Buckden - Hubberholme - Cray Circular

A beautiful Spring Saturday and we have walked another stretch of the Dales Way Trail for this wonderful 5 mile circular walk from Buckden.

Starting from the main car park in Buckden we walked from the village and crossed over the river bridge, then turned right along the Riverside path towards Hubberholme.

The path rejoins the road again briefly before you arrive in Hubberholme. After a brief stop to say hello to Ed and the team at The George Inn, we continued on our walk crossing the bridge and passing the magnificent Norman Church and then taking the rough track uphill to Scar House. Passing between the house and outbuildings and finding our way to the junction of the route, we stopped for a sandwich and to enjoy the superb elevated and far reaching views of Upper Wharfedale before turning right and following the grassy path towards Cray. This section is very flat and follows the rounded ridge that offers panoramic views of the northern slopes of Buckden Pike, Hubberholme, Buckden and the deep wide valley of Wharfedale.

We crossed the wooden bridge that sees you safely over the beck before continuing on to Cray. Despite a lovely bright day, the White Lion pub stood empty and forlorn while it awaits someone new to take over the reigns. We crossed the road, enjoyed watching the waterfalls then carefully navigated the stepping stones across the stream before battling the short and steep climb to join the main path back to Buckden. There were several beautiful Belted Galloway cows on the gravelly track down Buckden Rake, fortunately they were very reasonable and allowed us to pass them without incident.

Upon returning to Buckden we stopped off at the Buck Inn for a well deserved coffee and a portion of chips!

This was another wonderful local walk that is generally very flat and easy going. The climb from Hubberholme to Scar House is steep in places but the ground is secure and if you take your time it is straightforward. Overall a very rewarding simple 5 mile walk that offers lovely views.

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