A Yorkshire Dales Pub Crawl

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Upper Wharfedale stretches from the watershed above Buckden in North Yorkshire down to Addingham and Ilkley in West Yorkshire and holds some of the best limestone scenery in the Yorkshire Dales. It also holds some fine 'watering holes', difficult to reach without drinking and driving.

Pride of the Dales run a fairly regular Monday to Saturday service from Ilkley (74) and Skipton (72) to Grassington, with a limited service continuing on to Buckden. Using these buses it is possible to explore many of the fine pubs in the dale. A day rover ticket covering all Pride of the Dales services can be purchased from the driver.

There are also buses on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Wakefield, Leeds and Ilkley to Grassington and Buckden (DalesBus 874), and from Burnley, Colne and Skipton to Grassington (DalesBus 872). On Summer Sundays and Bank Holidays DalesBus 800 travels the full length of the dale, even passing the White Lion at Cray, en route from York, Leeds and Ilkley to Aysgarth and Hawes.

Full timetable information on all bus services in the Yorkshire Dales can be obtained via the DalesBus website. Pride of the Dales can be contacted on 01756 753123.

Rather than describe a pub crawl in detail, this article lists the pubs which are accessible using the bus along with some information about them which should help you plan your own crawl.

The listing starts at the Southern end of Upper Wharfedale and works Northwards. All the pubs listed, except for some of those in Addingham, serve food at lunchtime.

For more detailed information on all real-ale pubs in the Craven area, why not purchase a copy of latest edition of Dales Ale, published by Keighley and Craven CAMRA

(NOTE: Any opinions reflected in this article are those of the author. Any information relating to beer range and opening times of the pubs listed is, as far as the author is aware, correct. The pub information was partially updated in November 2011. Neither the author, nor Keighley and Craven CAMRA accept any liability for errors or inaccuracies.)

Addingham

Addingham has 5 pubs, all serving real ale, all can be found on the main street. At one end of the village is the Craven Heifer , at the other is the Fleece. The first and last are highly food-oriented. More down to earth are the Swan and the Crown and in between is the Sailor. The best choice for beer is the Swan, regularly listed in CAMRA‘s Good Beer Guide, where Tetley Bitter is complemented by three to four guest beers. The Crown often also offers a guest beer. Addingham also has a chippy.

Bolton Abbey

At the Devonshire Hotel you will find real ale in the public bar. The style is not to the author's tastes and the beer is on the pricey side - the name, 'the Devonshire Arms Brasserie and Bar' gives you some idea of what to expect. The nearby Abbey is well worth a visit and Strid Woods are an excellent place for a walk, especially if you appreciate wildlife. The Devonshire Arms is on bus route 74 (Monday to Saturday).

Appletreewick

Appletreewick is approximately 4 km by road (or 2 km by footpath using the stepping stones at Drebley) from the main road, but fortunately the 74 bus goes through the village Monday to Saturday. Appletreewick is well worth visiting. It can also be reached from Barden Tower (over 3 km) or Burnsall (about 2.5 km) by walking the Dalesway, which follows the river bank. The New Inn changed hands in Spring 2007 but so far the new owners have maintained the beer quality and ambience of the pub. It is now open all day and serves full meals at lunch time and in the evening and hearty snacks in between. It sells Daleside Bitter, John Smith's Bitter, Theakston Old Peculier, Black Sheep Best Bitter and another ale from the Daleside brewery (usually Blonde) on draught. The New Inn also sells both draught and a wide range of bottled foreign beers. The Craven Arms was fully refurbished several years ago, at which point the bar was moved back to its original location and the pub was divided back into two separate rooms. The cruck barn added at the rear is worth investigating. It sells a good range of cask ales including a house beer brewed by Dark Horse. There‘s a good selection of home-cooked food available at reasonable prices. The Craven was voted Keighley and Craven CAMRA Pub of the Season for Winter 2011/12.

Burnsall

Burnsall is on the bus route and has two real ale outlets. The Devonshire Fell Hotel is up the hill back towards Bolton Abbey, the Red Lion is adjacent to the bridge. The Fell was extensively refurbished several years ago and is now called the Devonshire Fell Hotel and Bistro. The Devonshire Fell Hotel offers up to three beers from the Copper Dragon range. The stone-flagged Red Lion, next to the bridge, focuses mainly on food but does serve a good range of cask beers: 2 from Copper Dragon, 2 from Taylors and a guest beer, often Ilkley Mary Jane.

Hebden

Hebden is a 2.5km walk along the river from Burnsall. It is also the terminus of some services on the Mondays to Saturdays 72 bus route. The Clarendon is a free house selling Taylors Best Bitter, Tetley Bitter and Black Sheep Ale alongside two rotating guest beers (Taylor Golden Best and Moorhouses Black Witch in late August 2009, Tetley Mild and Kelda Gold on 06/07/09). To get to the Clarendon from the river footpath, walk up into the village from the suspension bridge and turn left when you reach the main Grassington to Pateley Bridge road. Anyone interested in industrial archaeology might like to visit the old lead workings approximately 3 km up Hebden beck from the pub. A 3 km stroll along the main river (upstream) will take you to the next cluster of pubs in Linton, Threshfield and Grassington.

Linton

Linton is a very picturesque village with a large green cut in half by a babbling brook, spanned by an ancient stone bridge. The Fountaine Inn looks onto the green and serves cask ales. The range does vary but typical would be John Smith's Bitter, Black Sheep Best Bitter and Tetley Bitter plus a a house beer (e.g. ‘Independent IPA’, brewery and origin unknown). Most buses on the 72 route (Monday to Saturday) go through the village. The 74 passes the road-end about 200 yards from the village. Threshfield (1 km) and Grassington (1.5 km) are also within easy walking distance by footpath. The Fountaine stays open and usually serves food all day, all year.

Grassington

Grassington is the place to head for in the afternoon if you are exploring the lower part of the area. As well as being an attractive town with a cobbled square, it boasts 4 pubs, all of which stay open all day on Sundays and probably on other days too. The No. 5 (the public bar/rstaurant in the Grassington House Hotel) and the Devonshire Arms are on the Square. The Black Horse is up Garrs Lane about 20 metres from the square, whilst the Foresters Arms is tucked away about 100 metres up the Main Street. The Foresters usually offers Black Sheep Best Bitter, Tetley Bitter and Mild, both Taylors Best Bitter and Landlord and often offers a guest beer. In winter, Black Sheep Riggwelter is often available - this is the only outlet for this beer in the branch area. The No. 5 usually has two Thwaites beers and a guest ale whilst the Black Horse serves Greene King. All buses stop at the National Park Visitor Centre which is a short walk from the Square, the 72/74 also pick up and drop off in the square.

Threshfield

Threshfield is a pleasant village astride the main road up the valley from Skipton. The Old Hall sells Timothy Taylor Landlord, Theakston Best Bitter, John Smiths Cask, Tetley Bitter and sometimes Courage Directors. On Sunday the 872 from Burnley and Skipton will drop you at the door, the other buses do not pass the Old Hall but the stop is about 2 minutes walk from it.

Long Ashes

The Gamekeepers Inn on the extensive Long Ashes Caravan Site has a pleasant bar and is open to the public, selling mainly Thwaites beers. It is good to see this place re-open after a long period of closure in 2009/10.

Kilnsey

The Tennant Arms Hotel is located just along the road from the spectacular Kilnsey Crag. The emphasis is on food. Cask beers from Black Sheep and Copper Dragon are usually available. Buses stop at the door.

Kettlewell

Kettlewell is the largest settlement at the head of the valley, although sadly the majority of the properties are either holiday cottages or second homes. In winter this makes it feel a bit of a ghost town, but in the summer months it is usually bustling, especially during the scarecrow festival. Here you have a choice of three pubs, all of which stay open all day on summer Sundays - in winter and during the week the situation may be different. The Kings Head is under new management since Spring 2008 and the usual beer range now is Tetley Bitter, Black Sheep Bitter and Buttertubs from the Yorkshire Dales Brewery in Askrigg. The Blue Bell serves up to four beers from Copper Dragon, whilst the Racehorses serves all three Taylors light-coloured beers plus at least two others from other suppliers. The buses stop outside the Racehorses/Blue Bell. The Kings Head is at the opposite corner of the 'square-shaped' village.

Starbotton

Starbotton is a pretty village approximately 3 km from Kettlewell. The bus stops outside the Fox and Hounds, which has Black Sheep Bitter, Timothy Taylors Landlord and sometimes a guest beer. The food is always of a high standard. There are two footpaths between Kettlewell and Starbotton, one along the West side the river, the other one through the fields on the East side of the road. These combine to make an excellent circular walk. The 3 km walk on to Buckden (West side of the river) is also recommended.

Buckden

In the hamlet of Buckden the Buck Hotel was reported closed in Summer 2010 but it is now trading again (Autumn 2011). When this page was last updated, no further information was available.

Hubberholme

From Buckden it is a 2 km walk along the Hawes road or the river bank to the tiny hamlet of Hubberholme. Contrary to logic, in very wet weather, the river bank is the recommended route as the road floods and becomes impassable to walkers! The George is a cosy, stone-flagged pub serving Black Sheep Ale alongside a beer from Yorkshire Dales Brewery in Askrigg, both always in excellent condition. It was supposedly one of J.B. Priestley's favourite watering holes. If open, the church is worth a quick look inside. The George is closed all day Monday throughout the year and in winter is often closed on other weekdays. If you are hoping to visit it during the week, try ringing the pub first to check opening hours. The George was joint winner of Keighley and Craven CAMRA Pub of the Season Winter 2007/8.

Cray

From Buckden it is also a 2 km walk uphill to the other tiny valley-head hamlet of Cray. Here you will find the White Lion. The White Lion is a friendly, small, stone-flagged pub which serves up to five beers, usually Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and/or Scotts 1816 alongside Landlord and/or Golden Best plus John Smiths Cask. The White Lion changed hands in September 2007 but so far remains little changed. Cray, Hubberholme and Buckden form an equilateral triangle, which makes an enjoyable stroll.

Other useful information

If you manage to miss the bus back, many of the pubs listed above do accommodation. For a list of these, and other more detailed information, see our local award-winning guide Dales Ale.

Many suggestions are given above for walks between pubs. As well as excellent scenery, Wharfedale has some interesting flora and fauna, especially in summer. Look out for nuthatches, redstarts, yellow wagtails, sand martins and spotted flycatchers on the wing and Bloody Cranesbill, Birds Eye Primrose, various orchids and many other interesting plants on the ground. Kingfishers and dippers can be seen on the river if you are lucky. In Winter the valley can be home to large flocks of thrushes (redwing and fieldfare) and buzzards are seen more regularly. Wading birds (lapwing, curlew, redshank, common sandpiper) nest in the area and Ring Ouzels can be found in some of the side valleys in summer. If you are very lucky and very observant you may spot a peregrine falcon.