P PREHISTORIC stones are on Ilkley's very doorstep. With the advent of the Bradford International Festival almost upon the town, Bradford Council is looking for ideas and suggestions for historic tours of the Ilkley moors.

The aptly named 'Trails of the Unexpected' are set to reveal the spooky, sinister and downright unusual side of Ilkley that people rarely see.

Several tours have already been confirmed, but organisers also want to hear from locals who know of rare attractions or unusual happenings that can make up the weird and wonderful project.

One tour that has been given the go ahead is run by Paul Bennett, author of Circles, Standing Stones and Legendary Rocks of West Yorkshire and long time tour guide for walks across the four moors.

This time Paul will be visiting the stone circles on Ilkley moor.

The tour will start at the Cow and Calf, with Paul giving an insight into the geology of the stones' structure, the history and folklore of the place.

From there the party will visit the Hanging Stones, where they will take an in-depth look at the folklore and archaeology of the site.

The path then leads on to the Green Crag Slack, a Neolithic settlement, full of history and folklore.

Which leads to Paul's 'piece de resistance', the Back Stones Circle, which was actually unearthed by the man himself in the 1980s and forms the supernatural part of the tour, with a series of ghost stories being told and an opportunity for people to stop for a well earned drink or two.

On the return to Ilkley, the group will take in the ancient site of White Wells, where they will learn all about the fairies of the well and learn of its Roman history.

Paul very much hopes his latest book, 'The Olde Stones of Elmet' will be out in time as an accompaniment to the walks.

Amongst the other prehistoric stones which lie on the moors, one of the most interesting is the Swastika Stone.

The Swastika Stone dates back to between 1000 to 800 BC. Some experts suggest it is even older, dating back to 4000 BC.

It is the last piece of rock art on the Rombald moors, and has a number of religious and symbolic connotations.

The stone's earliest symbolism represents the moon, which typifies a sign of creation, but later on it became known to resemble the sun as well.

The religious angle to the stone relates to the natural cycles of the world, going in a north to south, to east, to west direction, which was thought to be a good sign for people in earlier times.

Most importantly of all though, it embodies human experience and has a rich history of folk tales surrounding it.

Which leads on to the Twelve Apostles, a stone circle formation, thought initially to be a burial complex but which may have had a more pagan slant to it.

As Paul Bennett explained: "The stones are aligned to a midwinter solstice and also form a strange isosceles triangle with the Back Stone and Grub Stone Circles."

Gavin Edwards, from The West Yorkshire Archaeological Service went on to explain the myth: "In the 1930s the stones were laid flat and then in the 1960s they were put upright and from then they have been taken down and put up again and again to this day."

The Panorama Stones, which are found across the road from St Margaret's Church, and are the subject of a local heritage preservation initiative set up by local residents are another source of prehistoric interest in Ilkley.

The story behind the Panorama Stones still remains one of great mystery and intrigue to this day.

The stones were removed from their original resting place on the moors whilst the area was being developed.

Since then they have been subjected to vandalism and steadily eroded by weather over time.

Local residents are now planning to form a committee to save the unique Iron Age markings on the stone.

It is hoped that once permission has been granted from English Heritage, the stones will be able to remain in their present position, with a protection being formed around them, to allow the growth of lichens and to enable the stones to maintain a natural look.

Neil Butler, Director of Bradford International Festival said: "Nationally, the city has its fair share of high profile landmarks such as the Museum of Photography, Film and Television, but we are more interested in unearthing the unusual - something you just would not associate with Bradford."

Bradford International Festival takes place on June 7 to 16, with an anticipated 350,000 visitors expected to visit the Festival over the - ten days.

Anyone with any suggestions about what could be included as part of 'Secret Bradford - Trails of the Unexpected' or would like to get hold of the completed programme, due out on April 12 should contact Mandeep Kandola on 01274 722272 or email Mandy@bethere2002.com.