Yorksview

Buckden - 'A lovely gem that lies upon a soft cushion in the trough of the high hills, and has a quiet lustre that never scintillates and never becomes dimmed.'... so wrote the dales writer W. E. Riley.

This attractive and peaceful village was once surrounded by forests, with hunting lodges and herds of deer - this is how it gets its name - 'valley frequented by bucks.' This first village on the Wharfe is perched on a hillside with a sloping green.

Today the area is a haven for walkers, caving enthusiasts who come to explore the limestone scars and lovers of the Dales.

Buckden Village Stores is also home of the village restaurant. The Buck Inn is the local watering hole. Rising very abruptly behind the village is Buckden Pike, 2,302 feet above sea level. Evidence of lead mining can still be seen. The views from the top are breathtaking, some of the finest in Wharfedale. The fresh air is invigorating. There is a memorial to five Polish R.A.F. men who died up here in the winter of 1942. Their 'plane crashed on the mountain killing all but one. The injured survivor saved himself by crawling down to the village, following a fox's track left in the snow.

Village Stores

Buckden Gill has the reputation of being the clearest stream in the whole of Yorkshire. It is a place of steep ravines, white cliffs and deep pools.

Wharfedale