- Heber’s Ghyll Drive, Ilkley, LS29 9QG
- Open 24 hours a day, all year round
- River
- Walking routes
Heber's Ghyll Drive, Ilkley LS29 9QG, UK
Access
what3word location: https://what3words.com/unheated.tracking.guarding
Quick description
A hidden gem located on the edge of Ilkley Town.
What’s there?
The trail through Hbers Ghyll takes you through the woodland onto the open moorland and rises to a viewpoint on Woodhouse Crag, where the enigmatic Swastika Stone is located.
Waterfall and bridges
The waterfalls of Heber’s Ghyll cascade down the wooded hillside, with bridges and paths crisscrossing along the way.
Hidden dinosaurs
Younger visitors can have fun whilst traversing the route leading to the top of the waterfall, searching for the ten dinosaurs hung up on the trees along the way!
History
The name – Heber’s Ghyll
Bishop Reginald Heber, renowned for his hymns such as “Brightest and Best are the Sons of the Morning”, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, and “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains”, had no relation to Ilkley, but Heber’s Ghyll was named in his honour.
During the Victorian era, Ilkley gained popularity as a resort, so a number of place names were “romanticized” to make them more appealing. For example, the stream running down from the Moor changed from the unromantic name of “Black Beck” to the more enchanting “Heber’s Ghyll”, with its ancient British connotations, and the spelling changed from “Gill” to the fancier “Ghyll”.
Natural history
Exploring the Ghyll’s woodlands is full of possibilities, especially during spring when it is covered with bluebells. If you want something a bit sweeter, heading over at the end of summer and autumn, you will find blackberries.
