Ilkotl one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 75.00% of reviewers

Wonderful views for most of the walk, but exposed if the weather is bad. Four stars because it is not wheel chair friendly. Some sections are steep and some navigation skill will be required in bad weather.

I walked Otley to Ilkley, November, after some very wet days.
Overall I liked this route very much. It falls into two parts: Otley to Burley, which gently tracks along the path of an old railway line; and Burley to Ilkley, where it climbs up to the moors and then follows moorland paths.

Unlike the previous reviewers I did have some problems following the route. In the fields climbing up to Burley Woodhead there was a narrow stile I couldn’t get past; and up on Burley moor I wasn’t able to cross Coldstone Beck at the main crossing point - the stones too far apart and uneven for me to be confident I could cross safely. This was perhaps due to the amount of rain raising the beck.

I did see other people successfully crossing the beck and also using that narrow stile, so I don’t think the route is a write off, but these are obstacles that can be overcome by slight rerouting, and I’ll put up a new version so anyone wanting to bypass them can see how to do it.

In places the moorland paths drop steeply and become rocky and channeled - they need sure-footedness or else great care. There were several people out on the paths, but I would say they are self-selecting, only the sure-footed come here to walk regularly.

Although I wouldn’t walk this exact route again, I’d walk an amended version. If somone local knows of a path across the moor between Burley and Ilkley that avoids steep narrow rocky paths when dropping down towards Ilkley, that would make a great alternative route too.

Great route making really good use of the disused railway to cut across from Otley to Burley (a route not many locals know) before reaching up on the Moor with the reward of fantastic views (on a good day..!) along Wharfedale, towards Nidderdale and further east and south.

The going is very steady on foot (unsuitable on wheels), although there are some sections liable for mud. The paths on the Moor are less maintained and can be shallow puddles at times, but nothing a pair of boots can't handle.

Note that, coming from Otley, you double under the new railway line at the end of the disused railway path - the tunnel is hidden from view from above.

This route like Ilkgui also skirts along Ilkley Moor on the Dales Way/Ebor Way so you need to keep Moor Road in sight when on Ilkley Moor. The route also flirts with Burley in Wharfedale (another train station which is handy) and provides an excellent opportunity to play trains as you follow disused railway lines to the edge of Otley, Another safe route but not really suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs when on Ilkley Moor.

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