Buckden Pike and the Polish Memorial

• From the car park exit, pick up the signed bridleway and climb through Rakes Wood onto Buckden Rake, a broad track that follows the line of a Roman road.
• Continue up to the grassy 702 m summit of Buckden Pike, with broad views over the surrounding dales.
• Follow the flagged path south along the ridge for roughly half a mile to the Polish Memorial Cross, which commemorates five Polish airmen killed when their Wellington bomber crashed here in 1942.
• Descend across open moorland to Starbotton, cross the footbridge over the River Wharfe, and return north on the Dales Way riverside path, crossing at Dubb's Lane and the road bridge back into Buckden.

Rated strenuous, 7 out of 10, with around 498 m of ascent. The main climb is long and sustained rather than technical, with steep, rocky and flagged sections higher up. There is no scrambling on this route. Expect rough ground on the moorland descent and a boggy stretch of about a quarter of a mile just south of the memorial after wet weather, so waterproof footwear helps. The riverside return is gentle and straightforward.

The ridge and summit plateau are high, open moorland with no shelter, and conditions there can differ sharply from the valley floor. Carry map, compass and windproof layers, and treat low cloud seriously, since paths across the moor are less obvious than the clear tracks lower down.

This is classic limestone dale country: walled pastures and hay meadows in Wharfedale below, heather and rough grazing above. Limestone caves and sinkholes are a permanent feature of this landscape, so stay on established paths and keep well clear of open holes in the ground. The upland stretch also carries older human traces, from the Roman road line of Buckden Rake to Walden Road, an old packhorse route. Clear, dry days give the broadest views, and low sun early or late in the day suits the ridge and the memorial cross.

• Parking is pay and display at the National Park car park in Buckden.
• Dogs are welcome on the public rights of way used by this route.
• Keep dogs on short leads or under close control near livestock, and take extra care where ground-nesting birds may be present.
• For a much easier day with the same valley scenery, the low level riverside path between Buckden and Starbotton can be walked as a there-and-back without the summit climb.