Cray
Cray from the western slopes of Buckden Pike
Cray is located in North Yorkshire
Cray
Cray
Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid referenceSD941791
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSKIPTON
Postcode districtBD23
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament

Cray is a hamlet on the B6160 road on a steep hill above Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It is near Buckden and the River Wharfe. It is a very popular walking area and is renowned for several waterfalls known collectively as Cray Waterfalls.[1] The name of the settlement derives from the same name for the nearby beck (Cray Gill); Old Welsh Crei, meaning fresh.[2][3] The settlement was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, first being recorded in 1202 when a meadow was granted as a fine to William de Arches at Creigate.[4]

Historically, the hamlet was in the township of Buckden, in the Parish of Arncliffe, which was in wapentake of Staincliffe. It is in the civil parish of Buckden, and is represented at Westminster as part of the Skipton and Ripon Constituency.[5][6][7]

The road leading through the hamlet was originally part of a Roman Road linking Bainbridge with Ilkley, which descended from Kidstones Pass to the north of Cray, past the hamlet, and through Rakes Wood to the east to get to Buckden.[8][9]

The hamlet has one pub, The White Lion Inn, which is said to have derived its name from the roar and foam from High Cray Falls (above the village to the east), which in extreme windy weather, forces the water back up the waterfall.[10][11] There are other pubs in the area (The George Inn in Hubberholme, and The Buck Inn in Buckden), but the White Lion is recognised as being the highest pub in Upper Wharfedale.[12][13] A public house is believed to have been on the site since the 14th century, and was known to be a drovers inn.[14]

On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village. The village was also the start of the Category 4 climb, Côte de Cray, which lasted for 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) at an average gradient of 7.1%. The climb was at the 68 kilometres (42 mi) point in the stage and Benoit Jarrier was the first rider over the top to claim the only point available for the King of the Mountain Competition [15] The climb was repeated during the Elite Men's race in the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.[16]

The long-distance walk, a Pennine Journey, passes through Cray, with Alfred Wainwright noting that the hamlet should be .."amongst the most loveliest of Wharfedale's hamlets, yet it is not, and it is difficult to explain why it falls short of the high standard you have come to expect."[17]

References

  1. ↑ Fellows, Griff J. (2003). The waterfalls of England : a practical guide for visitors and walkers. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 139. ISBN 1850587671.
  2. ↑ "Cray, Cray Beck, Cray Gill & Cray Moss :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 129. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  4. ↑ Speight, Harry (1900). Upper Wharfedale. Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Otley to Langstrothdale. London: Elliot Stock. p. 489. OCLC 7225949.
  5. ↑ "Genuki: In 1822, the following places were in the Parish of Arncliffe:, Yorkshire (West Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Election Maps CRay". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  7. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Buckden Parish (E04007066)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Wright, Geoffrey Norman (1985). Roads and trackways of the Yorkshire Dales. Ashbourne: Moorland. p. 24. ISBN 0861901231.
  9. ↑ Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester, West Sussex: Phillimore. p. 112. ISBN 9781860770883.
  10. ↑ Rushby, Kevin (13 October 2017). "The White Lion Inn, Cray, Yorkshire dales: hotel review". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  11. ↑ Rothwell, David (2006). The dictionary of pub names. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions. p. 428. ISBN 9781840222661.
  12. ↑ White, Clive (17 March 2016). "Transformed White Lion Inn at Cray". Craven Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Bagshaw, Mike (2019). Yorkshire Dales : local, characterful guides to Britain's special places (2 ed.). Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. p. 103. ISBN 9781784776091.
  14. ↑ Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p. 28. ISBN 9781840337532.
  15. ↑ "Tour de France Stage 1". Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "The Races | Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships | 22 - 29 September 2019". Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Wainwright, Alfred (1987). A Pennine journey : a story of a long walk in 1938. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 29. ISBN 0140101373.
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