<< Our Photo Pages >> Cow and Calf Rocks - Rock Outcrop in England in Yorkshire (West)
Submitted by andy_h on Sunday, 14 December 2003 Page Views: 15822
Natural PlacesSite Name: Cow and Calf RocksCountry: England County: Yorkshire (West) Type: Rock Outcrop
Nearest Town: Ilkley Nearest Village: Ben Rhydding
Map Ref: SE1305646784 Landranger Map Number: 104
Latitude: 53.917039N Longitude: 1.802709W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
Internal Links:
External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
Anne T visited on 30th Jun 2014 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Cow & Calf Rocks, Ilkley: We visited here on a very blustery day after having seen Maiden Castle hill fort. By now rain was threatening and the moorland bleak. Parking at the café down below, we walked up the footpath. The view from the Cow and Calf over to Ilkley was great, although there were lots of people around. Walking into the horseshoe shaped quarry next to these crags there were groups of climbers roped up to the rock face.
markj99 visited on 21st Jan 2009 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 They may not have a strong megalithic connection but the Cow and Calf Rocks have a massive presence, and are located close to Ilkley Moor Car Park.
FrothNinja heidavey have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 4
The most prominent landmark for miles around. There are no visible megalithic remains at this huge rock outcrop, but local folklore refers to this being a place worthy of strong consideration. I've always found it a little strange that as the most prominent landmark for miles around, the Cow n' Calf didn't bear any cup n' ring marks as they can be found both to the left and the right of the outcrop. It is possible that any that may have been on the rock could have been lost under the onslaught of Victorian graffiti or the wear of thousands of pairs of feet every year.
The surface of the outcrop is worth a view just for the modern (mostly Victorian) graffiti, which is similar to dobbing around a churchyard reading gravestones. It is thought that the Cow n' Calf name originates not from it's appearance, but from a tradition of lighting beacons on the rocks. "The larger rock was once known as the 'Inglestone Cow'... The Scottish dialect word, ingle, 'fire burning on a hearth', may come from the Gaelic aingeal, meaning 'fire' or 'light'. "There is strong evidence of an old calendar custom in the British Isles, around Beltaine or springtime in general, where the old fires are extinguished and new ones are lit. Cattle are then driven between two fires to divinely protect them from disease. 'Imbolc' means 'purification'. Inglestone Cow... Fire-stone Cow." Gyrus - Verbeia: Goddess of Wharfedale The Cow and Calf rocks were once accompanied by a huge Bull Stone. But this was quarried away in Victorian times. SE1306 4681
These legendary rocks also feature on The Northern Antiquarian - see their page for Cow & Calf (& Bull) Rocks, Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire, which features an aerial photograph and some local folklore. This tells us that these rocks used to have as a companion "the Big Bull" rock which was quarried away to build the Crescent Hotel in Ilkley!
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.
Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Click here to see more info for this site
Nearby sites
Click here to view sites on an interactive OS mapKey: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed
Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)
To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.
Turn off the page maps and other distractions
Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
177m SSE 165° Cow and Calf 03* Rock Art (SE1310246613)
185m S 171° Cow and Calf 01* Rock Art (SE1308746601)
186m SSE 168° Cow and Calf 02* Rock Art (SE1309546602)
231m SSE 150° Cow and Calf 06* Rock Art (SE1317346585)
236m W 265° Hanging Stone Rock* Rock Art (SE1282046762)
299m SSE 155° Cow and Calf 08* Rock Art (SE1318646514)
310m SSE 157° Cow and Calf 07* Rock Art (SE1317646498)
316m SSE 159° Cow and Calf 04* Rock Art (SE1317146489)
320m SSE 159° Cow and Calf 05* Rock Art (SE1317246486)
324m SSE 149° Cow and Calf 10* Rock Art (SE1322446507)
326m SSE 155° Cow and Calf 09* Rock Art (SE1319746490)
379m W 265° Hangingstone Rock 02 & 03* Rock Art (SE1267846747)
390m SSW 201° Pancake Ridge 01a* Rock Art (SE1291746419)
396m WSW 241° Backstone Beck 02* Rock Art (SE1270946592)
399m SSW 194° The Planets* Rock Art (SE1296146396)
404m S 189° Pancake Ridge 02* Rock Art (SE1299146385)
443m W 265° Hangingstones 01* Rock Art (SE1261446742)
444m SE 139° Cow and Calf* Rock Art (SE13354645)
473m S 187° Pancake Ridge 03* Rock Art (SE1299846314)
475m S 184° Green Crag Cairnfield Cairn (SE13024631)
476m S 184° Haystack Rock* Rock Art (SE1302746309)
489m S 185° Pancake Ridge 04* Rock Art (SE1301246297)
506m W 274° Backstone Beck (Cowpasture Road) Rock Art (SE1254946814)
575m SSW 203° Backstone Beck 05a Rock Art (SE1283246254)
582m SSE 164° Pancake Ridge 06* Rock Art (SE1321746224)
View more nearby sites and additional images
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.