Cow and Calf Rocks, Ilkley Moor

The Cow and Calf is West Yorkshire's classic drone spot - a pair of huge millstone-grit outcrops perched on the northern edge of Ilkley Moor, with the town, the Wharfe valley and miles of moorland spread out below. There is a free car park right beside the rocks, open-access moorland all around, and popular drone-community reports of straightforward, welcome flying here, which makes it about as easy an urban-fringe launch as you will find. From the air the crags, the old quarry and the heather sweeping up to the trig point all read beautifully, and sunrise over the valley is superb. Keep your wits about you: it is a busy honeypot for walkers, climbers and families, so pick a quiet early slot, keep the mandatory distance from people, and do not overfly the car park. The moor is access land managed by Bradford Council; general recreational flying is tolerated but stay clear of ground-nesting birds in spring and any climbers on the rocks. Airspace is fine - Leeds Bradford Airport's FRZ lies about 10km to the south-east, comfortably clear, but check before you fly as the boundary matters. There are no facilities at the rocks themselves. Best at dawn on a calm day, or in late summer when heather colours the whole moor purple and the crowds haven't arrived.