Ilkley

Ilkley's Victorian past as a fashionable spa town means the hotel scene here has real character, with several properties occupying the grand stone buildings originally built to house the wealthy visitors who came to take the water cure. These hotels tend to combine traditional Yorkshire hospitality with a touch of old-fashioned grandeur, from wood-panelled dining rooms to gardens that once formed part of the hydro estates.

Beyond the larger hotels, Ilkley has a good choice of smaller guesthouses and B&Bs, many family-run and set in the same handsome stone terraces that line the town's streets. Staying centrally puts you within easy reach of The Grove's shops and restaurants, the railway station for day trips to Leeds or Bradford, and the footpaths that climb directly onto Ilkley Moor.

Whichever style of stay you choose, Ilkley works well as either a relaxed weekend break in its own right or a comfortable base for exploring Wharfedale and the southern Yorkshire Dales, with Bolton Abbey, Skipton and the wider Dales all within easy striking distance by car.

Ilkley rewards both energetic and easy-going visitors, with the moor above the town offering some of the best walking in Wharfedale and the town itself full of independent shops, galleries and places to eat.

• Ilkley Moor — the great gritstone moor above the town gives its name to Yorkshire's best-known folk song and offers miles of open access walking, with sweeping views back down over Wharfedale.
• Cow and Calf Rocks — a dramatic outcrop of millstone grit on the eastern edge of the moor, popular with walkers, climbers and photographers, and one of the most-photographed viewpoints in Yorkshire.
• Ilkley Lido — an open-air heated swimming pool dating from 1935, one of only a small number of surviving lidos in the country and a much-loved summer institution.
• Manor House Museum — a small museum housed in a medieval manor built on the site of a Roman fort, with free entry and displays covering the town's Roman, medieval and Victorian past.
• White Wells — an 18th-century bathhouse high on the moor above the town, built around the original spring that first drew visitors to Ilkley for its supposedly restorative waters.
• All Saints' Parish Church — home to three Anglo-Saxon crosses and a peaceful churchyard right in the centre of town, a reminder of Ilkley's much older origins.
• The Grove and town centre — a tree-lined street of independent boutiques, galleries and cafes that forms the heart of Ilkley's shopping and dining scene.

Ilkley has long punched above its weight for food. The Box Tree, one of the town's oldest buildings dating from 1720, made its name as one of the north of England's most celebrated restaurants and has held Michelin recognition for decades. Bettys Café Tea Rooms on The Grove is a Yorkshire institution, serving its famous teas and pastries in stained-glass surroundings, while La Stazione by the railway station is a popular spot for coffee and casual bites. The town's independent cafes, pubs and restaurants make the most of local Yorkshire produce, and a walk on the moor is traditionally rewarded with a proper Yorkshire tea afterwards.

Ilkley Moor's dramatic gritstone landscape looks like classic wild camping country, but it's important to be clear: wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal in England, including on Ilkley Moor, and this popular open-access land is managed for walkers, grazing and conservation rather than informal camping. Anyone hoping to sleep out under the stars near Ilkley should instead look to the area's licensed campsites and glamping sites in Wharfedale and the surrounding Dales, many of which make the most of the same views and moorland access that make wild camping tempting in the first place.

The terrain around Ilkley is quintessential Yorkshire moorland: exposed gritstone outcrops like the Cow and Calf, close-cropped heather and bracken, and steep-sided valleys where the Wharfe cuts through the landscape below. Campsites in the wider area tend to sit either in the sheltered valley bottom, close to the river and villages, or higher up with long views across the moor tops, so it's worth thinking about how much shelter versus scenery you want before booking.

The best camping season here runs from late spring to early autumn. Summer brings the longest days for exploring the moor and a chance to combine a stay with a dip at Ilkley Lido, while late August and September add the bonus of the heather in full bloom across the moor. Spring can be glorious but changeable, and Yorkshire moorland weather is notoriously quick to turn, so a good waterproof and warm layers are essential whatever month you visit.

For those who'd rather skip the tent altogether, glamping has taken off across Wharfedale and the wider Yorkshire Dales, with shepherd's huts, safari tents and pods offering a more comfortable way to experience the same moorland scenery. These sites typically combine proper beds and log burners with the same easy access to walking routes up onto Ilkley Moor, making them a popular choice for a weekend escape without compromising on comfort.