Known as the Heather Spa, Ilkley is a moorland town which lies on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park amongst some of the most spectacular and unspoilt scenery in the country. The town is immortalised by Yorkshire’s national anthem "On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at" the words of which were composed - according to tradition - by a church choir from Halifax during the course of a jocular picnic beneath the famous Cow and Calf Rocks.
Today, the town behind the song is still popular for its out of doors activities, offering visitors the chance to climb on impressive rocky outcrops, to walk on Ilkley Moor or the Dales Way.
The town centre has an unhurried atmosphere with tree-lined avenues, select shops and excellent restaurants, elegant hotels and comfortable guest houses.
The story of present day Ilkley begins in the mid 18th century when Squire Middleton created two open-air spa baths at White Wells. The waters of the mineral spring which filled the baths were particularly cold and it was thought that the tingling sensations they produced had curative effects.
A Leeds cloth merchant, Hamer Stansfeld (Mayor of Leeds in 1843), had visited Gräfenberg in Silesia for the cold water cure, and having benefitted from the treatment decided to establish hydropathy in Ilkley. In 1843 he installed a Dr. Rischanek in Usher's Boarding House in West View who soon built up a flourishing practice using the baths at White Wells. Stansfeld was persuaded that a purpose-built hydropathic hotel was required. He purchased 65 acres of land in the village of Wheatley and in 1844 opened the magnificent Ben Rhydding Hydro - the first of many hotels offering the water cure to appear in Ilkley during the Victorian era.
Today, it is still possible to visit White Wells and ‘take the waters’ to see for yourself what an exhilarating experience it is.
Towards the end of the 19th century the fashion for cold water cures waned and Ilkley became a holiday town, it is now established as a popular centre for fresh air and healthy exercise, an ideal place to explore the famous moor and the lovely Yorkshire countryside beyond.
Ilkley is just a short distance from Leeds and with a typical journey time of just 30 minutes by train, it is probably the nearest and most accessible countryside and a must for all visitors to Leeds who want to experience some of Yorkshire's best countryside.