Moving in Stead: what to know first
Stead is separate houses and farms rather than a street, each reached by its own lane or drive. Stead Lane is a smooth surfaced access road, and Colston Drive is a bridleway with a concrete and tarmac surface, shared with walkers and riders. There are gates and a cattle grid on the lanes along the moor edge, so tell us which lane your house is on, whether a gate needs opening, and where a long van can turn round.
High Stead Farm House is dated 1596 and Mount Stead is 17th century, and in houses of that age the doors, stairs and landings are rarely built for modern furniture: measure them, and send the sizes of a big sofa, wardrobe or bed with your photos. Moor Road along the foot of the moor is a 30 mph road with the open moor above it, so the van is better in a drive or at a lane end than standing on it.
Stead: the local picture
High Stead Farm House is the oldest: dated 1596, a stone farmhouse built round a timber-framed core, with mullioned windows whose earliest lights have round heads, and an 18th-century barn to its north. Mount Stead is a 17th-century house with a two-storey gabled porch and a dated lintel, and Mount Stead Cottage beside it is probably 18th century, with a stone wall running north from it. Low Stead Farm, Stead Hall and Newstead are the other houses and farms around it.
Access is by lanes rather than streets. Stead Lane is a surfaced service road, Colston Drive a concrete bridleway, and Moor Road, at 30 mph, runs along the foot of the moor. Tell us where the van should stop and whether a drive or yard is shared with a neighbour.
How the van gets to Stead
From Bradford the van takes the valley: Canal Road and the A6038 over Hollins Hill to the A65, then Burley Bypass and Coutances Way to the eastern end of Ilkley, Wheatley Lane (B6382) and Ben Rhydding Drive up to the moor edge. Stead is roughly 35 to 50 minutes from Bradford, as an estimate.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 35 to 50 minutes. That is an estimate, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Man and van services near Stead
Each service below links to its Ilkley page, which covers how the job works in and around Ilkley.
House Removals
One- and two-bed homes moved with a driver and a Transit LWB van; bigger homes go in two loads.
Learn moreFlat & Apartment Removals
Lifts, stairs, loading bays and building paperwork planned before the van arrives.
Learn moreFurniture & Large Item Transport
Wardrobes, tables and bulky items moved from A to B without a full removals package.
Learn moreAppliance Delivery
Washing machines, fridges and cookers moved, secured and placed in your kitchen.
Learn moreMarketplace & eBay Collection
Bought it on Marketplace, eBay or Gumtree? We collect from the seller and bring it to you.
Learn moreStudent Removals
Halls, shared houses and home again, priced for a room's worth of belongings.
Learn moreEvery service we offer near Stead
All 11 services run to Stead, each with its own page.
Common Stead routes
- Stead → IlkleyBen Rhydding Drive and Wheatley Lane to the B6382 Bolling Road and Springs Lane into Ilkley, about 2.5 miles
- Stead → OtleyWheatley Lane to the A65, then Coutances Way, the Burley Bypass and the A660 into Otley, about 6.5 miles
- Stead → Bradfordthe A65 past Burley in Wharfedale, then the A6038 over Hollins Hill and Canal Road, roughly 35 to 50 minutes
Frequently asked questions: man with a van in Stead
Which parish is Stead in, Ilkley or Burley?
Ilkley. ONS data puts LS29 8BQ, at Stead, in Ilkley parish and the Ilkley & Addingham ward, but LS29 7BQ, about 150 metres away, is in Burley parish and the Wharfedale ward. The council is Bradford either way; the parish council differs, so check your own postcode.
Can the van drive up Colston Drive?
Yes, it is a surfaced access road as well as a public bridleway, so the van can use it to reach the houses, slowly and with an eye out for walkers and horses. Tell us if a gate on it is normally kept shut.
Is Stead just the top end of Ben Rhydding?
It sits on the moor edge just above Ben Rhydding and shares its LS29 8 postcodes and Ilkley parish, but it is a separate cluster of old farms and houses, reached by Ben Rhydding Drive and Moor Road rather than the village streets.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 1 October 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): LS29 8BQ is in Ilkley & Addingham ward, Bradford, parish of Ilkley
- Nearest postcodes (postcodes.io, ONS data): LS29 8BQ and others in Ilkley parish; LS29 7BQ (about 150 m), 7BH, 7EF in Wharfedale ward, Burley parish
- Listed buildings in Ilkley (Wikipedia, from the National Heritage List for England): High Stead Farm House, 1596, timber-framed core, mullioned windows with semicircular-headed lights; barn north of High Stead Farm House, 18th century; Mount Stead, 17th century, two-storey gabled porch, dated lintel; Mount Stead Cottage, 18th century; wall running north from Mount Stead Cottage
- OpenStreetMap map data around the point (api.openstreetmap.org extract, checked 2026-10-01): Stead (locality), High Stead, Mount Stead, Low Stead Farm, Stead Hall, Newstead; Stead Lane (service, asphalt), Colston Drive (bridleway, concrete), Moor Road (tertiary, 30 mph), Ben Rhydding Drive; Ilkley Moor, Burley Moor
- Route estimate from OpenStreetMap road data (checked 2026-09-30): Canal Road (A6181), Valley Road, Otley Road and Hollins Hill (A6038), A65 Bradford Road, Burley Bypass, Coutances Way, Wheatley Lane (B6382), Ben Rhydding Drive about 1.3 km
- OpenStreetMap map data around the place (API extract): Stead Lane (service road, asphalt, smooth), Colston Drive (public bridleway, service road, asphalt and concrete), Moor Road (tertiary, 30 mph), Ben Rhydding Drive, cattle grid and gates, High Stead, Mount Stead, Newstead, Stead Hall and Low Stead Farm farmyards
- Driving route (OpenStreetMap road data): Stead to Ilkley: Ben Rhydding Drive, Wheatley Lane, Bolling Road (B6382), Springs Lane (B6382), Station Road (B6382), 2.4 miles
- Driving route (OpenStreetMap road data): Stead to Otley: Ben Rhydding Drive, Wheatley Lane (B6382), Manor Park and Coutances Way (A65), Burley Bypass (A65), Ilkley Road (A660), Bradford Road (A659), 6.7 miles
- Driving route (OpenStreetMap road data): Stead to Bradford: Wheatley Lane (B6382), Coutances Way, Burley Bypass and Bradford Road (A65), Hollins Hill and Otley Road (A6038), Valley Road and Canal Road (A6037)