Editing Ilkley (section)

==Geography==
[[File:TheOldBridgeIlkley.jpg|thumb|right|The Old Bridge, Ilkley]]
[[File:White Blanket Over Ilkley.jpg|thumb|right|Early winter snowfall on Station Road in the town centre]]
Nearby are the  hamlets of [[Middleton, Harrogate|Middleton]] ({{convert|1|mi|km}}), [[Denton, North Yorkshire|Denton]] ({{convert|2.7|mi|km}}) and [[Bolton Abbey]] ({{convert|6|mi|km}}); the villages of [[Addingham]] ({{convert|3.1|mi|km}}), [[Burley-in-Wharfedale]] ({{convert|3.8|mi|km}}) and [[Menston]] ({{convert|5.4|mi|km}}); and the towns of [[Guiseley]] ({{convert|7.6|mi|km}}) and [[Skipton]] ({{convert|8|mi|km}}).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdistance.com/route/ilkley/skipton|title=Distance from Ilkley to Skipton|website=ukdistance.com|language=en|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref>

The town is within the travel-to-work radius of [[Leeds]] and [[Bradford]]. Leeds is {{convert|18|mi|km}} away and Bradford {{convert|15.6|mi|km}} by road, with a railway connection offering about 35 trains to each destination per day from [[Ilkley railway station]]. The railway, before the [[Beeching axe]], also connected to Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Skipton to the west, and to [[Otley]], [[Pool-in-Wharfedale]], meeting the main Leeds to [[Harrogate]] line at [[Arthington]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Railways of Wharfedale|first=Peter E. |last=Baughan |year=1969|publisher= David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd}}</ref>

The town partially straddles the [[River Wharfe]] in a valley, rising from the river at {{convert|230|ft|m}} to {{convert|650|ft|m}} above sea level, up [[Ilkley Moor]] (a bracken and heather covered [[moorland]], with rocky outcrops, to the south) and to {{convert|540|ft|m}} across Middleton Woods in the north. The river runs through the northern extent of the town from west to east, and is crossed by four bridges, in order: a 16th&nbsp;century three-arched stone bridge, now closed to road traffic; a 19th&nbsp;century single-span wrought-iron bridge; a [[suspension bridge]] for foot traffic only (a set of concrete stepping stones) and a prefabricated steel arched box-girder bridge. The river is prone to flooding the sports fields (and a few houses) that occupy the [[watermeadow]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Greaves |first=Amanda |date=21 May 2009 |title=Environment Agency tackles Backstone Beck |url=http://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/4386873.Work_to_end_flood_threat_begins/ |access-date=15 June 2009 |work=Ilkley Gazette |publisher=Newsquest Media Group}}</ref> Below the historic Ilkley golf club house, in Middleton, the access to [[Nesfield]] is regularly restricted due to the river closing the road.

===Demography===
A person from Ilkley is called an Olicanian which is derived from [[Olicana]], thought to be the name of the [[castra|Roman fort]] Ilkley is built upon. The ethnic make-up of Ilkley's population is 98.02% White, 0.74% mixed, 0.72% Asian, 0.37% Chinese or other ethnic group and 0.14% Black. The largest age group is 45- to 59-year-olds (20.73%).<ref name="2001census">{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6098719&c=ilkley&d=14&e=15&g=379186&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1244561983063&enc=1&dsFamilyId=276 |title=Age Structure (KS02) |work=2001 Census |publisher=Office for National Statistics |date=April 2001 |access-date=9 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604051600/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6098719&c=ilkley&d=14&e=15&g=379186&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1244561983063&enc=1&dsFamilyId=276 |archive-date=4 June 2011 }}</ref>