Climbing Forecast › Yorkshire — Wharfedale Grit › Ilkley Cow and Calf

YORKSHIRE — WHARFEDALE GRIT · GRITSTONE

Ilkley Cow and Calf climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp17°C
Wind13.5 km/h
Gusts24 km/h
Humidity90.4%
Rain 48h0mm
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain
High humidity — grip may be affected
Humidity 90.4% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 14 August
Good
Temp24°C
Rain0mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts33 km/h
Humidity63%
No recent rain
  • Warm — friction not optimal
  • Low humidity — good for grip
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 17° 0mm 14 24 90.4%
09:00 20° 0mm 20 31 74.29%
12:00 24° 0mm 20 33 62.3%
15:00 25° 0mm 18 33 63.28%
18:00 23° 0mm 20 35 63.99%
21:00 20° 0mm 12 26 69%
Sat Saturday 15 August
Good
Temp20°C
Rain0mm
Wind13 km/h
Gusts28 km/h
Humidity48%
No recent rain
  • Low humidity — good for grip
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0mm 11 22 80.99%
09:00 16° 0mm 12 23 58.47%
12:00 19° 0mm 12 22 50.05%
15:00 21° 0mm 15 28 45.67%
18:00 20° 0mm 15 27 49.77%
21:00 18° 0mm 10 22 65.12%
Sun Sunday 16 August
Good
Temp19°C
Rain0mm
Wind11 km/h
Gusts27 km/h
Humidity51%
No recent rain
  • Low humidity — good for grip
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0mm 7 15 75.9%
09:00 15° 0mm 8 20 60.25%
12:00 18° 0mm 11 25 50.66%
15:00 19° 0mm 12 27 51.84%
18:00 19° 0mm 11 23 55.83%
21:00 18° 0mm 9 18 65.59%
Mon Monday 17 August
Poor
Temp20°C
Rain0.4mm
Wind13 km/h
Gusts29 km/h
Humidity61%
0.4mm rain forecast
  • Low humidity — good for grip
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 15° 0mm 5 10 81.58%
09:00 16° 0mm 8 18 71.84%
12:00 19° 0mm 11 25 60.78%
15:00 21° 0mm 14 29 60.51%
18:00 20° 0mm 13 26 66.9%
21:00 19° 0.38mm 11 20 76.28%
Tue Tuesday 18 August
Caution
Temp20°C
Rain0mm
Wind23 km/h
Gusts45 km/h
Humidity68%
Should be dryWindy — 23 km/h, gusts 45 km/h
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 18° 0mm 16 30 86.7%
09:00 18° 0mm 20 39 78.84%
12:00 19° 0mm 22 44 69.95%
15:00 20° 0mm 23 45 67%
18:00 19° 0mm 20 39 69.58%
21:00 18° 0mm 15 29 78.36%
Wed Wednesday 19 August
Good
Temp18°C
Rain0mm
Wind22 km/h
Gusts44 km/h
Humidity57%
Should be dry
  • Low humidity — good for grip
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0mm 14 26 83.39%
09:00 15° 0mm 19 38 68.86%
12:00 17° 0mm 21 43 58.31%
15:00 18° 0mm 22 44 56.54%
18:00 18° 0mm 19 37 61.94%
21:00 17° 0mm 14 27 70.3%
Thu Thursday 20 August
Poor
Temp17°C
Rain0.5mm
Wind16 km/h
Gusts34 km/h
Humidity59%
0.5mm rain forecast
  • Low humidity — good for grip
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0mm 11 21 83.62%
09:00 14° 0mm 14 28 71.66%
12:00 17° 0mm 16 34 60.16%
15:00 18° 0.21mm 16 32 58.57%
18:00 18° 0.3mm 15 30 61.25%
21:00 16° 0mm 11 22 71.17%
Fri Friday 21 August
Good
Temp14°C
Rain0mm
Wind10 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity—
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for gritstone
Ilkley Cow and Calf is an iconic gritstone landmark overlooking Ilkley Moor, famous across the UK for historic trad lines and bouldering. The rock is fine-grained, solid gritstone with crisp edges, famous crack lines, and rounded top-outs. Facing north and north-west, the main quarry and edge stay cool and shaded in the morning, drying moderately quickly once breezes sweep the face. The climbing spans all abilities from introductory Diff routes to bold E6 testpieces and classic boulder problems. Famous routes like Jane and Hanging Crack represent historic benchmarks. Access is exceptionally fast, taking two minutes from the Cow and Calf car park. Heavy public presence means climbers must keep gear tidy and watch for spectators near top-outs.

About Ilkley Cow and Calf

Ilkley Cow and Calf is an iconic gritstone landmark overlooking Ilkley Moor, famous across the UK for historic trad lines and bouldering. The rock is fine-grained, solid gritstone with crisp edges, famous crack lines, and rounded top-outs. Facing north and north-west, the main quarry and edge stay cool and shaded in the morning, drying moderately quickly once breezes sweep the face. The climbing spans all abilities from introductory Diff routes to bold E6 testpieces and classic boulder problems. Famous routes like Jane and Hanging Crack represent historic benchmarks. Access is exceptionally fast, taking two minutes from the Cow and Calf car park. Heavy public presence means climbers must keep gear tidy and watch for spectators near top-outs.

Region
Yorkshire — Wharfedale Grit
Rock type
gritstone
Aspect
north-facing
Altitude
220m
Exposure
medium
Seepage
low

Other crags in this region

Addingham EdgeAlmscliff CragCaley Crags & BouldersGallows HillOtley ChevinRound Hill BouldersStainburn Forest (Boulders)