A true beer-drinkers pub,
but they should tone down the food a bit, or else
it is in danger of becoming a food destination. The
White Lion is part of the triumvirate of pubs (The
White Lion, Cray;
The Buck, Buckden;
and the unforgettable George
at Hubberholme) that would make a perfect day's walk
in the Dales. They can all be seen from the same spot,
and the walking between the pubs is scenic without
being challenging.
We seemed to circle for
a landing at the White Lion, as we traversed the flanks
of Buckden Pike on the old Roman road. Down below
the White Lion looked very inviting, its windows glowing
in the gathering darkness made even murkier by the
threatening rain-clouds. We came around the side of
Buckden Pike and along the fell side for quite a while
before descending, splashing our way down the hillside
and fording the rushing beck on precipitous stepping
stones (which were covered by the rising water a little
later).
The odd name of Cray is
derived from the ancient Welsh 'Crei' meaning a fresh
river. There is a mention of 'Creigate' in a document
from 1202, probably referring to a gateway on this
spot for the old Roman road that wound it way up Wharfedale.
This is a welcoming pub.
From the moment you see the muddy boots in the porch-way
and walk past the walking stick holder on the threshold,
to being welcomed by the pub dog on a scrounge, this
strikes you as a true pub.
The White Lion is a regular
Good Beer Guide entry and twice winner of Keighley
and Craven CAMRA's Pub of the Season (not quite the
Oscar of Beer, but maybe an Emmy Award.) It is a very
friendly, small, stone-flagged pub, which regularly
serves Moorhouses Premier, Moorhouses Pendle Witches
Brew and Tetley Bitter.
I appreciated the barman's
honesty when I asked him about the interesting-looking
Roosters Yankee from Harrogate. "You either love
it or you hate it. I hate it." So I tried it.
Very nice too, let's try something different, and
so on down the line.
His directness concerning
the beer was typical of Yorkshire folk who are not
known for their verbosity. They will willingly answer
questions and even be moderately friendly about it
but will offer no information beyond what is strictly
required. This is not an exercise in being difficult,
nor should it be considered impolite.
Food was a very good complement
to the beer, but we were both rather tired out from
a spectacular day of walking in thunderstorms, so
I only went through the cycle once.
We have talked already
in the Pub Book about pub games, and here was another
one, though its function was not immediately obvious,
beyond getting drunk and having fun. The first sign
that a game even existed in the pub was a curious-looking
ring hanging on a piece of string, dangling from the
rafters. Only by studying the physics did we work
out that the hook on the bull's nose on the wall was
associated with the aforementioned ring. The ring
(we figured) would be thrown and whether the throw
was successful or not, it could easily be retrieved
by means of the string. I later found out that this
had the strikingly dull name of "Ringing The
Bull". I was hoping for "Goiters" or
"Rumpled Vicars" or something rather more
colorful like that.
Wharfedale could provide
one of the most absorbing pub-crawls in the country,
without things degenerating into stumbling out of
one pub into another, but actually involving some
serious walking. Here is my suggestion:
• Start at Kilnsey at the Tennant
Arms (a Black Sheep pub) just along the road from
the spectacular Kilnsey Crag, which I raced up and
down way back in my youth.
• Wander up Littondale to Arncliffe and the
Falcon, which is
situated at the far end of the village green and must
be unique in the Yorkshire Dales as the only pub still
using gravity dispense.
• For practical purposes, you may have to skip
the Queens Arms in
Litton, because it would involve doubling back up
over the fell to Kettlewell.
• Once you complete the toughest leg of your
day up over the fell, Kettlewell offers three pubs
in quick succession: The
Kings Head; The Blue
Bell; and the Racehorses.
• Then head north up Wharfedale and take in
Starbotton (Fox and Hounds);
Buckden (Buck Inn);
and Cray (White Lion),
before heading west, presumably under cover of darkness
by now to the cosy, warm George
in Hubberholme for a well-deserved good night's rest.
On a good day, Wharfedale
is lovely, and I must admit that on a lousy day, like
today, it has a certain magnificence to it. As well
as excellent scenery, Wharfedale has some interesting
plants and animals, especially in summer. I am told
that Nuthatches, Redstarts, Yellow Wagtails, Sand
Martins and Spotted Flycatchers populate the Dale,
but were wisely sheltering during the occasionally
alarming thunderstorm that we trudged through.
I have said before
that this is not a Best Pub Guide to England. How
could it be? Not only is such a list entirely subjective,
it could change from one tour to the next. Plus of
course it is virtually impossible. How could we include
the White lion at Cray, but exclude the Falcon at
Arncliffe? Although we have visited and justly lauded
the George at Hubberholme, you will not find it in
the Red Lions book, because we turned right and over
the tops at the head of Wharfedale, instead of left
and up Langstrothdale. But if this were a Best Pub
Guide, then the White Lion would be in it.
Fortunately, with
this web site version, we can include whatever pub
we want.
