Ilkley moor Where

Is allowed to ride and where is not allowed

Hey, see 5.5 of this: Ilkley Moor management plan

Biking is permitted on all of the moor, although it is not a legal right, and can be withdrawn at any time…

A damn good ride. Awesome singletrack – but mind the walkers .. thankfully due to lack of trees, you can see them coming a mile off

Don’t forget your hat.

Sorry.

As Captain above, Bradford Council own the Ilkley side of the moor and ‘tolerate’ cycling on their bit. The Bingley side is private land, as is much of the Burley/Menston side, the land owner doesn’t permit cycling. The BC access land perimeter is marked out by yellow posts. We generally ride the whole moor, but only during a dry period and weekday evenings. The best bits are on the ridge lines, dick hudsons – ilkley FP, the pond on top and much of the Ilkley side.

As above – cycling is tolerated by the council (owners), so be careful.

Many of the best bits are tricky to find. Get a local to show you around if you can 🙂

B.A.Nana has covered the situation well above, but I’d just like to emphasise the be careful bit – an incident with a walker caused a fuss a few years back which nearly had bikes banned from the moor, so considerate riding, no skidding and stay away from the cow and calf area on sunny weekends when it’s packed with people. Otherwise there are some amazing descents to be found and some looong climbs.

Thanks
Will explore at my leisure I am a local but have kept off due to not knowing Went up last week and saw 3 MXers ragging around in the High moor woods looks like they had knocked the wall down by the stile as lots of mx tracks in the boggy bit at crawshaw moss

Happy to show you around sometime Trout, email me if you want to meet up.

…the ducks play football.

Trout, I don’t know your side of the moor, I have once walked thru the high moor woods. That side is probably privately owned, but I’m not sure, the BC management plan link above should answer that.
As far as spying the whole area out, there’s nothing like taking the dog for long walks up and down any tracks you can find. A few years ago, I pretty much mapped out the whole of Burley/Menston/Bingley moor whilst going out jogging and taking my sisters dog for a succession of long walks.

Don’t go up there bah tat whatever you do, Troutie! 😯

You might want some decent lights as well, in case you get caught after dark. Companies like Hope, Exposure and other make them. They are expensive though.

Fat lot of good yer lights’ll do in the thick fog of red bog. 😯

This is from the Bradford Council

“Ilkley Moor Mountain Bike Protocol

1. Bradford Council Countryside and Rights of Way Service and the Mountain Bike Users who use Ilkley Moor share the following interests with regard to Ilkley Moor:
a. Minimise conflict between users.
b. Protect habitats and species – in particular ground nesting birds and wet heath vegetation communities.
c. Minimise trail erosion.
d. Protect the safety of all users.
e. Maintain ongoing communication between statutory and regulatory agencies and user groups.
f. Monitor the moorland environment and intervene when conflict or damage becomes unsustainable.
g. Recognise mountain biking as one of a range of activities (all of which have some impact on the moorland environment) currently conducted on the moor.

2. The Ilkley Moor Management Plan – which was written by Bradford Council and approved by Natural England – states:

As a registered urban common, Ilkley Moor falls under the Law of Property Act 1925, which states that vehicles are not permitted – bicycles are classed as vehicles. It is therefore, forbidden to ride mountain bikes or any other bicycle on the moor other than across Keighley Road. The Act does, however, state that this is prohibited “without lawful authority” from the landowner. The use of Ilkley Moor by mountain bikes is being monitored and consideration will be given to allowing it where routes can sustain such use and where conflict with other users is minimised. Where there is evidence that bicycles are causing unreasonable damage, they will be prohibited.

3. Bradford Council – as the landowner of Ilkley Moor – grants lawful authority for Mountain Bike Users to ride on the trails on Ilkley Moor, except for those trails that are identified by Bradford Council as unsuitable for passage by any user. Such trails will be clearly marked.

4. When riding on Ilkley Moor, Mountain Bike Users agree to abide by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) UK Rules of the Trail.

5. Mountain Bike Users agree to give way to other moorland users to avoid conflict. See point 4of IMBA UK Rules of the Trail.

6. The follow locations are considered particularly vulnerable . Bradford Council intends to undertake remedial work to reinforce these trails by autumn 2010. In the meantime, Mountain Bike Users agree to treat these trails in a way that avoids or minimises damage (e.g. avoid riding on the trails in significantly wet conditions, avoid deviating from the trail).

a. The boardwalk on the Dick Hudson’s path
b. The trail from Trig Point to Thimble Stones
c. The trail on Crawshaw Moss (aka Red Bog)

7. Mountain Bike Users use the Moor at their own risk and no liability for injury to themselves or third parties will fall to the Council.

8. Creating obstacles or new trails on Ilkley Moor is prohibited.

9. Mountain Bike Users agree to actively promote this agreement.

10. Bradford Council, Natural England and Mountain Bike Users will continue ongoing communication through the Rombalds Moor Forum and Rombalds Moor Forum Steering Group.

In granting lawful authority, Bradford Council expects that
Mountain Bike Users will comply with this protocol.”

There’s reference in a previous post to a short period, a few years ago, of some local kids who started building DH tracks above Ilkley. It caused a bit of a storm with locals and was dealt with swiftly. Luckily, Bradford Council people recognised it was just a few thoughtless kids and it didn’t change anything for the vast majority. The rest of us following what Sancho links to should be ok. That’s within the BC area, outside their area is very naughty.

The management plan is useful – thanks for that. The maps are terrible though!

It looks like the western end of the urban common is around Windgate Nick. Anyone know of a way of getting onto the urban common from the Silsden/ Addingham end?

From Silsden you can get up through the ‘plantation’ somewhere.

I’ve noticed a few new ‘DH’ runs appearing recently just above Ilkley where previously there were no paths, with the odd jump being slowly moulded. I’ve not spotted the creators but will be having a word if I do.

I was one of a few local mtb representatives at the Bradford Council meetings 2/3 years ago following the local storm mentioned above and the general feeling was one of managed inclusion rather than blanket exclusion. There were some focus groups running with other users after that too but I’m not sure if they are still going or what the outcome was.

Hi

I know this thread is a couple of months old, but could anyone give me a few good route guides please? We would be coming from Halifax side so starting shipley or bingley area would be ideal. Is the descent through High moor (near silsden ) worth doing, it’s marked as bridleway

Anything would be handy (we normally ride around 15 miles)

Thanks

Lee

Just to clarify then, can you ride any path on the Bradford Council land, or is it just the main ‘Dick Hudsons’ route?

I’ve never quite seen the point in dropping down in to Ilkley (although the riding down is good) from the Baildon side though as there is no alternative route back over, other than the way you came?

Lees – Its a few years since I’ve ridden that BW through High Moor, I remember it being quite a steady away climb, most of the steep climb from the valley has already been done so I cant imagine it being a great downhill. It doesnt particularly go any where or come from anywhere either.

There’s plenty of good riding on the Baildon/Shipley side, someone posted some routes on here not too long ago, i’ll have a look for them.

Thanks

I see what you mean about High Moss, the run down could be good if you could get to the top via the permissive stuff

Lee

FunkyDunc
You can ride on the Ilkley side of the Moor as agreed by the land owner Bradford Council, the boundary perimeter is marked by yellow posts. You can ride all the Bridleways (there aren’t very many) and the road that goes from Ilkley upto the masts. That is all. The path from Dick Hudsons up to the stone circle/ridge line is across private land and there is no permission to ride your bike, beyond that is BC land, therefore approx half of that main path from Dicks is allowed.

It may be private land but the owner doesn’t mind! 😉

I thought this one was in the Bradford Council Area?

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=412535&y=443709&z=120&sv=412535,443709&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=669&ax=412535&ay=443709&lm=0

and this path follows the edge of the private land on the east?

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=413630&y=442645&z=120&sv=413630,442645&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=669&ax=413630&ay=442645&lm=0

The landowner on the east side does mind… or he did when his game keeper pointed a gun at me, which was later substantiated by the landoweners daughter who I was at uni with.

Not if he doesn’t see you, he doesn’t 😉

1. No, it’s north of the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle, on the Ilkley side.
2. No, that’s private land too.

If he pointed a gun at you, you could ring the plod and he’d be in deep shit, no matter what, he shouldn’t point a gun at you (I have a SG license).

But back to the plot, is this actually worth a trip over? We love the Bingley bash (or the Bangley Bish, we do it in reverse), it’s got everything on it. Is this a good loop round or are you just schlepping across the moors??

Just always looking for new areas to ride.

Lees, it’s worth a trip over, after a dry period, don’t bother if it’s been raining at all.
As usual, it’s a local knowledge thing and the area is a bit too small and compact to map.

The best advice I can offer is, directly above Ilkley is all good ie Cow and Calf and all around that side of the moor, not just high up, but lower down as well. If you head higher up onto the moor ie up towards and around the Twelve Apostle stone circle, then the ridge lines are generally best. The track over to Dick Hudsons Pub (above Bingley) and a little pond (directly east of 12Apostle stones) are both good, but on private land.

With regards Bingley Bash, have a look at the Bogtrotters version, it’s better than the ‘offical’ legal route. As is a descent through Cottingley Woods, rather than the Bridleway to/Thru Cottingley housing estate.

Look up bangley bish on google, thats our route. It’s got a couple of footpaths (after the flappit and on Harden moor) but hardly see anyone on them, and the finish through St ives is superb, I call it St Tress, has that Glentress silly grin at the bottom factor.

lees, that looks like a good route worth doing. I would def recommend you spend more time Playing on Harden Moor and exploring certain surrounding tracks (footpaths), also explore St.Ives estate. Bradford Council are happy for MTB on Harden Moor and there are some superb technical xc tracks and playing around.

Holy thread resurface batman!!

Was up there yesterday and noticed that new signs have appeared at Dick Hudsons gate entrance, Burley and Bingley moor gates also, stating no cycling!
For the purposes of my ride though….I never saw them.
I figured I was less invasive than the hordes of walkers sweeping round all the puddles anyway.