Ilkley North West Trail #1: Intro & Start
This 13-cache 4.3km trail takes you around some of the lovely countryside between Middleton and Austby immediately to the northwest of Ilkley above the north bank of the Wharfe. Allowing for an easy pace, stopping for caches | to admire the view | spot birds the trail should take you about 3 hours or so.
It starts from the riverside close to the Old Stone Bridge, continues up a private road past impressive large houses and gardens entering a small patch of beautiful mature broadleaf woodland before exiting up and across grassy slopes to the high point of the trail at High Austby Farm.
From here the trail contours along a lane with fine views to the south past Tivoli (a lovely old house & garden) and Calvary (an interesting religious site) then through more woodland to just above the historic Middleton Lodge.
Then it continues following a lane along down the edge of a wooded ghyll and adjacent to the site of a medieval settlement back down to the start point.
The cache themes are focused on the rich birdlife and historical features along the route, which forms part of an official trail.
See below and the Gallery for a map of the trail showing parking spots and approximate cache locations.
To reach the cache location: park @ N 53 55.844 W 1 49.935 after the bend on Langbar Road. Head back some 50m to the trailhead marked by a Public Footpath signpost @ N 53 55.818 W 1 49.927. Head through the gate and diagonally across the field exiting through another gate to the riverside path near to the cache location.
The cache, a camo-taped preform tube, is hidden on the river bank down a short steep slope easily negotiated using the roots of a large sycamore at the end of the fence.
The location on a 90o bend in the river gives good views south (down) and west (up) along the river. You are likely to spot various water (and other) birds from near GZ.