Dog Photography at Darwin Gardens, Ilkley

Today me and the pups scouted out a new location for dog photography in Ilkley while we walked. It was our first time at Darwin Gardens, and while there are some beautiful spots for portraits, it was a little too near the road for off-lead walking.

Darwin Gardens Millennium Green in Ilkley is a community-maintained open space designed for relaxation, play, and enjoying nature. It’s located adjacent to Wells Road, just a short walk from the town centre, and offers stunning views of Ilkley Moor. It’s a nice stretch for a quick dog walk but I found it too near the road to be able to relax with the dogs off-lead as each of the different areas of the garden are quite small.

We did a lap of the different areas, mostly so I could location spot for future shoots. The light was gorgeous - low winter sunshine and golden tones - which is good to know for this time of year as I do work in Ilkley quite a bit.

Darwin Gardens is just up from the Main Street in Ilkley. Travelling by car I took a right straight after Ilkley Winter Gardens and followed the road. There is a free car park on the right, and additional on-road parking if it’s busy. The Gardens themselves have a few features of note - a human sundial and a ground maze made of stones. There are also a couple of bridges over a stream and plenty of seating too for picnics in warmer weather.

It’s definitely a great location for photography and somewhere I’ll keep in mind for future shoots :)