ILKLEY MOOR

RIDDLESDEN, KEIGHLEY

‘Boys, keep off the moors!’ This famous warning from the movie An American Werewolf in London immediately sprung to my mind when I reached the top of this climb. It was so fantastically bleak; the low cloud and dark skies filled with a constant heavy drizzle created an atmosphere of wonderful isolation. Starting from the B6265 in Riddlesden, it’s here that the toughest climbing can be found, hitting you in two sections that both max out at over 15%. Just across Silsden Road there’s a sign warning that the route is unsuitable for motor vehicles, and then you head up on to the Moor. The climbing is gentle to begin with and there’s a welcome downhill stretch before you begin the approach to the top. The road ramps up ahead around a right-hand bend; fight the gradient here, push the gear over, and then engage the big ring for the final attack on the fading slopes that lead to the transmitters at the top.