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My river map is not entirely accurate as some minor roads are not shown. for anybody considering a trip to the Wharfe I suggest buying an Ordnance Survey map.













Langstrothdale Limestone very evident in this picture. The source of Wharfe is in Langstrothdale high up on the moors of Cam Pastures and is also the source of River Ribble which flows to the West.
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Yockenthwaite Another Viking settlement the name meaning 'clearing of Eogan'. Nearby there is a bronze age cairn circle.
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Hubberholme named after Hubba a viking chief. The church of St. Michael is norman.
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Kettlewell is a norse name for babbling brook.
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Arncliffe Village. During the period when marauding Scots used to pay unwelcome visits into the north of England the village was a defensive settlement. The cottages surround the village green which was used to gather cattle as a protective measure.
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Kilnsey Crag. An unusual limestone outcrop which is 165 feet high and 270 yards long and is popular with rock climbers and fell runners. Kilnsey show is held every year on the first tuesday after August bank holiday and is one of the larger agricultural shows in England. Activities at the show include fell racing and harness racing.
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Grassington. Used to be a centre for lead mining which ceased in the late 19th century. The town is mostly Georgian in style. There is a museum in the square housing exhibitions of farming and industry and has a collection of local minerals. There is the site of an iron age village which can be reached from Chapel Street.
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Linton. This is a tiny village but strangely it has the major church in the area (St. Michael and All Angels Church) which serves the parishoners of Threshfield, Hebden and Grassington.
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Burnsall. A popular stopping off point with a large car park (expensive) and more car parking across the river in a farmer's field (fee to pay).
The five arch bridge was built in 1612 funded by a local man who became a Lord Mayor of London. Burnsall games are held in August and include canoeing, tug-o-war and fell racing. Fishing permits for trout and grayling are obtainable from the Red Lion Hotel.
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Appletreewick. A tiny picturesque one street village. In medieval times it held a famous onion fair, and there is a rough track called onion lane leading down to the river.
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Barden Tower Built in 1485 by Lord Henry Clifford who was known as the shepherd lord because he was brought up by a shepherd's family while he was a fugitive during the War of the Roses.
The building was one of the towers occupied by keepers of the ancient forest.
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Barden Bridge
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The Strid. The River Wharfe funnels into a gorge at this point and at it's narrowest point is only about four feet wide. For 'Strid' read 'Stride' and it does look easy to jump, but my advise is don't try it. Many have successfully leapt across but others have failed and drowned. A young married couple were on honeymoon in the district in 1998 the wife's body was recovered at the Strid but the husband was recovered several days later miles downstream near Otley. Remember the legend of the White Horse of Wharfedale is supposed to appear whenever someone is about to be drowned in the Strid.
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Bolton Priory. The Priory was founded in 1151 by Alicia de Romilly whose family was granted lands by William the Conqueror. The priory gatehouse is in Bolton Hall a residence of the Dukes of Devonshire. From long usage the hamlet near the priory is incorrectly called Bolton Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 the nave was left intact as a parish church (The Priory Church of St Mary and St. Cuthbert).
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Ilkley - Old Bridge. Was originally a packhorse bridge and is approximately 300 years old. During World War II Ilkley and the surrounding countryside was used by the army as a training ground and I remember seeing tanks cross this bridge. On one occasion a tank damaged the parapet (learner driver!). Not surprisingly after the war the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic.
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A little information about Ilkley. I was born in Ilkley and lived there until I left for Kendal in 1960. In the 19th century Ilkley used to be a spa town as it was thought that the spring waters had medicinal properties. The oldest part of the town is near All Saints Parish Church (part is 13C). Very popular with day trippers in summer and many wend their way up the hill to the moor.
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The Grove. Ilkley's answer to London's Regent Street. We used to regard this as the posh part of town.
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Christ Church
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Betty's Tea Rooms. This place has a definite victorian feel with pretty waitresses dressed appropriately.
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Box Tree Restaurant. A famous eating place, but I have to say I haven't sampled the food probably believing it to be a bit expensive.

Before and during World War 2 it was a sweet shop and I well remember as a youngster asking the old lady who ran it for a penn'orth of gob stoppers or something equally interesting.

Catastrophe! A rather uninspiring building opposite the Box Tree Restaurant which used to be Ackroyd's fish and chip shop but is now a car show room. When I was a youngster a favourite game was knights on horseback which involved one being the horse taking the knight with wooden sword on piggy back. On one occasion I was the horse and Teddy Ackroyd (elder son of the fish shop proprietors) was the knight, and feeling tired I decided to sit down on the shop window sill, unfortunately we both fell back with the sound of breaking glass into the shop and shocked the customers. I was unpopular with the Ackroyds for some considerable time after that. Cheap plate glass?

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Manor House Museum. An Elizabethan manor which houses displays of prehistoric and roman relics, and was built on the remains of a first century AD roman fort. There is also an exhibition of the type of furniture used in 17th-18th century by a typical farmer.

The museum has two roman gravestones on display one of which I have photographed Click to see

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All Saints Parish Church. The south doorway is 13th century and the tower 15th century with some restoration/additions in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is thought that the original church was founded by the Saxons. As with the Manor House Museum the Church was built on the site of the Roman fort. Two roman altars are built into the church tower (Click to see a picture) and it is thought that parts of the roman fort were cannibalised for the building

The church has three Saxon Crosses dating from about 800 AD when they were sited outside the small Saxon church. The crosses were made of millstone grit and have been badly affected by erosion particularly by pollution in the 20th century. To avoid further deterioration they were brought inside the church in 1983. I include a picture of the Crosses with an 1885 drawing of the carvings on the tallest one Click to see.

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Brook Street. Well named as a brook does indeed run underneath the street and joins the river wharfe a few hundred yards downstream. As youngsters a favourite adventure was to join the tunnel near the river and walk underneath the streets to the top of Brook Street. A bit scary!
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Ilkley Moor. I could not resist including the lyrics of On Ilkley Moor Baht 'At 

Wheear 'as tha been since ah 
  saw thee?

   On Ilkley Moor baht 'at

Wheear 'as tha been since 
  ah saw thee?

Wheear 'as tha been since 
  ah saw thee?

   On Ilkley Moor baht 'at
   On Ilkley Moor baht 'at
   On Ilkley Moor baht 'at

I were a coortin' Mary Jane

Tha's bahn to get thi death
   o' cold

Then we shall ha' to bury
   thee

Then t' worms'll come an' 
   ate thee up

Then t' ducks 'll come an'
    ate up t' worms

Then we shall come an' ate
    them ducks

Then we shall all 'av
    etten thee

That's how we get our
    oahn back
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Swastika Stone. This artefact is a bit of a mystery as nobody seems to be certain about its age. I have read one opinion which indicates the Neolithic period between 5000BC - 2000BC but possibly the Iron Age around 500BC. Another opinion is that the carving could have been made as late as the Roman period. The meaning of the carving is as obscure as its age. There are similar carvings in Italy and Sweden.
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White Wells. Two open air baths were built here in the mid 18C and in 1865 some extensions were made and a roof installed. The icy water of the baths were regarded as a cure (for what!). Outside there are steps which ladies used to mounts donkeys to take them down into town.
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Tarn. Given the right conditions it was very popular before the war for winter skating. I remember there used to be vendors of roast chestnuts and baked potatoes in attendance. I never did get the hang of the sport and using borrowed skates spent most of the times sliding on my bottom.
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Cow and Calf Rocks. Part of a complex of gritstone crags the Cow is the larger one and is 50 feet high. It was a bitterly cold day when took the photograph.

Legend of the Giant Rombald. One day a long time ago Mrs. Rombald was fratching (having an argument) with her husband so she gathered some stones in her apron to throw at him and chased him across the moor. Some of the stones fell from the apron and formed Rocky Valley. In his panic Rombald tripped over the Cow breaking off a piece which became the Calf. This is one version of the legend but there are others.

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Otley. The town has been around since the 8th century when a bloke named Otta made his Leah (clearing in the forest). Otta+Leah=Otley! Otley is a market town of about 15000 inhabitants. It has cattle markets and in May an agricultural show which is oldest in the UK. It also has a carnival in June and a folk festival in September. Thomas Chippendale the famous furniture maker was born and worked in the town. Thomas Fairfax, Cromwell's general, lived at Denton Hall nearby.
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Thomas Chippendale 1718 - 1779 was the son of a Yorkshire joiner. He went to seek his fortune in London (1749) and opened a workshop in St. Martin's Lane.
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Otley Parish Church and Navvie's Monument. The earliest part of All Saints Parish Church is believed to date from the 12th century although the church has a group of 8th century Anglo-saxon stone crosses which seems to indicate a much earlier church.

Navvie's Monument. In 1845 it was decided to provide a new rail route from Leeds to the North of England. The greatest challenge was to build the 15 foot high Bramhope Tunnel which was to be over 2 miles long. 2300 men and 400 horses worked on the project over a period from 1846 to 1849. There were dangers and 23 miners died during the course of the work. I doubt if there were any health and safety regulations in those days. The 23 miners were buried under the monument. To see a picture of the monument click here

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Otley Manor House. The House was built in 1783. I do not have any more information.

The statue of Thomas Chippendale may not be an accurate representation. Thomas was a world famous cabinet maker born in 1718 in Otley; the son of a carpenter. In 1749 he moved to London to make his fortune. He opened a workshop in St. Martin's Lane in the city.

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Harewood House.
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