Overview
- Condé Nast Traveller selected the reserve as one of seven places to visit in 2026, making it the sole UK entry on the list.
- New trails connect Haworth, Stanbury and Thornton with moorland viewpoints, packhorse bridges and waterfalls, highlighting slow-travel routes.
- Created in May 2025 under the King's Series of National Nature Reserves, the site spans about 1,274 hectares across the Bradford and South Pennines through a partnership between Natural England and Bradford Council.
- The reserve brings together Ilkley Moor, Penistone Hill Country Park, Shipley Glen, Baildon Moor, Trench Meadows, St Ives Estate, Harden Moor and Bingley Bog North.
- About 58% of the area (roughly 738 hectares) is designated SSSI and around 42% is newly protected, with priority habitats supporting species such as curlews, adders and golden plovers.