Ilkley (Cow & Calf and Quarry)

GritstoneFaces NtradboulderingMod to E8 7a

The famous Cow and Calf rocks and their adjacent quarry on the edge of Ilkley Moor. The quarry's sheer walls hold some of gritstone's most celebrated hard cracks and aretes, including John Dunne's legendary New Statesman. Good bouldering scattered across the moor edge completes the venue.

Ilkley (Cow & Calf and Quarry), Gritstone — Ilkley Moor near Backstone Beck - geograph.org.uk - 7324690 · Mark Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Conditions right now

Classics

Route	Grade
Josephine	HVS 5a
Wellington Crack	E4 6a
Milky Way	E6 6b
The New Statesman	E8 7a

Access & approach

Large pay and display car park by the Cow and Calf cafe; two minute walk. Very popular with tourists and groups.

Always check the BMC Regional Access Database (RAD)for current restrictions and seasonal bird bans before visiting. County: West Yorkshire. View on OpenStreetMap ↗

Photos

Freely-licensed photographs taken at or near the crag. Rock changes less than websites do, but check the date — an approach can silt up or a path can be diverted.

The Dales Way Link Path approaching Gill Head from the south, Ilkley Moor - geograph.org.uk - 7452998 · habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The beck at Gill Head, Ilkley Moor - geograph.org.uk - 7452999 · habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The beck at Gill Head, Ilkley Moor - geograph.org.uk - 7453000 · habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A beck seen from Gill Head, Ilkley Moor - geograph.org.uk - 7453001 · habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On the Dales High Way or Dales Link Path on Ilkley Moor - geograph.org.uk - 7817647 · Jeremy Bolwell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Where this entry comes from

This is one of our editorial seed entries — written to get the conditions engine working, not sourced from a guidebook or an open database. Treat the details as a starting point and check them yourself.