Stanza Stones Walk: Stage Three Leg Two

Stanza Stones Walk Three = 20.6mi/32.44Km

Haworth to Ilkley Leg Three
At Holden gate follow Holden Lane to the right for approx ¼ mile until you arrive at a gravel track leaving the road on your left and a Public Bridleway sign. Take this bridleway and follow it round to the left. Before you reach a telephone mast turn right into a gateway, ignore the large metal gate and go through a small gate on your left and follow the path, through one more gate to the metal gate at the entrance to the wood.
Take the path which leads into the wood for approx 200 yards until it turns sharply to the left. There in front of you are the Dew Stones.
After visiting the Dew Stones continue along the track which runs between the forest and the fields on your left until you reach a gravel track coming from left to right. Turn left onto the track and then immediately left again back into the forest. Keep faithful to this forest track and after leaving the forest through a wooden gate you reach the farmhouse of Black Pots on the right of the track.
Keep straight on along Jenny Lane for approx 1/3 mile and until you reach Doubler Stones Farm on your left. Immediately before a bungalow on the right, leave the track to the right and follow a feint path with the Doubler Stones on your right in a northerly direction passing through a gate and  a stone stile in a wall to arrive at Black Hill.

Once through the stone stile it is worth walking forward for 50 yards to the edge of the escarpment and take in the views up Wharfedale as far as Bolton Abbey and Simon’s Seat.
Return to the stone stile and don’t cross it, follow the wall in a south easterly direction over Addingham High Moor. When the walls converge you can cross the wall on your left through a narrow gate and make your way to the trig point.  Once past the trig point cross a new stile in the wall corner and continue following the right hand wall until you reach the West Buck Stones. Next, visit the East Buck Stones and continue walking south east until you have past the wireless station at Whetstone Gate.
About 100 yards beyond the wireless station the path becomes paved with stone flags and near to the Thimble Stones turns east. Keep looking out on the right side of the path and, approx 150 yards beyond the Thimble Stones, you will see the next Stanza Stones (Puddle Stones) laid out on the heather.
Leave the Puddle Stones and aim for the next trig point which you can see in the distance to the East. From this lofty height we descend to take a look at the Twelve Apostles Standing Stone Circle, before dropping down the Dalesway link path to Gill Head (Backstone Beck). Cross the beck and turn right to follow the well worn path down the left hand bank of the stream. Watch out for the Cup and Ring marked rock on the left side of the path. After crossing over a major footpath with a stone water channel in the valley on your right, and reaching an area where multiple paths converge, keep going north and cross the stream close to an area of rocks and pick up the path which follows the right hand bank of Backstone Beck. Follow the path which runs close to the beck through some dramatic scenery and descend a very steep rough path (care needed) until you can see the wooden bridge beneath you.
As you approach the bottom of the steep section of path, look out for a large boulder in the gorse on your left between the path and the stream. Squeeze past this boulder and you will see the Beck Stone standing upright in the middle of the beck. After visiting the Beck Stone return to the path the way you came and carry on down to the wooden bridge. Cross over the bridge and walk into Ilkley past the tarn where our walk finishes at the railway station.
Walk One Start