Ilkley to Addingham Moorside circular 6th January 2015
This walk was designed to be a an easy one as we had a walk virgin that was desperate to join us after the festive period so we kept it to a total distance of 10km (6 miles) and should take just 3hrs. It was a crisp frosty morning and weather could not be better so we had a good turnout.
The Swastika Stone is a stone adorned with a Swastika located on the Woodhouse Crag, on the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire. The design has a double outline with five curved arms enclosing several so-called ‘cup’ marks, the like of which can be found on other stones nearby.
The design is unique in the British Isles, so its close similarity to Camunian rose designs in Italy have led some to theorize that the two are connected. In fact, the troops stationed in Ilkley during Roman occupation were recruited from the Celtic Lingones. This tribe was native to Gaul, but in around 400 BCE, some migrated across the Alps to the Adriatic coast. Some believe the Ilkley Lingones were recruited from here rather than from Gaul. It is possible that the Italian Lingones passed through the Valcamonica region at some point, took on the swastika designs they found as part of their tribal symbolism, and carved it on the nearby moor when stationed in Ilkley.
Walk statistics
Total Distance 10km
Total Time 3:37 hrs
Ave Moving Speed 3.6km
Ave Speed 2.8km
Total Ascent 368m
Total Descent 380m
