Ilkley is a town in West Yorkshire, part of the metropolitan borough of Bradford, with a population in 2021 of 15,000. It had a 19th-century heyday as a spa town, but the main reason to visit today is to walk the nearby countryside, especially Ilkley Moor.

Ilkley sits in the valley of the River Wharfe: a Roman fort and town were built here from 79 AD, but prehistoric carvings on the surrounding moors shows that settlement is much older. It was an insignificant market and textile town until the 18th century then became a destination for its healing waters. The height of the spa and "hydropathic" fashion was in the Victorian era: the Ben Rhydding Hydro was completed in 1844, the railway arrived, and Charles Darwin "took the cure" at the Hydro in 1859 just as his book On the Origin of Species was being published. The waters were said to be good for bad eyes, tumours and sores, scrophula and "all cases where the spine is affected". Several similar establishments sprang up in Ilkley: you dunked in cold or hot water, were swaddled in towels to open the pores and sweat out the toxins causing said ailments, and drank the water in copious amounts. The village of Wheatley adopted the Hydro's name of Ben Rhydding, a supposed ancient name for the district just as bogus as the cures. The Hydro was demolished in 1955.

Ilkley Moor rises just south of town: see Yorkshire for the story of the traditional song warning against going up there "baht at", without a hat.

Visitor information is available from the library opposite the station, open M Tu Th 9AM-7PM, W F Sa 9AM-5PM.

• Discover Ilkley by Ilkley Business Improvement District.

Town is walkable, but you need a vehicle to explore the nearby hills and dales.

Taxis wait by the railway & bus station. Ilkley Taxis are on +44 1943 601110.

• Ilkley Toy Museum, 2 Whitton Croft Rd LS29 9HR (50 yds south of station), ☏ +44 1943 603855. Sa Su noon-4PM. Large collection of dolls, dolls houses and other toys from 350 BCE to modern times. Adult £3.50, child £2.50. (updated May 2025)
• 53.9268-1.82471 Manor House Museum, Castle Yard LS29 9DT, ☏ +44 7480 064142. Sa Su 11AM-4PM. Exhibiting local history plus art gallery. The manor itself is a hotch-potch of Roman robbed stone, medieval, Tudorbethan and early modern. Free. (updated May 2025)
• All Saints' Church next to the Manor is Anglican. It's on the site of a Roman fort, and parts of it are 13th century. Within are three Anglo-Saxon crosses.
• 53.9168-1.80322 Cow and Calf is a rocky outcrop at the edge of Ilkley Moor, a popular rock-climbing area.
• 53.9169-1.82193 White Wells is the last remnant of the town hydros, a cottage on the edge of the moor open M-F 2-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-5PM. You can't use the former hydro facilities, we've a much better understanding of medicine and health nowadays, so instead buy a microwaved pasty from the cafe.
• 53.9189-1.86194 Swastika Stone is a prehistoric rock carving on the trail along the scarp. It's faint, so a Victorian replica has been placed in front. It's a looping spiralling design, like an amoeba partying wildly at a disco, not the familiar angular symbol.
• 53.9016-1.80955 Twelve Apostles is a circle of local gritstones near the top of the moor, maybe Bronze Age. The site is eroded by visitors' boots and it's not possible to glean much about it.
• Bolton Abbey 6 miles north is administratively part of Ilkley town, but usually reached from Skipton.

• Ilkley Cinema is at 46a Leeds Rd.
• Theatre: King's Hall & Winter Garden is opposite the station.
• Golf: Ilkley GC is on the slopes north of the river. White tees 6262 yards, par 69, visitor round £90.

Ben Rhydding GC is east edge of town. White tees 4656 yards, par 65, visitor round £28.

• Ilkley Pool and Lido is a heated outdoor pool on Denton Rd north of the river, open May-Aug.
• Football: soccer and rugby union (15-a-side) are played here at amateur level. Head into Leeds or Bradford for pro soccer and rugby league (13-a-side).
• Ilkley Literary Festival is next held F 3 - Su 19 Oct 2025.
• Ilkley Moor rises steeply at the south edge of town. It's the local section of Rombald's Moor (summit 402 m), as each flanking village gives its name to its neighbouring slopes. Lots of walking trails, Dales Way / Ebor Way is the trail atop the scarp. Several stones have prehistoric inscriptions, such as the Swastika Stone.
• Dales Way is a 79 mile hiking trail from Ilkley to Burnsall, Buckden, Cam High Road, Cowgill, Sedburgh, Staveley and Bowness-on-Windermere. A local five mile loop follows the river upstream to Addingham, crosses and returns on the opposite bank.

• Moors Shopping Centre is 200 yards west of the station.
• Tesco supermarket is 100 yards east of the station, open M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.

"Then worms'll come and eat thee oop, eat thee oop!"

- cheery fifth stanza of On Ilka Moor b'aht at

• Forde Ilkley is a "small plates" restaurant, which sounds a lot like tapas. It's in Moors Shopping Centre, open Tu-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-8PM.
• Brooks in the shopping centre is Sri Lankan tapas, which sounds a lot like කෝප්, "koop" or "short eats". It's open Tu-Th 5-8PM, F Sa noon-2PM, 5-8PM, Su noon-4PM.
• Pranzo in the shopping centre is an Italian open daily noon-11PM.
• Quinta is Med fare at 10 Wells Rd just south of the station, open Tu-Th 6-10PM, F Sa noon-3PM, 6-11PM, Su noon-7:30PM.
• The Yorkie Cow is trad British cuisine at 26 Brook St, 50 yards north of the station, open W & Su noon-3PM, Th-Sa noon-3PM, 6-10PM.
• The Box Tree, 35 Church St LS29 9DR, ☏ +44 1943 608484. W Th 6-7:30PM, F Sa noon-1:30PM, 6-8PM, Su noon-2:30PM. Upscale French fine dining. (updated May 2025)

• Town centre pubs include Ticket Office Bar, Midland Hotel, Station Pub, Yards Bar & Kitchen, Black Hat, Flying Duck, Lister Arms (JD Wetherspoon), Ilkley Tap (below) and Bar T'at.
• Ilkley Tap is at 60 The Grove Promenade, a quarter mile west of the station, open M-Th noon-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight, Su 10AM-10PM. It's the taproom for Ilkley Brewery, which is at the northeast edge of town.
• Bini Brew is a small brewery within Drill Hall Business Centre, off A65 Leeds Rd half a mile east of town centre. The taproom is open W-F 5-10PM, Sa Su 3-10PM.

• Crescent Hotel, Brook St, Ilkley LS29 8DG (100 yards north of railway station), ☏ +44 1943 811250. Efficient central hotel, dog-friendly. B&B double £130. (updated May 2025)
• Chez Vivienne is opposite Crescent Hotel at 43a Brook St. It's trying for Parisian bijou but some reckon it's overpriced.
• 53.9285-1.82891 The Riverside, 26 Bridge Lane, Ilkley LS29 9EU, ☏ +44 1943 607338. Friendly pleasant place, cleaning erratic. B&B double £110. (updated May 2025)
• 53.9208-1.81522 Craiglands Hotel, Cowpasture Rd, Ilkley LS29 8RQ, ☏ +44 1943 430001. Comfy enough but often hosts functions with raucous guests. B&B double £110. (updated May 2025)
• 53.9233-1.79793 Wheatley Arms, 64 Wheatley Lane, Ben Rhydding LS29 8PW, ☏ +44 1943 816496. Good comfortable inn, dog-friendly. B&B double £140. (updated May 2025)
• 53.9152-1.79774 Cow and Calf, Hangingstone Rd, Ben Rhydding LS29 8BT, ☏ +44 1943 669180. Good edge-of-town base for hill walkers. B&B double £140. (updated May 2025)

Beware traffic and safeguard valuables, same as anywhere else.

Ilkley Moor demands stout shoes and caution close to drops but is not perilous. Lots of people even venture upon it without a hat, yet live to tell the tale.

As of May 2025, Ilkley and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone and 5G from EE, O2 and Three. The moor is festooned with relay masts so you should get a good signal up there also.

• Leeds is the lively city a short train ride away.
• Bradford has the National Science and Media Museum and lots of heritage from its textile industry.
• Harrogate is a charming genteel place that retains its spa industry, but now it's called "wellness".
• Keighley is a grubby former mill town, but it's the start of the steam railway to Haworth and the Brontë Country.
• Otley is the next market town heading west into the Dales.
• Skipton at the start of the Dales is a charming market town with a castle and scenic canal.

Skipton ←

NW  SE

→ Otley → Leeds