Cow and Calf Rocks

The Cow and Calf Rocks form part of the dramatic backdrop to Ilkley, and like many strange rock formations, they were either formed over millions of years by weather and huge ice flows or by the reckless actions of a giant running away from his annoyed wife!

The Cow and Calf Rocks were created during the Carboniferous period around 320 million years ago and are composed of Millstone Grit, which is a hard, coarse-grained sandstone prevalent across the Pennines. Back then Ilkley Moor was a swampy delta located near the equator where huge amounts of sand, silt and pebbles were deposited and compacted. Over millennia intense geological forces lifted the rocks to form the plateau of the Pennines.

During the Quaternary period the area was subject to a series of ice ages which saw cycles of freezing and thawing and it was this that created the rock formation we see today. Millstone Grit contains many vertical joints and horizontal planes into which water can penetrate. This water would then be frozen, causing it to expand and crack the rock. As the rocks cracked and softer surrounding rock was weathered away the “Cow” was created as a free-standing mass, or Tor.

Further millennia of freeze thaw action saw a huge boulder break away from the main mass of the “Cow”, and settle slightly down the hillside. This boulder, which sits slightly tilted on the underlying bedrock, is the “Calf”. While they don't really look like a Cow or a Calf, the name has stuck. Personally, from some angles the Cow looks like it has more of a human face!

The alternate version of events that resulted in their formation is that the Giant, Rumbold (after whom the Moor is named), was running away from his annoyed wife and took a huge leap across the valley. On landing his footprint formed the “Cow” and the “Calf” was a chunk of rock that broke off due to the force of his landing. Either way it is a fascinating origin story!