For a pub stuck
almost at the top of Wharfedale, this establishment
does seem to have hopes of being more than just a
pub, but a destination unto itself. Marketing to the
upscale crowd who are rarely enthusiastic walkers,
may be an error, because once you eliminate walking
from the Dales equation, the typical tourist would
be hard-pressed to justify staying in one spot. Driving
around, "A Day in The Dales" would be one
source of entertainment, but that hardly justifies
multiple-night accommodation. Fishing I suppose.
However, the visit
proved once again that it takes more than bricks,
mortar and a fancy brochure to make a pub. It is the
people, both in front of the bar and especially behind
it. To say we were made welcome and comfortable would
be a gross understatement. Yes, they had a fancy dining
room for those who like formality, but accommodated
us happily when we expressed a preference for eating
in the bar. And the food was tremendous!
Breakfast the
next day was scheduled a little late for us walkers,
so they made up a little bagged breakfast, which we
ate on a rock halfway up the first long climb of the
day, over into Littondale. They sealed the pricelessness
of our stay with splendid little metal spoons with
which to eat our yogurt. Every time we use those spoons
now, we are taken back to the Buck Inn at Buckden.
I would recommend the place to anyone,
Interesting piece
of barman etiquette: When I asked for a cider, the
barman asked me, "Is it for a lady?" While
I was tempted to fire back with a "No, it's for
my wife!", I instead replied that indeed it was
for a lady. The drink therefore arrived in a different
glass than had it been for a gentleman, namely a stemmed
glass rather than a standard sleever glass.
The building is very picturesque,
all ivy-clad and imposing. Plenty of parking space,
presumably because no locals live close enough to
walk, and those that do walk are of course walkers,
so most of the pub traffic would arrive by car.
Up behind The
Buck is the well-known Buckden Pike, a healthy and
rewarding walk up to a respectable 2300 feet. If you
get the chance, take a small detour from the assigned
path to look at the memorial cross which is situated
to the just to the south of the summit along the summit
ridge. This cross was erected in memory of a plane
crash that happened during the Second World War in
which five Polish RAF Airmen were killed. There was
one survivor, who followed a fox's footprints off
the mountain to safety, and it was this man who erected
the cross in memory of his crewmates. He set a bronze
fox's head into the statue as thanks for his escape.
I found this story intriguing, so
I pursued it a bit, and naturally, there was a lot
more to it. Apparently, Polish RAF Rear Gunner Joseph
Fusniak and his crew lost their way in a snowstorm
on January 30th 1942 and ended up flying blind in
the Dales, a flight procedure that is rarely recommended.
They clipped dry stone wall on top
of Buckden Pike and crashed on the bleak snow-swept
moors. Besides Joseph, one other crewmember survived,
Jan Sadowski, but he had been banged about a bit and
was unable to move away from the aircraft. Joseph
knew he had to go for help, but which direction? Were
there precipitous drops nearby? Would one direction
take him into oblivion on the moors, and another to
safety? It was then that he saw the fox. Knowing that
the fox would seek warmth, food and shelter in such
a storm he followed it as best he could (he had broken
his ankle in the crash), and eventually found himself
at the White Lion in Cray, just around the corner
at the head of Wharfedale.
Nannie Parker, daughter of the landlord
of the White Lion was the first to spot him, and once
they had established that he was not German, started
to organize a search party for the morning. Unfortunately,
by the time they found the wreckage, Jan Sadowski
had died.
Joseph was quite a guy, and not just on this one occasion.
Every time these pilots climb into a plane, they are
heroes, but Joseph went above and beyond. Following
the Buckden tragedy, he went on to fly many more times,
was shot down more than once, put in a POW camp, shackled,
sent on a forced march, captured twice during escape
attempts and finally, deservedly, decorated as a War
Hero by King George V.
Despite all the
other terrible experiences he went through during
the war, the crash at Buckden continued to haunt Joseph,
and he kept returning to the moors where he lost his
friends. Finally, in 1973, he erected a Memorial,
with the names of the crew, and decorated it with
a fox's head.
