Cray, Yorkshire
| Cray | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Cray from the western slopes of Buckden Pike | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD941791 |
| Location: | 54°12’30"N, 2°5’26"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Skipton |
| Postcode: | BD23 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Yorkshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Skipton and Ripon |
Cray is a hamlet amongst the fells of the Yorkshire Dales, on the B6160 road on a steep hill above Wharfedale. The hamlet is found 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]
History
The settlement is 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, in the wapentake of Staincliffe.[5]
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.[6][7]
About the hamlet
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.[8][9] 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.[10][11] A public house is believed to have been on the site since the 14th century, and was known to be a drovers inn.[12]
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 one mile at an average gradient of 7.1%. The climb was at the 68 km 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. The climb was repeated during the Elite Men's race in the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.
An established 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."[13]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Cray, Yorkshire) |
References
- ↑ Fellows, Griff J. (2003). The waterfalls of England : a practical guide for visitors and walkers. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 139. ISBN 1850587671.
- ↑ "Cray, Cray Beck, Cray Gill & Cray Moss :: Survey of English Place-Names". https://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/West+Riding+of+Yorkshire/Arncliffe/532881dbb47fc40c81000648-Cray%2C+Cray+Beck%2C+Cray+Gill+%26+Cray+Moss.
- ↑ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 129. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Information on Cray, Yorkshire from GENUKI
- ↑ Wright, Geoffrey Norman (1985). Roads and trackways of the Yorkshire Dales. Ashbourne: Moorland. p. 24. ISBN 0861901231.
- ↑ Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester, West Sussex: Phillimore. p. 112. ISBN 9781860770883.
- ↑ Rushby, Kevin (13 October 2017). "The White Lion Inn, Cray, Yorkshire dales: hotel review". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/oct/13/white-lion-inn-cray-yorkshire-dales-pub-hotel-review.
- ↑ Rothwell, David (2006). The dictionary of pub names.. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions. p. 428. ISBN 9781840222661.
- ↑ White, Clive (17 March 2016). "Transformed White Lion Inn at Cray". Craven Herald. https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/daleslife/14349164.transformed-white-lion-inn-at-cray/.
- ↑ Bagshaw, Mike (2019). Yorkshire Dales : local, characterful guides to Britain's special places (2 ed.). Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. p. 103. ISBN 9781784776091.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wainwright, Alfred (1987). A Pennine journey : a story of a long walk in 1938. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 29. ISBN 0140101373.
