Cray is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

on the B6160 road on a steep hill above

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...

in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It is near Buckden and the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

. It is a very popular walking area and is renowned for several waterfalls known collectively as Cray Waterfalls. The name of the settlement derives from the same name for the nearby beck (Cray Gill); Old Welsh ''Crei'', meaning fresh. The settlement was not mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, first being recorded in 1202 when a meadow was granted as a fine to William de Arches at ''Creigate''. Historically, the hamlet was in the township of Buckden, in the Parish of Arncliffe, which was in

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...

Staincliffe Staincliffe is a cross-over district of both Batley and Dewsbury, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. ...

. It is in the civil parish of Buckden, and is represented at Westminster as part of the Skipton and Ripon Constituency. 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. 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. There are other pubs in the area (''The George Inn'' in

Hubberholme Hubberholme is an old village in Upper Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England, at the point where Langstrothdale meets Wharfedale. It is quite secluded and the nearest village is Buckden. The village was a favourite place ...

, and ''The Buck Inn'' in Buckden), but the White Lion is recognised as being the highest pub in Upper Wharfedale. A public house is believed to have been on the site since the 14th century, and was known to be a drovers inn. On 5 July 2014, the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

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 at an average gradient of 7.1%. The climb was at the 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 The 2019 UCI Road World Championships was the 92nd edition of the UCI Road World Championships, the annual world championships for road bicycle racing. It took place between 22 and 29 September 2019 in the Historic counties of England, historic c ...

. The long-distance walk, a

Pennine Journey Pennine Journey is a circular trail that starts and ends in Settle, North Yorkshire, England. The route is based on a walk taken by Alfred Wainwright in 1938 and described by him in a book published in 1986. From Settle, the route heads north ...

, 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."

References

External links

*{{oscoor gbx, SD942792 Hamlets in North Yorkshire Wharfedale