The Wharfe in Ilkley

Each of the major rivers that flow down from the Yorkshire Dales seem to have their own character. I vividly remember having to learn their names by heart in school geography lessons: the Aire, the Wharfe, the Nidd, the Ure, the Swale, the Ribble... This then is the River Wharfe where it flows through Ilkley, often meandering at a slow pace and dropping gravelly deposits in the shallows. It is set a little bit down from the town centre, bordered by parkland, so that you might think yourself a long way from urban sprawl. In fact the settlement here has existed since Roman times when there was a fort called Olicana, and before that there is evidence of early Bronze Age settlements on the surrounding moors. 

The town developed because it sat at a significant crossing point on the river, originally a ford. There is a beautiful, high-arched packhorse bridge dating back to 1675, now only used by pedestrians and cyclists. (I couldn't safely get down the bank far enough to avoid that dratted tree branch!) 

Ambling along the river bank, I noticed this rustic heart. No idea what it signifies but I thought it made an attractive photo, with the ivy curling around.