COW AND CALF

ILKLEY

Having never ridden this road before, I guessed the name Cow and Calf came from a pub somewhere along its bank, and although there is an Inn of the same name, there’s a little more to it than that. It’s actually named after the giant rocks that perch on the side of the moor, which legend says resemble a cow and her calf. I don’t see it myself – no doubt the story was devised over a few pints in the pub. But anyway, to the climb. Beginning on Cowpasture Road, the slope is quite steep and dead straight as it rises out of town. Following a slight kink and a tiny plateau, the scenery changes and the gradient picks up a touch. To your right is now moorland and you’ll just catch sight of the imposing rocks, a natural playground for climbers who stand watch as you suffer on the 12% slopes. Dead ahead the Inn pops up over the horizon – focus on it. After a right- then left-hand bend just after the Inn, it’s all over.