June, 18, Ilkley Moor Walk

 Today was a circular walk day.  Two walks out of many possibilities were appealing: one, 10.1 miles, the other, 14.  Since I know my proclivity for going off the derech (getting lost), I chose the shorter one thinking that I could supplement it with a 3+ mile walk later should I have the need and desire.  Smart decision because off the path I did go a few times.  Walking in the moors has unique challenges. First, the weather. There are no trees, so there is no shade, the wind can whip through fiercely, and if you go off the path at all—and there are so many of them criss-crossing and some that don't even seem like paths—getting back to the one you want can be a big challenge because it is impossible to tell what is underfoot:  solid ground, bog, holes, both shallow and deep, and such.  Great terrain for getting a sprained ankle! And one more thing, you do not want to get lost on the moors!!

 Anyway, I hit a great day weather wise until the last hour or so when it got uncomfortably hot and I had to take a detour because the route went through a scary, rocky patch.  (Well, that is what a couple in front of me, who had turned back, said, so I took their word and did not even try.) The app claimed I walked 20 miles; my watch said 10.2.  Since it was about seven and a half hours, it was most likely somewhere in the middle.

First encounter of the day:

The first landmark of the day, and I kid you not, "Swastika Stone:"

The lower parts of the hills were fern covered:

Punctuated with the occasional foxglove, so if you have a heart attack and there is no defibrillator, you can at least get some digitalis!

Higher up, it becomes like this:

A view from up high:

Dry Stone enclosure

Gap in a wall offering excelling viewing opportunity:

A feature of this route was some big rocks, all of which have names, but I couldn't tell you any of them.  Call this one whatever you like:

I will call these Ignatius and Sebastian, although I was thinking of Duro y Grande:

These offer a whole new look being rounded and all.  Doubtless, some archeologist would have no trouble assigning them a function in an important religious rite:

As already mentioned, moors can be very boggy, so paving stones have been set down along part of the route.  Note: you can see what very boggy looks like:

Back down at the bottom, a lovely lake:

Those flowers looked beautiful and smelled divine!

Needless to say, after going off the trail a few times and needing to divert and find an alternate route—so not my strong suit—I was not needing that 3 1/2 mile add-on.  I just wanted to take my boots off, take a shower, do the Spelling Bee, and cook something to eat. All in all, it was a great day, and I am happy to just relax and pack up for heading off tomorrow.