If you have ever hiked up on Ilkley Moor near the old Keighley Road, you may have come across an old stone cross by the side of the track. It can be found if walking from Ilkley up to Whetstone Gate if you head up towards a giant TV mast. It is known as The Cowper Cross.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to witness bits of filming in the town, or visit when they are setting up or breaking down from filming. I thought I would share some of my photos of Darrowby and a few observations about new locations used for filming around Grassington and changes I have noticed.

Situated in Tower Works on Holbeck in Leeds South Bank, Domo sardinian soul food only opened a month ago but I am sure if they continue with the quality of food we experienced it will be a hugely successful addition to Leeds’ dining scene.

But, The Hoffman Lime Kiln just outside Settle between Langliffe and Stainforth is on a completely different scale and size, whilst being a great location to explore especially going inside the large lime kiln itself. England’s best preserved lime kiln just outside Settle

Most people up North are familiar with the Yorkshire institution which is Betty’s Café & Tearoom, with their traditional posh afternoon teas, immaculate silver service, fat rascals and amazing cakes! Now with café’s at 5 locations around the region I thought I would shed some light on the story behind the brand.

It’s not often a restaurant in Leeds gets reviewed in the Sunday Times and receives a 5 star review, let alone a little neighbourhood bistro in an out of town suburb. But quite recently Camilla Long from the publication visited with her husband on a stop over as she headed further up North and gave Bavette a glowing review!

All these Bars would have once had a Barbican. This was an extra level of fortification to help create a barrier before a primary gateway into the city. It comes from the French word “Barbacane” – which means fortified outpost. In Medieval city gateways they usually took the form of narrow walled passageway (known as a funnel), where if attackers breached the first outer gateway, the defenders could attack them from above on the surrounding outer walls. This passageway was so

Dent and the surrounding area was traditionally a farming area, predominantly rearing livestock such as sheep and cows. But a close second in terms of bringing income into the locality was Knitting.

The lecture covered the basics of geology, showed geological maps of the wider area particularly along the Dent fault and then went into more detail about what was happening along the Dent fault. It was a fascinating insight into the area and how the underlying geology had affected the landscape.

The Piece Hall - The building is Grade 1 listed and an incredible piece of architecture, but in the 1970’s there were plans to demolish it. So, I thought I would do a short blog about The Piece Hall’s past as it now plays such a large part in attracting visitors to Halifax

It is unlike any other cemetery I have been to, with the opulence and grandeur of the special memorials towering along pathways, with many showing the grime of the industrial revolution when mills and factories billowed out smoke from the city to the outlying areas.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a soft launch of the new winter light trail on the Swinton Park Estate. This mile long illuminated trail within the hotel grounds opens to the general public on 6th November and runs through until 22nd February 2026

The 5 images which were sold at auction were taken between 1917 and 1920 by two young Yorkshire lasses in the village of Cottingley, a suburb of Bradford between Bingley and Shipley. The girls, 16 year old Elsie Wright and her 9 year old cousin Frances Griffiths and it is amazing that these children were able to create such realistic fake photographs, that many people at the time were convinced they were real.

Whilst on a short break on the Yorkshire Coast, my wife and I decided to take an afternoon hike and spotted a walk in the latest copy of the North York Moors Association newsletter which sounded interesting as it included a visit to St.Gregory’s Minster and was close to Kirkdale Cave.

Hull’s Beverley Gate’s - the history behind the site is fascinating, because the location played a crucial part in how the English Civil War in the 1600’s unfolded.

The gardens are inspired by the Himalayan regions which includes part of China, Vietnam and Northern India. As well as the huge array of plants, the garden includes three small lakes in the valley bottom and various bridges and even a pagoda to really give it the Himalayan theme.

The first Leeds Infirmary was built in 1771 in what is now Infirmary Street, but in 1863, construction started on a new LGI on George Stree

There is a whole industry in Whitby centred around the myth of the blood sucking Count Dracula. Find out how iWhitby inspired Bram Stoker

It was about time to finally get around to trying out Brook’s in Ilkley and their Sri Lankan food offering.

We are talking about Clifford’s Tower, which has played a major part in the history of York for nearly a thousand years.