

Rombalds Moors has a range of different spellings. In some reference books and maps, it is called Rumbles Moor, and in others Rumbald. Local legend claims that a mark on the face of the Cow rock is the footprint of the giant Rumbald who, while striding from Great Almes Cliff, missed his footing and stamped on the rock. It is quite likely the name is a variation of Romell which comes from William de Romille who was the first Norman Lord of Skipton.

There is plenty to occupy the visitor to modern Ilkley, the church and museum both containing reminders of the past, but for a truly memorable outing it is necessary to brave that famous and very windswept moor. If you do so, beware of Ilkley's oft-repeated warning and be sure to wear a hat!

Updated: 15:14 Wednesday, March 15, 2006