Heber’s Ghyll, Ilkley
Waterfalls, woodland and an ancient carved rock, with a bonus dinosaur hunt thrown in for good measure! What’s not to love?
Located right on the edge of Ilkley Town, this hidden gem is a top way to wander away an hour or two!
Where is Heber’s Ghyll?
In the last place you would expect a waterfall to be. Right on the edge of Ilkley Town Centre on the lower slopes of Ilkley Moor.
This walk is our go-to favourite and has been walked many, many times. You can expect to find a set of waterfalls (spectacular after heavy rain) loads of bridges and a dinosaur hunt.
At the top you will come out of the woodland onto the the moor-side and up to the Swastika Stone. For those who aren’t familiar with the carved stones of Ilkley Moor, the Swastika Stone dates back to Neolithic times, thousands of years ago and is one of the finest examples of the prehistoric carvings on the moor.
It does not have any association with the modern use of the Swastika.
Across the moorland range you will find plenty of these weirdly carved rocks, but this one is truly the most spectacular. It is unmissable and protected by iron railings on the edge of Woodhouse Crag.
Walk details for Heber’s Ghyll
Distance: 1.5 - 2 miles
Terrain: Rough uneven terrain. Ascent is approximately 270m. The path is steep at the top of the ghyll and the steps are narrow so be careful underfoot.
Parking: On street at the foot of Heber’s Ghyll. Please adhere to any parking restrictions, and be courteous to residents. Do not block any access gates, or tracks.
Public Transport: Ilkley train station is a 1.5 mile walk. There are regular bus services to the centre of Ilkley, the nearest bus stop being outside Victoria Ave.
Dog Friendly: Yes
Location: Ilkley
Map: OS Explorer 297 Lower Wharfedale and Washburn Valley.
What 3 Words: decking.cube.schooling - start point and parking
Toilets/ Baby Change: No
Nearest Cafe/ Amenities: Ilkley (1.5 mile walk)
Directions to Heber’s Ghyll
The entrance to Heber’s Ghyll is obvious and signposted, but this walk, rather than taking you straight up the waterfall wanders through the beautiful woodland surrounding the Ghyll first! These woods will give you bluebells in Spring and blackberries in Autumn, so this is a great walk any time of year!
As you enter the woodland, facing Heber’s Ghyll turn right through the woodland at the stone building. You will be walking parallel to the road, which is visible through the trees. Keep walking until you see the dry stone walling which marks the perimeter of the woodland ahead. There are plenty of places to explore here and we suggest you do!
At the dry stone walling, turn left, and the path will begin to climb up through the woodland. It can be muddy in wet weather. Keep the wall to your right as you climb, and eventually you will see a gate at the top. Head through this. You will see the iron railing of the Swastika Stone ahead and above.
Turn left up the path. In Summer this path is VERY full of ferns, but in winter is more easy to navigate. There are many tracks that climb the moor up to the Swastika Stone and so it’s almost certain you will stumble upon one!
The easiest to describe, is if you walk as far as a large rock on your right, there is a path that ascends the moor-side to the stone from there. But all lead in generally the same direction! Use the what 3 words vocals.champions.charging if you are struggling.
As you reach the top, you will see a large track heading left to right. Turn right onto this. After a very short distance you will see the iron railings of the Swastika Stone, take a detour to look.
Once you have soaked up the awesome weirdness of the carvings and thoroughly discussed why on earth it was done thousands of years ago, you need to double back on yourself and walk back along the wide track, head through a gate, then turn left, following the line of the beck back towards the woodland. There is a bridge over the water and a signpost back into Heber’s Ghyll (hint…. make sure you look up to the top of this signpost 🐱🐉)
Upon entering via the gate, head to your right and you will soon see the steep path that winds downwards along the Ghyll. Take your time here, there are loads of bridges to trip trap over, lots of places to get down to the water’s edge and also some kind souls have left dinosaurs to hunt on the path downwards. I am reliably told there are 10, but they are tricky to find so you’ll have to look carefully! Happy dino hunting!!
At the bottom, you will be back at the start of the walk.
Last walked January 2023
⭐ We hope you enjoy our walks, but please exercise common sense as routes can change with the weather conditions and seasons! The routes have been walked by our own two feet, but you know your own limits. Always take a back-up map, don’t rely on GPS alone, wear appropriate clothing for the weather and take adequate snacks and refreshments with you (although as a parent, I know you already know that bit!)
⭐ Leave no trace! Take nothing away and leave nothing behind, take all rubbish home with you.
What’s cool for kids on this walk?
🐱🐉 Dino’s to hunt… here are some hints from our experience of the dino hunt! These are secured in place by volunteers so whilst there are supposed to be 10, due to conditions and wear and tear, there may not always be 10! Look high and low. They are screwed and nailed onto trees and signposts, and some are harder to spot than others. They are all small plastic toy dinosaurs, so can be elusive!
💦 There are points where you can get down to the water to throw stones or dip your boots
✨ The Swastika Stone is a scheduled monument, protected on account of it’s significance in the scale of cup and ring marked rocks. Ilkley Moor has hundreds of these rocks dotted all over (see the Badger Stone, which is another fine example.) It is believed that the carvings date back to c.2800-500BC and this particular stone is one of the more rare examples of Neolithic stone carvings (hence why it’s protected). Sources: thenorthernantiquarian,org and historicengland.org.
🌳 This walk is great in all seasons. But to try and beat the walking whinge, then why not try one of our walking games? Or you can download a free scavenger sheet!
Want to find more Ilkley Walks?
All of our family friendly walks are arranged in loads of different categories including, waterfall walks, short walks and walks with play parks. So you can find exactly the kind of walk you are looking for!
But if you want to find all the kid friendly Ilkley walks in one place?
Then why not head to our Ilkley Walks section!
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