A walk along the ancient roads and paths between Buckden, Hubberholme, Yockenthwaite, Cray and Buckden Rake.
Table of Contents
The Route
- what3words for start point: ///shielding.position.hunt
- Start Point: Buckden, Wharfedale
- Finish Point: Buckden, Wharfedale
- Distance: 7 Miles
GPX Route Map
Download file for GPSWalk Description
A pleasant riverside path leads from Buckden to Hubberholme, famed from its wonderful old pub and ancient church, which was founded in the 12th Century as a chapel in the Norman hunting forest of Langstrothdale Chase, as the upper reaches of Wharfedale are known.
Buckden began life as a village within this Norman hunting forest where the forest officials lived; this was the game preserve of the Earls of Northumberland. Hubberholme’s church, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, 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 Reformation and possibly the oldest in England.
From Hubberholme, a riverside path leads to Yockenthwaite, a name that stirs the imagination that is derived from the Old Norse ‘Eogan’s clearing’.
From Yockenthwaite a path climbs up above the valley through limestone meadows to reach Scar House, an old farmhouse that dates from 1698 although extensively restored in 1876. The present building stands on the site of a much older farmhouse. In 1652 George Fox, founder of the Quakers, visited Scar House and converted the farmer, after which the house was used as a Friends Meeting House by locals. It is now in the care of the National Trust.
From Scar House, a wonderful path contours around the hillside, with magnificent views across Langstrothdale and upper Wharfedale, to reach the hamlet of Cray.
Along the way, the path passes beneath a conspicuous knoll that is crowned by a large cairn. This is Cray Barrow, a Bronze Age burial mound for a local chieftain that dates back some 4,000 years. The hamlet of Cray is famed for its waterfalls as well as Wharfedale’s highest pub. The name of the hamlet is derived from the Celtic word meaning “fresh stream”, which is very apt for there is tumbling water all around.
The final section of this walk follows Buckden Rake, a superb track that heads across the lower flanks of Buckden Pike before dropping back down to Buckden. This track follows the course of the Roman road between the forts at Ilkley and Bainbridge via the lonely moorland of Stake Moss.
