Ilkley Moor Cottages News: June 2008

Welcome to our news page

We're a small family run business. With our girls - Alice and Annie - and our great team, our aim is to send you home feeling relaxed and recharged after your stay.

We're always getting news and comments about Ilkley and Wharfedale - where to go, what to do, where to eat and sometimes where not to eat! So our blog is all about finding a place for all those titbits that could be of interest to guests and folk with a fondness for this beautiful part of The Yorkshire Dales.

Do contribute, or better still, come and stay! Visit our website - click here If you have difficulty in posting a comment, just e-mail us at welcome@ilkleymoorcottages.co.uk and we'll sort things out.

Friday, 27 June 2008

We've now got Piglets!

Matilda and Wilber (Tilly and Willy) are our two new pet piglets. They are already a huge hit with guests and better behaved than Pudding the dog (or Tim for that matter...)

Where to Visit, Eat and Drink - Your latest views...

Some favourable reports... The National Railway Museum at York Ilkley Moor Vaults - "Great food and they take dogs too" The Box Tree - "For obvious reasons" Betty's - "Excellent as ever. Good food and lovely atmosphere" The train service into Leeds - "Excellent" The wonderful views from the apartments Bolton Abbey - "Beautiful surroundings" Ingleton - "waterfall walk, caves and great fish and chips" The Wells Bistro - "Good food" Monkman's - "Excellent Early Bird menu"

Where to Visit, Eat and Drink - More views...

Betty's - "The quality is good. We went 5 times!" The train service - "Excellent" Wells Bistro - "Good Food" RHS Harlow Carr - "If you like gardens and gardening" Grassington The Craven Heiffer at Addingham - "Excellent range of food - especially fish and friendly atmosphere" The Fleece at Addingham - "Excellent food" and maybe not so good at the moment... Monkman's - "Overpriced and mediocre" but another guest reports "Excellent. Good food and early bird menu well priced" Haworth - "Crowds for Sunday Wartime event. Went Tuesday and it was brilliant - specially The Parsonage."

Summer Festivals 2008

These are just a few local events not to be missed this summer! Broughton Game Show - Sunday 29th June at Broughton Hall www.broughtongameshow.co.uk The Great Yorkshire Show - Tuesday 8th - Thursday 10th July at Harrogate. www.greatyorkshire.co.uk Ilkley Summer Festival - 1st to 30th August www.ilkleysummerfestival.com Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival - 9th to 17th August Burnsall Feast Sports - 23rd August www.burnsallsports.co.uk Malham Show - 23rd August - www.malhamdale.com Kinsey Show - 26th August - www.kilnseyshow.co.uk Harrogate Autumn Flower Show - 12th to 14th September - www.flowershow.org.uk Ilkley Literature Festival - 3rd to 19th October - www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

The current Top 20 Places to Eat as chosen by YOU!

1st Emporio Italia, Railway Road - friendly place with a true Italian feel
2nd The Ilkley Cow, New Brook Street - replaced long-time favourite Farsyde
3rd The Vine off main car park
4th La Casita - Victorian Arcade - top quality (but salty!) Spanish-style tapas
5th Bistro Saigon, Railway Road - a great change from standard Chinese and Thai fayre but with similar influences
6th Bistro Pierre at The Crescent Inn, Brook Street - popular buzzing place with great bar
7th The Wheatley Arms, Ben Rhydding - great food , especially the Early Bird menu
8th= The Timble Inn, Timble - 20 minute drive but beautifully restored village pub - now almost totally food focused
9th Kashmiri Aroma, Ben Rhydding - consistently good reviews from our guests
10th The Cheerfull Chilli, Nr Otley - longtime favourite vegetarian (Try also "The Veggie" on Leeds Road, Ilkley during the day)
11th Betty's Tea Rooms, The Grove - expensive, but the crowds just keep coming!
12th The Angel, Hetton - not cheap, but worth driving there and splashing out!
13th The Box Tree, Church Street - If only a Michelin star will meet your needs - you must go!
14th Friends of Ham - Wells Road
15th Filmore & Union (where Matha and Vincent was) The Grove - popular all day!
16th Monkman's Bistro, Cunliffe Road - Chris Monkman's brother runs this popular lunch spot
17th Wells Bistro, Wells Road - very small and short evening menu - but great food!
18th Pizza Express, Ilkley Station - it's a chain, but for families, it's hard to beat!
19th Grandad Nichol's Fish & Chips, Leeds Road - eat in or take away. Chips cooked "the traditional way" (ie: in beef fat!)
20th Ilkley Moor Vaults (The Taps) - proper homemade pub food and real ale
and for just a drink...
The Flying Duck, Church Street - micro brewery and historic pub
The Taps (Ilkley Moor Vaults) - tap room to the former Ilkley Moor Hotel
Bah't at Ale and Wine Bar, Cunliffe Road - much more of an ale house than a wine bar!
The Black Hat - Church Street
The Wheatley (Ben Rhydding) - mainly for food, but has a small snug
The Swan (Addingham) - possibly the best of the surviving Addingham pubs

20 Things you MUST do!

Sing "On Ilkley Moor Baht' at" outside our gates
Orienteer or Geocache on Ilkley Moor
Pop into The Toy Museum or try the new Climbing Wall!
Take afternoon tea at Betty's
Visit the World Heritage site at Saltaire
Walk to the Cow and Calf Rocks
Head into Bradford for a curry or a theatre trip to the majestic Alhambra
Bask at Ilkley Lido on a sunny day
Visit the limestone wonder of Malham Cove or the powerful Ingleton Waterfalls
Wander around the bluebell woods at Middleton in April
Take a ride on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Shop at Harvey Nicks in Leeds
Walk part of The Dalesway long distance path
Climb up Brimham Rocks
Take the train to York - pretend to be an overseas tourist (or a British one if you really are!)
Play games and learn at Eureka (if you're between 5 and 95!)
Take a day return on the Settle- Carlisle railway but get off en-route to take in the scenery and small towns. Garsdale Head or Dent are best
Run wild around the ramparts of Skipton Castle
Wander around the RHS Harlow Carr Gardens