A magical place to visit at any time of the year is the Cow and Calf Rocks formation on Ilkley Moor. This consists of an outcrop and boulder, close to Hangingstone Rocks. The rocks are made of millstone grit, which is a variety of sandstone. They are so named because one is large, with the smaller one sitting close to it, from a distance resembling a cow and its calf.
However, according to local folklore, the Calf was separated from the Cow when a giant by the name of Rombald was fleeing a dangerous enemy, in his hurry to escape he stamped on the rock as he leapt across the valley. The enemy, it is rumoured, was actually his own wife.
He leaped off from the Hangingstone Rocks, jumped across the valley and landed on Almscliffe Crag at North Rigton, which is more than ten miles away. After watching her husband’s daring escape, Mrs. Rombald dropped her stones, as they rolled across the moor; they formed what is known as the Tweleve Apostles or Skirtful of Stones
I find this an interesting and timeless place to meditate; it is easy to see in my mind’s eye the giants battling one another and the villagers below running in fear of them through the lush green forests that would have covered the area in their time.