The 12 Apostles is a ancient stone circle on the Dalesway Link atop Ilkley Moor. Local historian Arthur Raistrick noted that early in the 20th Century only three of the stones were still standing and that the then current stone circle probably bore little relation to how it was originally planned. Raistrick said that the circle consisted of no 12, but 20 stones, set in an earth bank, with a larger stone at the centre.
The stones have suffered repeated acts of vandalism mostly from being uprooted and knocked over, but one of the larger stones was snapped in two in 2005. Heritage Action have tried to get English Heritage to survey and excavate the site and then to protect it, but short of surrounding the stones with a huge fence I can't really how they can be protected from mindless vandals.
The second photograph shows part of the 12 Apostles with a view across the Wharfe Valley, the odd looking white globes are part of RAF Menwith Hill, which is controlled by the US Air Force Intelligence Agency, or Yank spooks. They're supposed to be on the look out for bad people and incoming nuclear missiles, but they're probably playing Farmville and spying on your e-mails.
It's a waypoint on many of my runs, and the beginning of the downhill (finally!) section of my run home from work.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised (or not) how many lifelong Wharfedale residents have never been up there.
I wouldn't be at all surprised, there are lots of lovely and strange places only a mile or two from the roads, and therefore the vast majority will never see them.
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