Travel Ilkley
Darwin; a literature festival; Roman baths; a symphony orchestra. This modest town has little to be modest about
Photo by Simon Grubb
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Nestling at the Yorkshire Dales’ southern edge, in Lower Wharfedale, is the picturesque town of Ilkley. Surrounded for miles by breathtaking untouched scenery, in the vicinity are Ilkley Moor and the renowned Cow and Calf rocks, a spot popular with ramblers for its particularly stunning views.
White Wells Spa Cottage, an attractive and rather Mediterranean-looking whitewashed building, also sits on Ilkley Moor. People have been ‘plunging’ in its bath to the rear of the building since 1703, believing it to be capable of curing an assortment of ailments. It is especially popular on New Year’s Day, when plungers presumably wish to wash away the sins of the night before. Or just start the new year with a squeaky-clean slate. Charles Darwin is thought to have ‘taken the waters’ at White Wells in 1859, when he stayed in Ilkley during the publication of The Origin of Species. It is unconfirmed whether he too was acting on a sizeable hangover.
Darwin’s visit is commemorated by Ilkley’s Darwin Gardens, which hold the Millennium Maze, a stone flag pavement maze within the beautifully well-kept greenery. Picnic tables and seating are scattered around to provide full enjoyment of the grounds.
The Ilkley Pool and Lido further cements the spa town’s status. It is one of the few remaining outdoor public swimming pools in Britain. Thrill-seekers may be disappointed to hear that it is open during the summer months only, but there is an indoor option which is accessible all year round.
Every year the Ilkley Literature Festival takes place at various venues across the town. The event is the most prestigious of its kind in the North, and celebrates all things literary via such outlets as poetry, prose, comedy, live music and theatre. Various noteworthy faces have appeared at past festivals to show their support and provide entertainment, including Melvyn Bragg, Alan Bennett, Vic Reeves, Jo Brand, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and David Peace.
Ilkley also hosts its own annual Summer Festival, which is a free weekend of music, picnics and frivolities held under a big top at the Riverside Gardens. The week-long Wharfedale Festival of Performing Arts takes place in the town each year too, across a host of churches, halls and other locations. Ilkley has an esteemed reputation suited to hosting such events, with its Airedale Symphony Orchestra which is one of the oldest and most respected orchestras in the North of England. They reside at Ilkley’s King’s Hall, performing a wide range of classical music. A fitting institution for a town steeped in tradition.
Leeds is around 34 minutes from Ilkley by car. The Leeds-Ilkley train runs every half an hour and takes around 27 minutes.
Posted on Wednesday 24th February 2010
Rebecca Ryder
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