Almscliff Crag

I was overjoyed to discover such an amazing spot so near to Leeds city centre. Before I go on I must correct Rowena’s review below — its no where near as far as Ilkley! Its not even as far a Otley. If you’ve ever been in the passenger seat of a car driving from Headingley to Otley and on the winding road downhill spotted a massive rock on top of a hill — that is Almscliff Crag.
Its so easy to get to if you don’t have a car too — from the city centre train station you can get the train that goes to Harrogate through Burley Park and Headingley and jump off the stop past Horsforth called Weeton. It takes about 20 minutes and once off the train, cross the road and follow the ‘public footpath’ signs with yellow arrows.
I have been countless times when wanting a bit of the countryside but not wanting to go all the way out to the Moors or the Dales. I have occasionally gotten lost whilst not walking with someone who has done it before. You’ll tramp through fields uphill then come to a sign that points a little downhill through a wooded area. I made the mistake of not following this sign and getting stuck in some fields full of cows once.
Once you’ve reached the top you will be stunned — by the 180 degree panoramic view where you can see Leeds city centre one way and Harrogate another; by the sheer size and shape of the rock that appears to have been placed here, perfectly balancing; by the old graffiti carved into the rocks by fellow walkers. The top face of the rock is covered in dates and initials. The oldest I have found was from 1842! It was incredible to think that some one that long ago stood in the same spot and was awed by the view just like I was recently. So I fully encourage a visit to this place on a sunny day. Always good foot-​ware like wellies or walking boots and a coat because no matter how warm feels at the bottom of the hill its usually pretty windy up there.

This is another glorious place to visit in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. It’s a little way off past Ilkley and takes roughly an hour to drive to from Headingley, but man it is worth it for that view. It’s literally on the border between Leeds and Harrogate and is one of those notorious walking spots for anyone local to the area.
My boyfriend and I decided to drive out here, with our housemates who wanted to join us, for the August meteor shower as it was the highest and clearest place we could think of to escape Leeds’ heavy light pollution. It was a lovely late night drive and once we’d navigated up those hellishly thin country roads we parked and began the hike.
It takes maybe fifteen minutes or so to ascend to the top of the hill where there is, basically, a ruddy great big set of rocks at the top. For those sure of foot it’s great fun to climb up them all — some being really quite a challenge, but given that it was pitch black at my first visit I decided not to risk life and limb. The view from all around is breathtaking! I will issue a warning though, these rocks are really huge and have some real ankle-​twisting cracks inside. There are even some pretty nasty cracks big enough for the less careful climber to become wedged deep inside, which was my nightmare, so go really carefully around those bits!
Sadly the meteor shower on that particular night was hampered by tons of mist, but it was a great night anyway. The views were worth the jaunt and about fifteen other people had the same idea as we, and so it turned out to be a fun night all in all.
Totally worth checking out — get your hiking boots on!