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25 circular walks via 84 traditional pubs throughout the Yorkshire Dales…
A collection of twenty-five circular walks throughout the Yorkshire Dales calling at traditional pubs that serve Black Sheep’s ales. With walks ranging from 5 to 14 miles in length, this book is a ‘must’ for anyone who loves the Dales and the delights of good ale and old fashioned hostelries. Complete with foreword by Paul Theakston.
Black Sheep Pub Walks
These walks are in addition to the 25 that feature in the book ‘The Inn Way…to Black Sheep Pubs’. Please feel free to print out these walks and use them. Due to Ordnance Survey copyright, I have not reproduced any mapping to accompany these walks, so please purchase the appropriate OS map listed. These walks are the copyright of Mark Reid 2002 and must only be used for personal leisure purposes. They must not be copied or reproduced in any format whatsoever without the written permission of the copyright holder.
WALK THREE – LANGSTROTHDALE CHASE
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 3 hours
Maps: Ordnance Survey OL30 (1:25,000) ‘Yorkshire Dales Northern & Central’
Start: Dales Countryside Museum (National Park Centre), Hawes, Wensleydale.
Parking: Large car park at Buckden
How to get there Buckden lies along the B6160 at the head of Wharfedale, between Aysgarth and Kettlewell. For Public Transport call 0870 608 2 608.
Terrain: A clear track (Buckden Rake) climbs quite steeply up across the flanks of Buckden Pike then a field-path drops steeply down to the hamlet of Cray. From Cray, a level walk crosses the flanks of Yockenthwaite Moor with wonderful views down Wharfedale then drops down through woodland along a rocky path to reach Yockenthwaite. The return leg follows a clear riverside path through Hubberholme and back to Buckden.
Black Sheep Pubs: White Lion, Cray; Tel: 01756 760262
George Inn, Hubberholme; Tel: 01756 760223
Close by… Fox & Hounds, Starbotton; Tel: 01756760269
POINTS OF INTEREST
The upper reaches of Wharfedale are truly delightful with its trio of villages and spectacular scenery. The wild valley of Langstrothdale cuts a meandering ‘V’ through the high fells bringing the infant River Wharfe down to join the waters of Cray Gill – it is at this point that ‘Wharefdale’ begins, a wonderful example of a U-shaped glaciated valley encircled by the looming bulks of Birks Fell, Horse Head Moor, Yockenthwaite Moor and Buckden Pike. Buckden was once a forest village within the Norman hunting forest of Langstrothdale Chase, as the upper reaches of Wharfedale are still known. This was the hunting preserve of the Earls of Northumberland that stretched from around Buckden to beyond Beckermonds and was governed by its own laws, courts and privileges; the forest officials would have lived at Buckden. From Buckden a superb stony track slants up through Rakes Wood across the lower flanks of Buckden Pike, Wharfedale’s second highest peak at 702 metres. This track is known as Buckden Rake and leads across the flat shelf of moorland above Cray before joining the track across Stake Moss towards Bainbridge in Wensleydale – this once formed part of the Roman road between the forts at Ilkley and Bainbridge. A path drops steeply down from Buckden Rake to the hamlet of Cray, which consists of a handful of old farms, cottages and Wharfedale's highest inn, the White Lion. From here, a superb path leads across a flat shelf of land above Hubberholme Wood with superlative views down the length of Wharfedale. A mixture of limestone outcrops, pavements, open moorland and ancient woodland provides an amazing variety of habitats for a multitude of plants, animals and birds. Hubberholme Wood, a remnant of ancient woodland that survives from when this was a hunting forest, is home to ash, wych elm, hazel, holly, blackthorn and oak. The hamlets of Langstrothdale are named after the Viking settlers who came here in the 9th Century – Yockenthwaite was 'Eogan's clearing'. The hamlet later became a lodge in the Norman hunting forest and today consists of one or two ancient farmsteads that give the impression that little has changed since Eogan arrived! A delightful riverside path leads down to Hubberholme. Over 1,000 years ago a Viking chieftain called Hubba settled here and consequently gave his name to this hamlet. The 12th Century church at Hubberholme, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, was originally a forest chapel within the Norman hunting forest and was subsequently given to the monks of Coverham Abbey by William de Percy in1241. It boasts a wealth of interesting features in particular a very rare Rood Loft which was brought here from Coverham Abbey in 1558, one of only two in Yorkshire that escaped the ravages of the Reformation, as well as more contemporary 'Mousey' Thompson oak pews. J. B. Priestley, whose ashes are buried near the church, loved this place and regularly called into the George Inn for a drink. This is an ancient hostelry that was once used as the vicarage and still has close connections with the church as this is where the annual land-letting ceremony known as the Hubberholme Parliament is held, a tradition that dates back over 1,000 years. Local farmers gather at the pub in January to bid for sixteen acres of pastureland situated behind the inn that are owned by the church, the proceeds of which help the poor of the Parish. The vicar oversees the proceedings and sits in the House of Lords (dining room) while the bidding takes place in the House of Commons (bar). A candle is lit at the start of the bidding with the final bid being taken when the candle finally burns out, which can sometimes take quite a while!
THE WALK
1. Leave Buckden along the stony track at the top end of the large car park (signpost ‘Buckden Pike & Cray High Bridge’), and follow this clear track (known as Buckden Rake) climbing steeply up through Rakes Wood, with wonderful views down to your left. The track leads up to a gate across your path, after which the track bends round to the right and levels out slightly – where the track divides, continue straight on along the clear grassy track along the flat shelf of land (ignore the track to the right) on to another gate. Continue straight on along the grassy flat track ahead, with steep drops and good views down to your left, on to reach a gate across your path. Head through this gate (with a stone wall once again on your left), then after about 100 yards take the path to the left through this wall (signpost ‘Cray’) and drop down the clear path to quickly join a stone wall on your right that leads down (steep in places) over a ford / stepping stones across Cray Gill then over the road to reach the White Lion at Cray.
2. Walk to the right of the White Lion and follow the track round to the left behind the pub (signpost); the track soon divides – follow the right-hand branch bearing up through a gate to the right of the barn. Head straight on along the clear stony track through the farmyard, over one or two small fords passing above the buildings of Cray and on to a gate that leads out onto open pastures. Follow the clear path ahead, passing to the left of a stone barn then down to a footbridge across Crook Gill.
3. After the footbridge, turn left alongside the fence and follow the path across the grassy shelf of land above a steep wooded slope with superlative views down Wharfedale. Follow this shelf of land as it gently curves round to the right and on over limestone outcrops to reach a rough stony track above Scar House Farm (signpost).
4. Head straight on along the stony track passing above the farm (do not head down to Scar House), however, after a short distance forsake the track (which turns up to the right) and head on to reach a wall-gate ahead beside a larger gate. After the wall-gate, head straight on along a clear path across the flat shelf of land on to reach a wall-gate that leads into woodland. Head straight on to quickly reach a footbridge that leads out of the woods, after which follow the path down to the left then straight on along a flat shelf of land again over a succession of wall-stiles, with fine views across Langstrothdale to your left. Continue straight on along this path then, just after a derelict stone barn up to your right, follow the clear path to the left through a stone wall (signpost) which drops steeply down along stony path across the sparsely wooded slopes towards Yockenthwaite in the distance. The path soon levels out and heads across the side of the hill to join a clear stony track above Yockenthwaite. Turn left down along this track into the heart of this hamlet to reach the farm track that runs parallel to the River Wharfe towards the stone bridge.
5. Turn left along this track – do not head towards the stone bridge – through a gate beside a farmhouse with two large red doors (signpost). Head straight on across a rough track through a large gate then a smaller gate, after which head to the right down over a wall-stile (just after the stone barn on your right). This leads down to a very clear riverside path – follow this path, keeping close to the River Wharfe all the way, for one and a half miles to reach a track beside Hubberholme Church. Follow this track round to the right passing between the farm buildings and the church to join the road at the bridge across the River Wharfe.
6. Cross over the bridge to reach the George Inn and turn left along the road. Walk along this narrow road (enclosed by stone walls) for just under half a mile passing Grange Farm and then a stone barn on your left, then head through a gate to your left (signpost ‘Buckden’) and follow the clear track straight on to quickly join a riverside path along the banks of the Wharfe. This clear path leads on to re-join the road again beside the bridge just below Buckden. Turn left over the bridge back up into Buckden.
© Mark Reid 2003. ‘The Inn Way’ is a Registered Trademark of Mark Reid
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