Buckden Pike

Starting point  and OS Grid reference: Pay and display car park at Buckden (SD 942773)		Ordnance Survey Map OL30 - Yorkshire Dales Northern and Central Areas. Buy this map from List of OS Maps   Note: If you use OS Maps on-line, you can download this route via this link.
Distance: 8 Miles	Date of Walk: 19 January 2011
Ascent: Descent: See Walking Time Calculator	517m (1695ft) 517m (1696ft)
Traffic light rating:    (For explanation see My Walks page)
For advice on .gpx files see My Walks page	Click the PDF logo above to give a printable version of this walk without the photos.

To view route as a dynamic Ordnance Survey map click here.

Introduction: This walk provides fantastic views along Wharfedale, scales the heights of Buckden Pike and passes a memorial to some Polish pilots who were killed in a plane crash during World War II. If you want to know more about this incident, see www.buckdenpike.co.uk. Some aircraft remains are embedded in the concrete but a few still lie around. Please leave them for the interest of others.

To get to Buckden, head north out of Skipton on the Grassington road (B6265). At Threshfield, ignore the right turn to Grassington and continue ahead, now on the B6160 to Buckden. The car park is through the village on the right (SD 942773).

Start: Leave the car park at the opposite end to the toilets via a gate signposted Buckden Pike and Cray High Bridge. The stony track climbs steeply until it meets a stone wall (SD 940783). Continue with the stone wall on your left until your path is crossed by a gate and a finger post signposted Buckden Pike (SD 941785).

Turn right through this gate and the grassy track then swings to the left and meets a wall. Go through the gate and continue to follow the track. After the next gate, the path becomes steeper until it meets a wall. Climb with the wall on your left until you reach the trig. point (SD 961788).

Continue to follow the south western side of the wall, climbing the ladder stile. The path is signposted War Memorial. Stay on the same side of the wall for now as it has been assigned to this side due to erosion at the other side.

Cross another ladder stile and carry straight on.

As the wall turns sharply right, you will see the War Memorial over the wall ( SD 963779) and there is a ladder stile to access it and the path bears away to the right (SE). Climb over the stile.

After inspecting the Memorial, continue but now with a wall on your right. This section can be very muddy.

Continue in line with this wall until you reach a gate on the right. At this point, the wall turns a right angle to the right and a path follows it round. However you do not want this path. Go through the gate (SD 966777) and follow the clear track. You will soon come to the ruins of a small building (SD 964774) where there are sufficient walls standing and innumerable flat stones where you can find a comfortable sheltered spot for lunch with views down the valley towards Kettlewell.

The path descends the hillside bearing slightly to the right and passes a large stone cairn before arriving at a gateway. Go through the gate and the clear track stretches out in front shown on the OS map as Walden Road. As you walk along the track, a ‘V’ shaped valley lies below on the left. The track eventually becomes quite badly rutted.

Soon, the village of Starbotton (not Starbottom!) comes into view. Ignore a footpath to the right which goes to the remains of Buckden lead mine.

The track you have been following ends at a steep concreted section at another broad track. Turn left and go over the bridge and turn left again along the road.  The road curves in a clockwise direction. Pass a house on the right called Closeburn. At the next junction turn right to the main street and at the main street, turn left.

Look out for a finger post on the right to Arncliffe, Kettlewell and Buckden (SD 954747) and follow this path down to the river and after crossing the footbridge, turn right. The track follows the line of the wall straight ahead. Eventually, you come across a finger post to the right “Dalesway” (SD 939766). Turn right off the main track here. The path follows the course of the river back to Buckden which you will see approaching. At the road, turn right and the car park where you started appears shortly on the left.

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All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.