Micros Managed

I don't like unfinished business. When my life is done, I will 100% be the kind of person who comes back as a ghost because I've forgotten to take the bins out or I've missed a delivery. This dislike for things undone extends to pub visits too. There have been times when, upon visiting a specific destination, that I've ended up having to miss out a pub. There are numerous reasons why that might be the case. I may have chosen to visit on a day, or at a time, when a particular pub is closed. The pub might be randomly shut due to unforeseen circumstances on the occasion that I happen to swing by. Alternatively, and this is important, new venues may have opened since I was last in the area. This triumvirate of reasons brings me to the crux of what this blog is about. Over the past few years, a number of micropubs have opened up, all in various locations and in varying degrees of proximity. For one reason or another, I hadn't had the opportunity to visit them. It made sense to rectify that and, more so, to make it my mission, over the course of a few weeks, to finally tick off these venues that had thus far eluded me. Given their respective locations, along with their opening times, I thought it best to attempt this task in two stages. The first stage would send me north, out of the city centre, to one specific pub. The second part would see me crossing county boundaries, into Derbyshire and back, to cast my eye over a number of venues, before finishing off in the city centre, hoping to finally cross off a pub that resisted my last attempt to visit. Come with me now as I dive deep into this crop of fine establishments, all very different but all very much worth a visit from a beery traveller. 

The first stage of my project began on a Thursday, a few weeks back. I had a few hours to kill before I attended a regular pub quiz in the evening. The gap gave me the perfect opportunity to investigate a pub that I had failed to visit before. My plan was simple: board a bus to said location, visit the pub, enjoy a pint and then return to town in plenty of time for said quiz. Conveniently, the location at which I'd chosen to begin is served by a direct bus from round the corner from home. So, late afternoon, I jumped aboard the number 53, bound for the suburb of Arnold. The bus took a while, although this was primarily due to traffic congestion brought about by diversions due to roadworks. After around an hour, I disembarked. I had made it to Daybrook, a suburb north of the centre, abutting Arnold. On the main Mansfield Road through the area, there is a micropub. The longest established of the ones that will feature here, this is The Abdication. 

Located in the shadow of the imposing building that once housed Home Ales Brewery, the Abdication is Arnold's first micropub. It occupies part of an Art Deco listed building, constructed in 1936/37 as part of the brewery's celebrations for the coronation of Edward VIII. His subsequent decision to abdicate the throne gives the pub its name. Prior to its current use, the building was previously a shop and had also been a barber's. It was empty for two years before it was resurrected and given a new lease of life. Such is its reputation, that it is listed in the 2025 edition of the Good Beer Guide and has featured several times in previous years. Long time readers may remember that I visited Daybrook/Arnold many years ago for the blog. On that day, The Abdication was closed. I've longed to go back and finally visit it. The thought of it sitting there, filled with beer, knowing that I had to yet to step through its doors, had niggled at the back of my brain ever since. Thankfully, I was about to scratch the itch. Entering through the front door brings you into an open space in front of the bar. The overall layout is that of a reversed letter 'L'. The short arm houses the bar and low tables inside the front windows. The longer arm leads to a more secluded area with a couple of scrubbed wooden tables and chairs. Several stools are scattered throughout, and there are drinking ledges along the wall. Lighting is bright but not intrusive and the large front windows make the most of any natural light. A single toilet is to the rear, up a small step. There is also a separate accessible toilet that avoids the step up. The decor is a mix of bric-a-brac, old posters and adverts, drawings and photos, as well as artefacts reflecting the history of the area, including an abundance of old Home Ales merchandise. The floors throughout are bare wood and there is even a real fire to keep out the Autumn chill. The small bar, opposite the door, features 4 handpulls, alongside a range of keg beers and some real ciders. I was ready to get stuck in, especially after my longer than expected bus journey. Luckily, I had some interesting choices to pick through. On the day, my cask options were North Riding Cascade Pale, Thornbridge Jaipur, Buxton Right to Roam, and Three Acre Skylark Stout. For a second I was tempted by the Right to Roam. I don't see Buxton on cask very often down this way. In the end though, I went for a pint of the North Riding, paying a frankly astonishingly reasonable £3.80 for the privilege. There was only one other customer in at the time, a regular who was on good terms with the landlord. Not wanting to intrude on their conversation, I made my way to a table down the long part of the room, where I could enjoy my beer and assess my surroundings. First things first, the beer was excellent. At 4%, the Cascade Pale is exactly what it sounds like: a pale ale hopped with US Cascade. This makes it punchy, with unique citrus qualities and a surprisingly clean finish. It seemed that my long awaited visit to The Abdication had been well and truly worth the wait. As well as the beer, the pub is lovely. It's light, friendly and welcoming, and a true oasis of calm on what is a very busy main road. It would be quite easy to while away an hour or two, or even a whole evening, here. In the current hellscape that is the hospitality climate, you don't last long if you don't make the effort. The Abdication's longevity is testament to a job well done. I can't believe it took me so long to visit but I certainly feel like I've made up for it now. I spent a few long minutes absorbing the atmosphere and enjoying my delicious pint. Phase one of my micro mission was turning out wonderfully. 

Following my dalliance in Daybrook, it would be a full 3 weeks until I was able to head out for part 2 of this particular excursion. The second part would be longer, feature more pubs and be slightly more of a logistical challenge, although not by much. I had a strong itinerary in mind, the majority of which would again see me returning to the scene of a previous blog, but this time would incorporate venues that didn't exist when I was last there. All in all, I would visit 5 pubs on the day, 4 of them new to me and another that previously existed under a different name. Given that some of the pubs didn't open until the evening, I was in no rush to get anywhere. I left the house around 12.30, got the bus to the city centre and then waited a few minutes for an additional bus that would convey me on my way. My first destination would be Long Eaton, just over the border into Derbyshire, a place I have previously lived and which also featured in a very early blog in these fine pages. I eventually arrived in Long Eaton shortly after 2pm, disembarking at the Market Place. Mere yards away, I would find my first stop of the day: York Chambers.

This rather imposing building was formerly a branch of Midland Counties Bank, built in 1903, in an Art Nouveau style. Now Grade II listed, the facade has remained relatively unchanged. The ground floor is now a micropub and has retained several of the features from its former life. Entering through the door, you first come to a small entrance lobby, still in situ from the banking days. The floors are bare boarded and the walls are of a light oak, also original. Hanging globe lights create a subtle ambience. The small bar occupies one corner. Furniture is spread throughout, in the form of traditional wooden tables and chairs. The original chimney breast sits at one end of the room. The conversion to pub use has been done sensitively and to a high standard. A temperature controlled cool room sits adjacent to the bar. This houses the beers, which are served by gravity dispense. This would become a theme throughout the day. The toilets are located in the far corner of the room. The day of my trip was October 30th, the day before Halloween. As a result, almost all of the pubs I visited had thoroughly embraced the festivities and were decorated accordingly. It also meant that several spooky seasonal beers would be found during my visits. Speaking of beers, let's get to it. At the time of my stop-off, 5 were available, all served direct from the cask, as mentioned previously. The options were Frome Funky Monkey, Froth Blowers Sporting Times, Titanic Iceberg, Frome Space Taxi, and Little Critters Shire Horse. The Space Taxi (4.5%) immediately jumped out at me. I paid £4.40 for a pint and retreated to a table in a corner of the room. I was instantly impressed by the comfort and warmth of the place. The amalgamation of the old bank building and the newer pub features is seamless. It's really good to see the history of the original building being included. It adds character and sets it apart from some venues that may strip out the older historical elements. I have to say, the beer is cracking too. Space Taxi is billed as a West Coast pale, which can be a divisive style due to the pronounced bitterness. In this case, the use of El Dorado hops gives pear, mango and melon on the nose and a palate of more pear and mango but also white peach and apricot. The finish is biscuity, dry and lingering. In short, it's very good indeed. Frome have a great portfolio of beers and they're always worth a go if you ever see one in the wild. 

My time at York Chambers was over far too quickly but I'd enjoyed myself. It strikes me as one of those venues that could easily be overlooked. From the outside, you wouldn't necessarily know that it was a pub. Still, with a unique ambience and excellent beer, you could definitely (and I have) do a lot worse. I was staying in Long Eaton for my next stop, and this would be something different entirely. Making my way down towards the high street, I turned left and then turned right. This took me onto Waverley Street, which then becomes Cross Street and then Main Street. Shortly afterwards I turned right, onto High Street. A few yards further on is my next stop: Rowell's Drinking Emporium.

I know what you're thinking. This doesn't look like a pub at all. Worry not. This is a very cool and interesting place indeed. The Good Beer Guide 2025 listed Rowell's is an absolute gem, for reasons that will soon become abundantly clear. This former draper's shop once sold everything from curtains to underwear and was run by three generations of the same family for more than a century. It is now a micropub, although the word 'micro' is doing a lot of heavy lifting as the interior is quite spacious. Many of the shop's original features are still in place. Wooden shelving and cabinets still remain and the bar counter is one of the original shop counter tops. The rest of the decor is all made from recycled and reclaimed materials, including the floor and cupboards. The overall effect is quirky and nostalgic, enhanced by the myriad items on display, including a wooden washing mangle, a hobby horse, old furniture, woodwork, a stained glass panel featuring a peacock, and even a Victorian era street lamp repurposed as a table centrepiece. The room is long, with furniture along its length, including poser tables, traditional wooden items and even a long, wooden storage cabinet that has found a new life as a long table. The toilets are located to the rear. The bar is to the right as you enter, with a temperature controlled cool room beyond, from which beer is once again dispensed via gravity. The aforementioned stained glass is the frontispiece to this area, and the 'cellar' can be viewed through it if you're close enough. This is a very novel take on the micropub model. Indeed, throughout the day, and on my Daybrook jaunt, it was really interesting to see how different micropubs still stick to the core values of the idea and find their own original niche. I was spoilt for choice for beer here too, with 5 options available. My choices were Northern Monkey Steady As She Goes, Acorn Barnsley Gold, Elgood's Poltergeist, Woodforde's Once Bitten and Woodforde's Nog. I fancied something seasonal so opted for the Poltergeist (4.2%), from Cambridgeshire's Elgood's Brewery. A pint set me back £4.40. I took my pint to a high stool at a poser table next to the cellar window. I was thoroughly impressed with this place. It's no surprise that the pub has won plaudits for the conversion that has been done here. You'd struggle to find a pub with an aesthetic like this. Was the praise for its beer warranted too? Oh my, yes! The Poltergeist is a rye ale, dark red in colour, with a good malty balance and an underlying sweetness. It's perfect for the darker evenings of Autumn. Everyone involved with this place should be commended. What a gem this is! The fact that the pub was fairly busy at 3pm on a Thursday should be taken as a very good sign indeed. 

So far, so good. My day was turning out to be even better than expected. I was nowhere near done yet though. Leaving Rowell's, admittedly with a heavy heart, I set about making my way to my next destination. My knowledge of the area meant that I knew exactly where I needed to go and I'd decided to walk the next stretch of the journey. I made my way back down the high street and then out to the main Tamworth Road, where I turned left. My next stop was directly down this road, a walking distance of around 20-25 minutes. I set off along the route taking the time to wander briefly along the nearby canal. After a short while, I went up and over a road bridge. I was travelling in the direction of Sawley, the neighbouring settlement and another place that featured in a previous blog. Before too long, Long Eaton railway station hove into view and, opposite that, my third stop of the day, Sawley Junction.

Don't let the non-descript and slightly worse for wear facade fool you. This is a Good Beer Guide 2025 listed micropub, named after the former moniker of the nearby railway station. The building has had a mixed history. It started life as a three-storey bank building, a branch of Midland Bank. In the 1940s, the top floor, then a flat, was removed. An armed robbery took place in the 1960s, which made the local news and then in the 1970s, the walls were rendered and painted, resulting in the current appearance. The building ceased to be a bank and became a sandwich shop and then an off-licence before several years of closure and disuse. Nowadays, it is a very well-appointed micropub, renovated to a high standard and with prominent railway theming. Inside, you will find a single room, arranged around a central pillar, with a bar in one corner. Banquette seating and benches trace the perimeter of the room, with high stools around the pillar in the middle. As well as various railway paraphernalia, a cabinet filled with motorbike themed books is mounted on the wall. The single toilet is in the far corner and operates a traffic light system to avoid any unintentional intrusion. Once again, beer here is served via gravity from a cool room behind the bar. The beers are listed on the wall above the bar, separated by dark and light styles. Keg beers and real ciders are also available. I was faced with an impressive beer choice, with 8 to choose from. The options were Theakston Portergeist, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Bang the Elephant Junction Ale, Bang the Elephant Graveyard Sun, Bentley Brook Hard Graft, Fownd Labyrinth of Lost Souls, Birch Cottage benchdonkees, and Triple Point Zephyr. With so much choice, it took me a moment before I eventually settled on Labyrinth of Lost Souls (4.6%), a pale ale from Kidderminster based Fownd Brewery. £4.20 later and I was perched on a high stool, with a very delicious beer indeed. Archer and Cascade hops give the beer a floral flavour with hints of apricot, and an aroma of delicate citrus. Despite the pub's small size, Sawley Junction boasts a lot of character and charm. The general feel is that of an old-school railway pub or a tea room. It's a world away from the busy traffic island outside. Entering it almost feels like a magical veil has lifted. A low-key exterior manifests into something magical once you cross the threshold. I'd been past this pub numerous times since it opened. My first visit was more than justified. I'd been missing out. 

With my tasty beer down the hatch again, it was on to the next part of the journey. I would be back on the bus this time. Handily, there is a bus stop on the main road, a few yards from Sawley Junction. I would be travelling back the way I had come, through Long Eaton and Chilwell and getting off at Attenborough, a small village that borders Chilwell on the outskirts of Beeston. Attenborough is primarily known for its excellent nature reserve but the village itself has an attractive church, some lovely houses and, most importantly for my needs, a micropub, known as The Bird Hide.

Opened in 2021, The Bird Hide sits within a row of small businesses as you enter the village from the Beeston end. The interior is bright with strings of fairy lights and subdued wall lighting illuminating the place. Pump clips adorn the wall throughout. Furniture is simple and wooden and the flooring is bare tiles. A small, wooden bar sits at the end of a relatively long room, beyond which is the cool room. This is another pub that utilises gravity dispense. The decoration is very bird heavy, which is to be expected in a venue named after a lookout used by bird watchers. And it's in the decoration that the pub's personality truly comes to the fore. There is a genuine, working, accurate cuckoo clock mounted on the wall, a miniature bar, with chicken barman, in a small display that, when fed 20p, does something, although I don't know what. Bird themed imagery is on the walls, including in the toilets where helpful posters help you identify different hooters (owls) and cocks (chickens). It's always nice when a pub has a sense of humour, more of which is evidenced by a sign on the beer fridge, accompanied by Timmy Mallett's face (younger readers, ask your dad), that refers to the fridge as a 'itsy bitsy teenie weenie, beer cooling fridge machinie'. Brilliant. I'd heard many a good thing about The Bird Hide before arriving here so I was eager to put their beer to the test. 6 gravity dispensed goodies were awaiting me. I had the choice between RedWillow Textile, Full Mash Summit She Brewed, Lenton Lane 600, Red Dog Shires' Reserve, Castle Rock Space Junk and the house beer, Murmuration, originally brewed by Old Sawley but now under the remit of Full Mash since that brewery sadly closed. It was to this beer, named after the mesmeric movements of a group of starlings, that I was drawn. With time getting on, I opted for a half on this occasion, which set me back £2.25. This is a 4.2% pale ale and very nice it is too! Equal parts fruity and floral, it has a sweetness in the backbone, complimented by a dry, refreshing finish. However brief my time at The Bird Hide was, I very much enjoyed it. I felt really at home here. For some reason, something about the place feels both welcoming and calming. The theming is a nice touch and creates an identity that allows the pub to stand out. I could have stayed here for much, much longer. In the end though, I was driven to move on.

I had one stop left. Once again, I was on a bus and this time I would ride it all the way back to Nottingham, getting off in the city centre, at the terminus. My last stop would be one that had evaded me previously. I headed in the direction of Derby Road, with a singular location in mind. Those of you who read my Derby Road blog from earlier in the year will remember that I attempted to visit the Mist Rolling Inn as my last stop of the day. For whatever reason, it had been closed after it's scheduled opening time on that particular occasion. Now it was time to try again.

Of all the pubs I visited for this blog, this is the only one I'd been to before. Back then it was known as Room With a Brew when it was operated by the now defunct Scribblers Ales, who opened it in 2016. It was taken over as an independent venue in 2020 and then again in 2022 when it took on the current name and was rebranded. The name is taken from the lyrics to Mull of Kintyre, a favourite song of Nottingham Forest fans, reflecting the football allegiance of the owner. This name change has led to the pub being avoided by Notts County supporters. Inside, the pub is long and narrow with the bar at the end. Seating is located either side of the space between the door and the bar. Toilets are outside, accessed through the back of the building, past the bar, where there is also a smoking area. A downstairs room hosts live bands on a regular basis. The flooring is bare wood with the furniture consisting of wooden tables, high stools and soft furnishings. Faux-brick wallpaper covers the walls, which are decorated with old brewery adverts, music posters and other memorabilia. The bar features 4 handpulls, 3 of which were available when I wandered in from the chilly October evening. I was faced with the choice of Little Critters Chocodile, Hollow Stone The Devils Punchbowl and Woodforde's Once Bitten. Attracted by the name if nothing else, I went for a half of the Chocodile (4.5%), a chocolate milk stout. This cost me £2.75. I took a seat just opposite the bar but facing the door, listening to the sounds of a metal band soundchecking in the downstairs room. My beer was nice enough. It was smooth and creamy and had notes of caramel and coffee. It didn't blow me away though. It was drinkable and tasted fine. It just wasn't exceptional. If I'm honest, I think I'd been spoiled by so much good beer throughout the day. I think the same can be said for the pub itself. Amongst the handful I'd been to across the afternoon, this is the one that stuck with me the least. That's not to say that there's anything inherently bad about it. The decor is cool and the beer was OK. It just didn't immediately strike me in the way that the others had. Still, I had finally been able to visit it in its current incarnation so I was pleased in that respect.

And with that, my mission was complete. Over the course of two separate trips, I'd ticked off half a dozen micropubs that I'd been itching to get to. And, if I'm honest, as well as being a fun time, it was also educational. The scope and range of micropubs is impressive. Whilst each one fit the basic model of what a micropub is, each one also showed what a micropub 'can' be. Each was unique and focused on their own way of doing things. A lot of people turn their noses up at micropubs. 'Not proper pubs'. 'No atmosphere'. 'Too small'. These are some of the reductionist comments I've heard against them. I, for one, love a good micro. Yes, they might be small. They might not serve food. They might not have music, although some of them do and most of the ones on this trip did. It's not about that. It's about the experience. It's about finding new ways to keep pubs going, supporting communities and industries, and making sure that there are still places for people to escape to, even just for an hour or so. Micropubs should be embraced. They offer something different, but also something achingly familiar. The pub, with all its comforts, but in a smaller footprint. Welcoming, homely and comfortable. In a world where even big pubs face an existential threat, maybe the little guys deserve more credit. If micropubs are the future, then sign me up. 

Best pub: The Bird Hide. A wonderful bird-themed boozer.

Honourable mention: Rowell's Drinking Emporium. A wonderful conversion that serves excellent beer.

Biggest surprise: Sawley Junction. Don't be fooled by the outside. Wonders await within!

Best beer: Frome, Space Taxi. Unexpectedly brilliant.

A Feast in the East

I always have a good time in Lincolnshire. As conversation starters go, I realise that this one is a bit random, but it's the truth. Every trip I've ever made to England's second largest county has been a success. Last year's outings, to Stamford and Boston respectively, surpassed my expectations and so too did a trip to Lincoln that Amy and I embarked on in 2019. Even before that, all the way back to a trip to Grantham in 2017, I've been, at times, pleasantly surprised by what Lincolnshire can have to offer, even outside of the tried and tested destinations. So, when my good friend Roger, otherwise known as Dog, suggested a trip to the neighbouring towns of Cleethorpes and Grimsby, I jumped at the chance to once again explore some new locations, particularly if it meant revisiting an area with such a proven track record. Last week, these plans came to fruition. 

I must admit that neither Cleethorpes or Grimsby had been on my radar to begin with. On paper, they don't jump out as the kind of places that would have much of a pub scene to write home about, let alone a reputation for real ale. However, some research soon indicated that there was perhaps more to enjoy than meets the eye. Both locations have a handful of venues that it seemed would be worth a shout, even if the whole trip in general came about from a massive change of plan. Originally, Huddersfield would have been our destination but this was curtailed when we discovered that Huddersfield station is currently closed for massive renovations and we'd be placing our trust in that most dreaded of vehicles: a rail replacement bus. That plan is on the backburner, at least for the time being, and so we needed an alternative. Dog had been to Grimsby in the past but never Cleethorpes and I'd neglected both so it would be a learning experience for both of us. 

Before we get to the nitty gritty, for those with an interest in what makes these towns, well, interesting, here's a bit of background. Feel free to gloss over this if you're not so bothered. Cleethorpes is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then developing into a resort in the 19th century. Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of the three small villages of Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe.

The town lies on the Prime meridian, also known as the Greenwich meridian, and its average annual rainfall is amongst the lowest in the British Isles.

In 2021, The Trainline named Cleethorpes beach the second best seaside destination in the UK that is reachable by train, just behind Margate.

Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of three small villages: Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe, which were part of a wider parish called Clee (centred on Old Clee) named from clee, an old form of the word clay. The name Cleethorpes is of comparatively recent origin, combining the parish Clee with thorp, an Old English/Old Norse word for "village". The earliest attestations are 1552 for singular Clethorpe (meaning Itterby) and 1588 for plural Clethorpes (including Oole, adjacent to Itterby; later also Thrunscoe slightly to the south).

Whilst there are Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in the area, permanent occupation appears to date from the 6th century, with substantial communities appearing only in the 9th century when the Danes arrived.

The manor of Itterby was purchased in 1616 by the trustees of Peter Blundell's charity for the benefit of scholars and fellows at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from Blundell's School, Tiverton.

Cleethorpes developed as a fishing village. By the time of the 1801 census the population was 284. The 1820s saw the first developments of Cleethorpes as a health holiday resort, with sea-bathing and the taking of medicinal waters becoming fashionable. By 1831 the population had increased to 497.

In 1842 the Clee Inclosure Act 1842 (5 & 6 Vict. c. 1 Pr.) was enacted. 2,100 acres (8.5 km²) of land were divided among land owners and eight new roads developed. In 1848 Cleethorpes was described as
"...much resorted to as a bathing-place, for which it is highly eligible; the air is pure, the scenery good and besides a few lodging-houses and smaller inns, there is a large hotel, built some years since, on an eminence embracing extensive views of the sea, the Humber, and the Yorkshire coast. Many of the population are employed in the oyster-fisheries."

The resort expanded following the linking of the town by railway with industrial towns in Yorkshire. Cleethorpes Pier opened in 1873 and the promenade in 1885. Cleethorpes with Thrunscoe was created as a Local Board of Health District in 1873, and under the Local Government Act 1894 it became an urban district. Its headquarters was established at Cleethorpes Town Hall in 1905.

In 1916 the urban district was renamed Cleethorpes, and in 1922 and 1927 the town's boundaries were extended to include part of Humberston (as far as North Sea Lane) and the Beacon Hill area of Weelsby parish. In 1936 Cleethorpes was granted a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough.

Cleethorpes successfully resisted attempts by Grimsby to absorb it and in 1974 it became the Borough of Cleethorpes within the new county of Humberside. However, when Humberside County Council was abolished in 1996, Cleethorpes Borough Council was joined with Grimsby Borough Council as the unitary authority of North East Lincolnshire. In 2009 North East Lincolnshire Council agreed to market the towns of Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes, under the 'Greater Grimsby' banner.

Local residents from Lincolnshire and the Yorkshire and Humber area affectionately refer to Cleethorpes and its residents as Meggies. Cleethorpes can also be known as "down beach".

Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins Cleethorpes directly to the south-east, forming a conurbation. It is the administrative centre of the borough of North East Lincolnshire, which alongside North Lincolnshire is officially part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Grimsby is 45 mi (72 km) north-east of Lincoln, 33 mi (53 km) (via the Humber Bridge) south-east of Hull, and 50 mi (80 km) east of Doncaster.

Grimsby has notable landmarks including Grimsby Minster, Port of Grimsby, Cleethorpes Beach and Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre. Grimsby was once the home port for the world's largest fishing fleet around the mid-20th century, but fishing then fell sharply. The Cod Wars denied UK access to Icelandic fishing grounds and the European Union used its Common Fisheries Policy to parcel out fishing quotas to other European countries in waters within 200 nmi (370 km) of the UK coast. Grimsby suffered post-industrial decline like most other industrial towns and cities in the UK.

Food production has been on the rise in Grimsby since the 1990s. The Grimsby–Cleethorpes conurbation acts as a cultural and economic centre for much of north and east Lincolnshire. Grimsby people are called Grimbarians. The term codhead is also used jokingly, often for football supporters. Great Grimsby Day is 22 January. Grimsby is the second largest settlement by population in Lincolnshire after Lincoln.

There is archaeological evidence of a small town of Roman workers in the area in the 2nd century AD during Roman occupation. Located on The Haven, which flowed into the Humber, the site long provided a location for ships to shelter from approaching storms. It was well placed to exploit the rich fishing grounds in the North Sea.

Sometime in the 9th century AD, Grimsby was settled by Danes. Local folklore claims that the name Grimsby derives from Grim, a Danish (as an old term closer to "Viking") fisherman. The common toponymic suffix -by is derived from the Old Norse word býr for village (compare with Norwegian: by, Danish: by and Swedish: by). The legendary founding of Grimsby features in a medieval romance, the Lay of Havelock the Dane, but historians see this account as a myth.

In Norse mythology, Grim (Mask) and Grimnir (Masked One) are names adopted by the deity Oðin (Anglo-Saxon Woðen) when travelling incognito amongst mortals, as in the short poem known as "Grimnir's Sayings" (Grimnismal) in the Poetic Edda. The intended audience of the Havelock tale, recorded much later as the Lay of Havelock the Dane, may have taken the fisherman Grim to be Odin in disguise.

The Oðinic name "Grimr/Grim" occurs in many English place names in the historical Danelaw and elsewhere in Britain. Examples are numerous earthworks named Grimsdyke. Other British place names with the element Grim are explained as referring to Woðen/Oðin (e.g. Grimsbury, Grimspound, Grime's Graves, Grimsditch, Grimsworne), and Grimsby is likely to have the same derivation.

Grimsby is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having a population of around 200, a priest, a mill, and a ferry.

In the 12th century, Grimsby grew into a fishing and trading port, at one time ranking twelfth in importance to the Crown for tax revenue. The town gained its charter from King John in 1201. The first mayor was installed in 1202.

Grimsby had no town walls. It was too small and felt to be protected by the marshland around it. However, the town dug a defensive ditch.

Grimsby in medieval times had two parish churches, St Mary's and St James. St James, now Grimsby Minster, remains. It is associated with a folk tale of an imp who played tricks in the church and was turned into stone by an angel. A similar tale is told of Lincoln Cathedral.

In the mid-14th century, Grimsby benefited from the generosity of Edmund de Grimsby, a local man who became a senior Crown official and judge in Ireland.

In the 15th century, The Haven began to silt up, preventing ships in the Humber from docking. As a result, Grimsby entered a long period of decline until the late 18th century. In 1801, the population of Grimsby was 1,524, around the size it had been in the Middle Ages. By 1810 Joseph Smedley was hiring a purpose built theatre for seven Guineas.

In May 1796, the Grimsby Haven Company was formed by the Great Grimsby (Lincoln) Harbour Act 1796 (36 Geo. 3. c. 98), also known as the Grimsby Haven Act 1796, for the purpose of "widening, deepening, enlarging, altering and improving the Haven of the Town and Port of Great Grimsby". After the dredging of The Haven and related improvement in the early 19th century, Grimsby grew rapidly as the port boomed, importing iron, timber, wheat, hemp, and flax. New docks were needed to cope with the expansion. The necessary works were allowed under the Grimsby Docks Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. ccii).

In 1848, the arrival of the railway eased the transport of goods to and from the port to markets and farms. Coal mined in the South Yorkshire coalfields was brought by rail and exported through Grimsby. Rail links direct to London and the Billingsgate Fish Market allowed fresh "Grimsby fish" to gain nationwide renown. The first true fish dock opened in Grimsby in 1856, and the town became central to the development of the commercial fishing industry.

The Dock Tower was completed in 1851, followed by the Royal Dock in 1852. No.1 Fish Dock was completed in 1856, followed by No.2 Fish Dock in 1877. Alexandra Dock and Union Dock were completed in 1879. During this period, the fishing fleet was much expanded. In a rare reversal of usual trends, large numbers of fishermen from the south-east and Devon travelled north to join the Grimsby fleet. Over 40 per cent of the newcomers came from Barking in East London and other Thames-side towns.

In 1857, there were 22 vessels in Grimsby. Six years later there were 112. The first two legitimate steam trawlers built in Britain were based in Grimsby. A gale in February 1889 resulted in the loss of fifteen smacks and 70 to 80 lives. At that time it was thought to be one of the most serious losses to a single port.

By 1900, a tenth of the fish consumed in the United Kingdom was landed there, although there were also many smaller coastal fishing ports and villages involved. The demand for fish in Grimsby meant that at its peak in the 1950s it claimed to be the largest fishing port in the world. The population grew from 75,000 in 1901 to 92,000 by 1931.

The Great Depression and restructured fishing caused a sharp decline in employment. After that the population was fairly stable for the rest of the 20th century.

The Royal Dock became the UK's largest base for minesweepers patrolling the North Sea. The Admiralty requisitioned numerous trawlers to serve the purpose of the Royal Naval Patrol Service. Often the crew was ex-trawlermen, alongside Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Navy volunteers. Trawlers used the winches and warps from fishing operations to tow a paravane with a cutting jaw through the water in what was known as a "sweep" to bring mines to the surface and allow for their removal.

This hazardous work lost the Patrol Service more vessels than any other Royal Navy branch in the Second World War; 2,385 men died. Grimsby's Royal Naval Patrol Service veterans financed a memorial beside the Dock Tower to ensure that the bravery and sacrifice of their comrades were not forgotten.

On 14 June 1943, an early-morning air raid by the Luftwaffe dropped several 1,000-kg bombs, 6,000 incendiary bombs and over 3,000 Butterfly Bombs in the Grimsby area, killing 99 people. In total, Second World War bombing raids in Grimsby and Cleethorpes killed 196, while another 184 were seriously injured. The Butterfly Bombs that littered the area hampered fire-fighting crews trying to reach locations damaged by incendiary bombs. The search for bodies continued for a month after the raid.

HMS Grimsby is a Sandown class minehunter (commissioned in 1999) currently in service in the Royal Navy.

After the pressures placed on the industry during the Cod Wars and the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy, which redistributed fishing quotas to other EU nations, many Grimsby firms decided to cease trawling operations there. The sudden demise of the industry brought an end to a way of life and community that had lasted for generations. The loss of the fishing industry brought severe economic and social problems for the town. Huge numbers became redundant, highly skilled in jobs that no longer existed, and struggled to find work ashore. As with the Ross Group, some firms concentrated on expanding industries within the town, such as food processing.

Grimsby's trawling days are remembered through artefacts and permanent exhibits at the town's Fishing Heritage Centre. A preserved 1950s trawler, Ross Tiger, is located here. Few fishing vessels still operate from Grimsby's docks, but the town maintains a substantial fish market important in Europe.

Grimsby was struck by an F1/T3 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of a record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak that day. From the mid-1980s, the former Humber ferry PS Lincoln Castle has been moored in Alexandra Dock. She was used during this time as a pub\restaurant, but despite her design and status as Britain's last coal-fired paddle steamer, the catering no longer yielded a profit. The ship was broken up in 2010. Berthed in Alexandra Dock is the Ross Tiger, the last survivor of what was once the world's largest fleet of sidewinder trawlers.

The town was described in The Daily Telegraph in 2001 as one "subjected to... many crude developments over the past 30-odd years" and a town which "seemingly shuns the notion of heritage." Redevelopment was planned as part of Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance Towns Programme, but the scheme was abandoned in 2012.

In the early 21st century, the town faced the challenges of a post-industrial economy on top of the decline in its fishing industry. The East Marsh ward of the town is the second most deprived in the country, according to government statistics.

With the, admittedly long-winded, history stuff out of the way, let's get to it shall we? The first task for Dog and I would be in reaching our intended location. Grimsby and Cleethorpes are linked by a short-distance train service whereas Grimsby itself is reachable directly from Nottingham via train, with no changes. There is a caveat here though. Only every other train goes to Grimsby, with the intervening services only going as far as Lincoln. With the journey being around 2 hours, an early start would be required. We embarked on the 8.33 service from Nottingham and were soon slicing eastwards through the countryside. Hills soon gave way to the flatter expanse of the Fens as morning mist began to burn away in the heat of the sun. It would end up being an unexpectedly warm and pleasant day, with an equally unexpected amount of walking, but more on all of that later. As we reached our destination, the site of massive warehouses and dockside cranes loomed into view on the horizon. My hopes that we would be close enough, and the day clear enough, to see the Humber Bridge were dashed. We disembarked at Grimsby's surprisingly extravagant station and, after a few short minutes, boarded the local connection to Cleethorpes, a journey which takes around 10 minutes. For reasons of both geography and, so we thought, ease of travel, we would be starting our day in Cleethorpes and returning to Grimsby in plenty of time to visit some pubs there before our return train. Cleethorpes station is a decidedly open air affair, running parallel to the seafront. It was into this fine sea air that we would now dismount. Despite its small size and location, Cleethorpes station is blessed with not one, but two, pubs, one on each of its platforms. One of these would be opening later in the day and then we'd pay it a visit on our return. Handily though, the other such place was already open and would be our jumping off point for the day's activities. Heading away from the platform and towards what passes for a concourse, we soon located our first stop, No. 2 Refreshment Room.

Known locally as 'Under the Clock' due to the presence of the station clock tower directly above, this small establishment is the result of the successful conversion of the station's former refreshment room. It is entirely enclosed under the station roof and located at the end of platform 2. The outside area acts a beer garden, with wooden benches and a gate that allows access. Inside, a small, cosy pub awaits. The room is L-shaped, with the bar to one side. Seating is found mostly in the long arm of the 'L' consisting of banquettes around the perimeter, scrubbed wooden tables and iron-backed chairs. The walls are adorned with pump clips and memorabilia, including some from sadly defunct breweries, primarily in a railway theme. Union flag bunting hangs from the ceiling, although it is unclear whether this is a permanent feature. There are two TVs, one in each part of the 'L'. The small arm features a couple of poser tables and a large mirrored wall to the end. The pub is featured in the 2025 Good Beer Guide and has built a sizable reputation for both its beer and cider, reflected in one wall being dominated with various CAMRA awards. The curved bar drew our attention immediately, with its bank of 7 handpulls. 4 of these happened to be in use, offering a choice between Sharp's Solar Wave, Sharp's Sea Fury, Ossett White Rat and Rudgate Ruby Mild. Dog and I were about to put the pub's beer plaudits to the test. We opted for a half each of the White Rat, which totalled a very reasonable £3.90, and retreated to a table opposite the entrance. Bloody hell, what a way to start the day off! The White Rat was in excellent condition. I've had it before, in a few different places, and I'm not sure whether it's ever been as good as it was here, even in its native Yorkshire. We were impressed. As starter pubs go, this place is great. The beer is well kept, the welcome is warm and it's a very good use of a not particularly big space. It's worth noting that the pub has no public toilets. The closest ones are on the station concourse a few feet away. The pub also opens from 8.30am, although this can be subject to change. Cleethorpes is a seaside town so it's worth bearing in mind that business can be very seasonal. Regardless, our day had started off strongly. 

When researching pubs to include in Cleethorpes, one jumped out at me that I decided we had to visit. I've visited many strange, unusual and interesting pubs in my time and the next one on the itinerary certainly qualified in that category. To get there, we would need to do a bit of walking. At the time, I intended for this to be the longest walk of the day. For reasons that will become clear later, it didn't end up panning out that way. The advantage of being by the seaside, meant that we could take a stroll along the front, and so we did just that. Having left the station, we turned left and then right onto the main promenade. Our next stop is located effectively at the end of the seafront so we made our way along, taking in our surroundings, the sea view, the local landmarks and the fact that the tide here goes very far out indeed. We took a few photos and kept on going. We passed the local leisure centre and continued. By this time, we were off the seafront proper and walking in the direction of a local retail park and small heritage railway, a novel attraction which sees a miniature steam locomotive, operated by a conductor (who, I must stress, is not miniature and clearly a fully grown man) convey people along a short track between two junctions. At each end, there is a shop and there is also a cafe. There's something else there too, as I'll explain. After approximately 30 minutes or so, we came to a car park, which serves the railway and can also be used by visitors to the retail park opposite. We had reached the end (or start) of the heritage rail line, with its platform building laid out before us. The reason for our trek? The Signal Box Inn.

Welcome to the 'smallest pub on the planet'. Self-proclaimed and yet to be officially verified as such, this tiny place is exactly what is says it is. A genuine former signal box, taken from a Scunthorpe steelworks, was converted to a pub in 2006. The internal footprint is just 8" x 8" and will fit about 6 people at a push. The bar, unsurprisingly takes up the entirety of the interior, barring a small service space and a handful of small stools. Thankfully, there is ample seating on the neighbouring station platform in the form of picnic tables. The toilets are on the platform of the light railway. It should be obvious by this point why I wanted to visit. I could not pass up the opportunity to visit the smallest pub on the planet. Dog was chuffed by it too, and we hadn't even ordered a beer yet! Happily, the Signal Box serves real ale. A bank of 4 sits on the tiny bar, and a duo of these were occupied, with a choice between Bristol Beer Factory Day Raider and Treen's Classic. Both these beers were a long way from their respective homes. I was unfamiliar with Treen's, who it turns out are based in Truro. Following our walk, we needed more than a half to get our breath back. A pint of the Treen's for me and a pint of Hawkstone Lager for Dog set us back £10.40. Upon our arrival, the lady on duty was cleaning outside. She came in, saw that we needed serving and then, amusingly, had to go back outside and round the back to get behind the bar. We weren't waiting long though and soon enough we were sat outside, with a handful of other like-minded people and their canine companions. The walk had been worth it to see this place. Plus, the beer was excellent. Classic (4.3%) is an amber bitter. Flavours of caramel and soft fruit balance against dark chocolate and a spicy, hop bitterness. It was an utter delight! I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't too bitter or too sweet. Everything seemed to balance perfectly. In short, this beer was a triumph. The Signal Box had delivered and made the slog from the seafront fade into a blurry memory. Just a couple of things to note: the pub is only open from the first Friday before Easter until mid-October. If conditions are favourable, these hours are extended until mid-November but for weekends only. It's also worth mentioning that, due to the licensing regulations, drinks are served in reinforced plastic glasses, although that's not enough of an issue to detract from the overall quality. 

During our walk from the train station, we had managed to locate several other of our intended stops. This meant that our return walk would be broken up nicely as we wound our way back. Retracing our steps, we this time veered away from the seafront, and headed up High Cliff Road. After a short time, our next stop appeared in front of us. There's way to say this without it sounding like an innuendo, so I'll just come out with it. We went to Willy's.

 

Overlooking the Humber from a slightly raised position, this Good Beer Guide 2025 listed venue, also features its own microbrewery in an adjoining building to the rear. The mock Tudor interior hides a modern, industrial-style interior, with high ceilings, skylights and exposed ductwork. The curved bar is opposite the door. Seating takes the form of modern tables and chairs. Lighting is subtle and the walls feature nautical theming, amongst a general minimalist approach. The toilets are located to the rear, where you will also find a window through which the adjacent brewery can be seen. The whole aesthetic gives the impression of a cafe bar. On the bar, there are 3 handpulls. On the day, all of these were being utilised. Willy's Original, brewed next door, sat alongside Fat Cat Marmalade Cat and Ossett USA, from their hop showcase series. I chose the Marmalade, from Norwich's Fat Cat, whilst Dog settled for Guinness, with a half of each totalling the rather random amount of £4.63. We selected a table towards the back and absorbed our environment. So far, each venue had been very different and Willy's continued that theme. It's a much more contemporary, sophisticated locale in comparison to the two previous pubs. This can only be a good thing. The more pubs that are ploughing their own furrow, and championing good beer in the process, the better. And I can confirm that the beer here is good. Marmalade Cat (5.5%) is copper in colour, with a malty body and a finish that is all bitter orange. It's a unique beer to say the least, but it certainly hits the spot. It didn't take long at all for our drinks to have seemingly vanished from our glasses and it was time to relocate. Willy's had been a good place to stop. We would definitely come again. Stop it.

We really didn't have far to go for pub number 4. It happens to be located right next door. Next on our list was Smugglers.

This was another complete change of scene. Despite how it looks in the photo above, the bar named Smugglers is actually located downstairs. A staircase from the front beer garden brings you through into a long, low room with the bar running across the back wall. A small room to one side houses a pool table. TVs, normally showing sport, can be found throughout. The furniture is a mix of wooden tables and chairs, with banquettes featuring too. There is a surprising amount of space throughout. We were greeted by the landlord, who was a very friendly chap. He gave us a short moment to peruse his wares. 3 of the 4 handpulls were in use here. The first was given over to Lilley's Mango cider whilst the others proffered Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold and IPA. A half of the Gold each was soon purchased, at the cost of £4.80. And here there also lies a cautionary tale. I paid for the round by card, whereupon the landlord posited the question as to what I would have done had the WiFi gone down. I had no cash on me. I answered that I would have gone to a cash point, to which he then explained that there aren't any nearby. It was a valid point. I hadn't considered that. It's something worth bearing in mind in new places. Ironically, I do often have at least some cash on me when visiting new locations. It hadn't occurred to me on this occasion to be perfectly honest. Still, an interesting thought experiment and no harm done. We stood at the bar in Smugglers, enjoying our halves of a very respectable Gold, and chatting to our host. We told him why we were in town and he offered us two pieces of advice. The first was that the beer in Nottingham House, our scheduled next stop, was not the best. I think he'll find that I'll be the judge of that. The second, was to make sure to get fish and chips from Steel's Corner House Restaurant. Noted. We'd been planning on fish and chips at some stage and now we had a destination to aim for. After a few minutes of chitchat and putting the world to rights, it was off again. It had turned it a very warm day by the sea at the point. It had been unexpected but neither of us was complaining. 

Eschewing the first piece of advice we were given, we continued on our way up High Cliff Road until we reached the junction with Seaview Street, where we turned left. Nottingham House would be our next stop. 

This former Tetley's pub began life as two cottages, which were built in 1856. Since converted into a pub, it consists of three internal rooms, a bar, lounge and snug, all served from a central servery. This layout dates from a 1950s remodel, combined with pre-war features and some details left from a 1980s refurbishment by Tetley's. Open fires feature in the colder months. A refurbishment in July of this year was sympathetic to the layout and refitted the exterior, keeping the Tetley's sign above the door. This place is stunning to look at inside. Each room has kept its charm, with feature coving, whitewashed walls, simple furniture and traditional carpets. Photos and paintings are mounted on the walls and there is bric-a-brac throughout. Toilets are to the rear. Despite the misgivings of the landlord at Smugglers, Nottingham House is listed in the 2025 Good Beer Guide. Its 6 handpulls are split into two banks of 3, offering an interesting range of options. On the day in question, we had a choice between Theakston Quencher, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Wainwright, Ossett Blonde, Titanic Plum Porter and Tetley Bitter. On this occasion, I swung for the Plum Porter and Dog opted for the Landlord. A half of each came to £4.60. We spent our time here adjacent to the bar, in the smaller of the three rooms. This place is a real gem. I don't think either of us expected such a charming, traditional pub tucked down a quiet side street. For the record, they serve an absolutely belting drop of Plum Porter. Our previous host had been mistaken. We'd soon see how his food recommendation held up.

Before food though, we decided to squeeze another half in. Continuing on our way, we soon realised that we were only a short distance from the station. We'd turn back on ourselves for food but another stop on the list was looming large in front of us. After a brief detour to photograph an excellent mural on the side, we entered The Old Vic.

Built in 1871, what was once the Victoria Hotel was at one time leased to local brewers Hewitt's. The current incarnation has seen the internal layout opened out around a central bar, with some smaller tucked away areas still available. Scrubbed wooden furniture is the order of the day. There is a large patio area at the rear. Once again, looks can be deceiving. Despite its more conventional appeal, the Old Vic was named by the local CAMRA branch as its Pub of the Season for Summer 2024. This has undoubtedly led to the pub's continued commitment to real ale. Three handpumps take centre stage on the bar, with a mix of local and not so local providers. Beartown Lit, Theakston Old Peculier and Docks Cleethorpes Pale Ale were our choices here. It would have been rude not to have given the Cleethorpes Pale a go and it turned out to be a choice well made, with two halves costing us a bafflingly cheap £3.10. At 4.2%, it's very sessionable but also takes locality very seriously with the use of sea buckthorn berries, native to the area, in the brew. This elevates the beer with a sharp tang of sweetness, alongside the crispness of Citra hops. It's a surprise but a pleasant one. The Old Vic is one of those pubs where you get a lot more than you expect. Cleethorpes was turning out to be a little bit of a gem. 

It was food time now. It was only fair to test out the second recommendation that we'd been given. Boy, did that prove to be a good idea! A short distance from the Old Vic, on a corner, we found Steel's Corner House Restaurant. It was like stepping back in time. Active since 1946, the restaurant still has a post-war feel about it. There are booths with chequered curtains dividing them, staff in 40s style uniform and even an old school traffic light system for running food. Speaking of the food: wow. We were urged to make sure we ordered fish and chips and to ensure it was the medium portion. This was excellent advice. The portion sizes are gigantic. And that's before you even get to the bread and butter that comes with it. We entered hungry and left very very full. Without a doubt, hand on heart, this was the best fish and chips I've ever eaten. Yes, even better than that one in Whitby. Soft, flaky fish, crispy batter and fluffy chips. Just what was needed. If only we didn't have another few hours of drinking to contend with! Leaving Steel's, we waddled our way back to the station. Our plan from this point was to either get the train or a taxi back to Grimsby, but not before we'd checked out the other pub at the station first! Located on platform 1, you will find the simply named No. 1 Pub.

Another Good Beer Guide 2025 listed venue, this place prides itself on being 'a train pub, not a chain pub'. The building it occupies is one of the original station buildings, decorated and repurposed to a very high standard. Entering from the car park side brings you into a large floor space, which features a pool table. The raised bar sits beyond this, serving both the main room and a smaller area behind. There is a raised area next to the bar, which offers a bit more quietness and seclusion. A tiny passage links this to an even smaller room, featuring additional seating. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the decor is train and railway related. The bar features 8 handpulls, in two banks of 4.4 of these happened to be in use, offering up Rudgate Ruby Mild, Batemans Combined Harvest, Hobgoblin Gold and Bass. Being in Lincolnshire, the chance to partake in some Batemans was not to be sniffed at. Dog needed something lighter after our food-based indulgences, so switched to gin and tonic. This and a half of the Combined Harvest somehow only came to £6.50. What a place this turned out to be. In some ways, it can be seen as a little sister to some of the more grandiose station pubs up and down the country. Not only is it a comfortable place for a drink, you could easily forget that you were waiting for a train, or even at a station in the first place. The beer quality adds to the sense of homeliness. Combined Harvest (4.7%) is a dark golden beer, notable for being the first beer Batemans have brewed using multiple grains. The use of barley, wheat, oats and rye gives big full biscuity flavours, accompanied by quenching flavours of hops and citrus fruit. Today had been full of surprises! 

Recovered from our fish and chips based coma, and revitalised by our latest beverages, we formulated a plan. During our short stay at No.1 Pub, we'd missed a train back to Grimsby, with the next one due in half an hour. We could have waited but we were both of the assertion that the quicker we could get back to Grimsby, the longer we would have to enjoy time there and ensure we were in plenty of time for our train. Our next solution was to order an Uber. Except, well, it turns out that Uber isn't available in Grimsby, at the very least not at mid-afternoon on a Thursday. Even though it lets you confirm your location and holds the fee until you cancel. We had no choice. Neither of us knew anything about the local buses so we resolved to slog it on foot. We had a trio of pubs lined up in Grimsby. Google Maps assured us that the first of these was about half an hour away. Off we go. 

Negotiating our way away from the station and through a housing estate, we eventually emerged onto Cleethorpe Road, one of the main thoroughfares between the two settlements. This meant that going straight along this road would take us straight back into Grimsby, with a stop at our next pub on the way. Walking such a long distance, basically to another town, had its pros and cons. On the plus side, the weather was nice so we weren't getting piss wet through. On the down side, the weather was nice and neither of us had sunglasses or sun cream. It did at least allow us to discuss our opinions of Cleethorpes. I had really enjoyed uncovering unexpected things in this most British of seaside towns. It had surprised and delighted both of us in equal measure. As our walk continued, we passed some interesting heritage sites. In this case, I use the word 'heritage' in a satirical sense. How else would you describe the ruined church of which only the spire remains, the decidedly dodgy looking hotel opposite the entrance to the football ground, Blundell Park, the self-same football ground, home of Grimsby Town (although they actually play in Cleethorpes) and, perhaps Grimsby's greatest contribution to the local culinary palate, a takeaway selling battered Babybel? Whilst we attempted to wrap our heads around how a battered Babybel would taste, we realised that our proximity to Blundell Park meant that our next pub stop was a short distance away. We almost missed it, and would certainly have done, were it not for a tattered and faded banner on a wall in a side street, directing us to the Rutland Arms.

Don't let the rather decrepit looking facade fool you. I promise you that this is actually a pub, although it is one that appears to be in the process of a rather drastic external makeover. Opened in 1988, this was formerly an Old Mill pub, although it is now a freehouse that prides itself on being the only local outlet for Old Mill beers. It's also the only pub in the immediate vicinity, although this hasn't stopped it from being named as CAMRA's local pub of the season for Spring 2025. Inside, it's a lot more put together, as befits its credentials. It's a one-roomed pub with a small servery facing into the room. The seating is primarily booths and soft furnishings. A pool table and dartboard occupy one end of the room. There is a also a fruit machine, restricted for use by regulars only. Wooden beams, ceiling fans and whitewashed ceilings complete the look. The floor is carpeted throughout. Toilets are by the entrance. The Rutland Arms wears its beer reputation in the shape of 6 handpumps on the bar. At the time of our visit, 5 of these were in use. Alongside Lilley's Pineapple cider, there was also Garden Shed Sledge Hammer, 8 Sail Fenman Bitter, Old Mill Original and WHB Grimsby Mild. This time, I fancied a half of the Fenman Bitter from 8 Sail, whilst Dog opted for the Pineapple Lilley's. Our round came to £3.80. We made our way to the end booth to get our breath back. The Rutland Arms more than makes up for its currently nondescript outward appearance. We were given a warm welcome, which is always nice. The praises for their beer are justified. Fenman Bitter (4.1%) is exactly what you'd want and expect from the style. Amber in colour, it boasts caramel notes, toasted grain and a finish of earthy hops. It was at this point that I realised that I'd seemed to have a penchant for the darker beers so far. Either way, it was a cracking beer to quench the thirst after a walk. 

Speaking of walking.......... We once again tried and failed to summon an Uber. We had no choice but to continue on towards the centre of town. We had two locations left and we were safe in the knowledge that they were close to each other but also in close proximity to the train station. This thought kept us pushing forwards, with Google Maps as our guide. Until it went rogue. At the point at which it tried to get us to walk over a bridge that was actually a dual carriageway with no footpath, we realised that something had gone amiss. Dog thought he knew where we'd gone wrong but we'd listened to Google instead. We asked a helpful bloke for directions, which seemed to set us right, until it hadn't. We looped back round and this time went the way Dog thought he'd recognised, rather embarrassingly passing the same guy again. He did offer us a lift once his car was finished at the car wash but that's how people get murdered by strangers, so we declined. Eventually, we realised that we were now on the right track. We found a footbridge that took us over a scrapyard and a railway line and then, when we got down the other side, we turned right. We'd finally found our destination, somewhere Dog had assured me was worth visiting and I was not about to doubt him. We had arrived at Docks Beers.

This Good Beer Guide 2025 listed venue is the taproom for Docks Beers. Opened in 2018, it's a bar selling their beers in cask, keg and can and features the brewery on site. The downstairs space is largely open plan, with the bar to one side and the rest of the space given over to low comfy seating and sofas. A couple of higher tables are to one side. The brewery vessels sit along one wall, under neon lighting and exposed ductwork. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming. Upstairs is Docks Academy, a gig venue. I'd heard lots of good things about Docks Beers, even before Dog suggested it. I was very much looking forward to seeing it for myself. We certainly had a lot of beer options. As well as a large number of keg taps, there are also 3 handpulls for the real ale aficionados. These were, fairly obviously, stocked with Docks Beers, namely Bitter, Forged in Fire and Demolition. We'd definitely earned another pint after the shenanigans of getting here. A Demolition for me and a Bitter for Dog came to £9.60. We grabbed one of the high tables to once again revitalise our tired limbs. I'm a big fan of a good taproom. There's something magical about drinking a brewery's beers under the same roof in which it's brewed. It almost allows you to get closer to the brewer and begin to feel the inner machinations of the work that goes into the job. Docks Beers is no exception. This is a very well put together taproom, all industrial sheen and modern trappings, without losing the connection with the customers. Plus, as you'd hope, they make fantastic beer. Demolition (4.5%) is an American pale ale, from their seasonal range. Triple hopped with Amarillo, Centennial and Nelson, it punches well above its weight with gooseberry, melon and orange flavours. It certainly demolished the aching in my legs, at least temporarily. 

We had one pub left before we would call it a day. Our final stop was a pleasingly short 8 minute walk away. Leaving Docks Beers, we turned left and then turned right, before turning left again. This brought us to Victoria Street South, a main road that heads towards the centre of town. We followed this for a few minutes, and then turned right onto Frederick Ward Way. This leads in the direction of the Freshney Place shopping centre. Shortly before reaching this, we turned left and reached our final stop, looking oddly out of place. Time for The Barge.

This old converted grain barge has, in the tradition of many of its ilk, been converted into a pub. The primary difference is that this one is moored in a town centre and has a rather alarming lean to starboard. A large outside seating area leads to the entrance which takes you down a flight of stairs, perilously so due to the lean, before emerging below decks. The bar occupies a space to one side of a single, long room. Seating is around the edge, extending to the stern. The toilets are through a door at the end of the room. The unevenness of the boat becomes even more obvious when you try and navigate to, never mind use, the toilets. We entered The Barge full of hope. Avenged Sevenfold was playing over the jukebox. Thankfully it wasn't anything from either of the two most recent albums. I would have jumped overboard. The Barge is Good Beer Guide 2025 listed so I had high hopes that we would be ending on a strong note. Except that we were then immediately told that both real ales weren't available. I was disappointed. We couldn't exactly sneak out. There weren't enough people around to have pulled that off convincingly. Instead, I chose Salt Alpacalypse from the keg selection and Dog went for Stella. A pint of each, as it was the last pub and the train journey would be long, came to £10.45. We pulled up a pew almost opposite the bar and supped our final pints of the trip. I was annoyed that The Barge had let me down. I'm always fascinated as to how pubs on boats, not the most stable, are able to keep real ale in good condition. In this case, I'll have to keep wondering. To be fair, I suppose I should lighten up. Of all the pubs we visited throughout the day, the Barge was the only one not to have real ale. In that respect I should be grateful. I've had much worse returns elsewhere. At least the keg was acceptable this time. The Barge seems virtually identical to the Castle Barge in Newark, for better or for worse. 

With that, we were done. We made our way back to the station, with about half an hour to spare. This turned out to be fortuitous as our scheduled train had been cancelled. Sort of. It was still running but not from Grimsby. We had to get a slightly earlier train and get off two stations later, where the train we should have been on was due to depart from. A week on, I have no idea why. From that point on, our return trip went off without a hitch. Just as well. I didn't fancy trying to get an Uber back from the middle of nowhere Lincolnshire. As ever, the journey back was an opportunity to reflect and summarise. 'Decent' is probably the perfect way to sum the day up. In general it was great. I've done a great disservice to this corner of the county by not considering a visit earlier. There's a lot to discover, both in pubs and beer. What struck me the most is how each venue felt completely different to the others. Even the two railway pubs, metres apart, somehow had completely different characters. Perhaps that reflects their surroundings. Cleethorpes and Grimsby are towns with similar histories, bonded beyond their geographical proximity. That they've been able to keep decent pubs going at all, in the face of post-industrial decline and economic pressure is something to be applauded, particularly in a town as seasonal as Cleethorpes, with its reliance on the fickle British weather. If I've learned anything from this excursion, it's that you can't judge a town by its pubs. Everywhere and everything deserves a closer look. Sometimes, what you find might surprise you. That's a lesson that everybody can learn to live by.

Pub of the day: Signal Box Inn. A novelty but genuinely quirky and worth a visit. Lives up its claim.

Honourable mention: No. 1 Pub. Excellent railway pub.

Biggest surprise: Nottingham House. Lovely interior. Classic traditional pub with unexpected charm.

Beer of the day: Treen's Classic. A belting bitter.

 

 

 

The Yorkshire Chronicles Part 5: The Highlights of Haworth

This is the fifth, and final, part of a series. If you've not yet read parts 1-4, I urge you to go back, just so you're up to speed. 

Our final full day in Yorkshire dawned, cooler and slightly more overcast than on previous days. After yet another unsettled night's sleep, we awoke in York and began the process of preparing for the day and gathering our various things. This day would be another travel day and we would be venturing on to our 4th and final destination, where we would be spending our final day and night before returning home. As we would be checking out of our B&B in York that morning, we were strapped for time so there seemed little point in wandering back into the city centre for breakfast. Instead, we took advantage of an independent bakery, situated two doors down, which provided us with substantial breakfast rolls (or cobs, or breadcakes, or stotties) and some orange juice, all of which we took back to our room to enjoy before our departure. 'Substantial' doesn't quite cover how hefty these things were. If the B&B had been struck by a sudden tsunami, we could have used them to stay afloat. They were delicious, made with sourdough bread and filled with freshly cooked bacon and sausage. Well and truly sated for the morning, we finished packing, loaded the car, dropped off our keys and headed on our way. Following a short stop for petrol, we got into the crux of our journey.

When researching and planning our Yorkshire road trip, there was one destination that I really wanted to include. If nothing else, the literary bug in me needed feeding. What better place to do just that than somewhere with a known, and renowned, literary connection, and now synonymous with not just a number of influential careers, but equally so for the shortness of these careers and the tragic deaths that followed. To that end, we were off to visit Haworth. Haworth is a village in West Yorkshire, in the Pennines, 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Keighley, 8 miles (13 km) north of Halifax, 10 miles (16 km) west of Bradford and 10 miles (16 km) east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages include Cross Roads, Stanbury and Lumbfoot.

Haworth is a tourist destination known for its association with the Brontë sisters and the preserved heritage Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. Haworth is first mentioned as a settlement in 1209. The name may refer to a "hedged enclosure" or "hawthorn enclosure". The name was recorded as "Howorth" on a 1771 map.

In 1850, local parish priest Patrick Brontë invited Benjamin Herschel Babbage to investigate the village's high early mortality rate, which had led to all but one of his six children, including the writers Emily and Anne Brontë, dying by the age of 31. Babbage's inspection uncovered deeply unsanitary conditions, including there being no sewers, excrement flowing down Haworth's streets, waste from slaughterhouses and pigsties being held for months in fenced-in areas, overcrowded and poorly-ventilated housing, and a poorly-oxygenated and overcrowded graveyard that filtered into the village's water supply. These conditions contributed to an average life expectancy of 25.8 years and 41.6% of the village's residents dying before the age of 6. This report was presented to the General Board of Health and prompted work to improve conditions in the village.

In should come as no surprise to long time readers of this blog that the Bronte connection was our primary reason for visiting Haworth, although the village is blessed with a fair few pubs which certainly helps matters. A friend of mine had also previously recommended Haworth as worthy of a visit so in some ways its reputation very much preceded it. The journey to Haworth would take us around an hour and a half, on a mix of roads. This began with A roads leaving York, before a brief sojourn on the M606, which took us into the suburbs of Bradford. No offence to any Bradfordians who might be reading this but it was hardly the most picturesque of drives. We even experienced some rain, the first for a few days, something that always seems to happen when we're driving out of York. Before long though, the rain eased off and dissipated and the urban sprawl of Bradford opened out into the countryside and winding Yorkshire roads that we were now becoming strangely accustomed to. Having negotiated the, now obligatory, tight turns, dry stone walls and open expanses of fields, we entered the village and navigated our way to the top of the famous cobbled street that is the main artery through the settlement. Our final B&B was situated just here, right at the top of the steep road. We pulled up outside the Apothecary Guest House, our base for our stay, I knocked on the door and we were greeted by the owner, who guided us to one of the adjacent parking spaces. After some manoeuvring, we were parked safely and, if I do say so myself, rather expertly. To quote Ace Ventura: like a glove! We checked into the B&B and unpacked. Our room was at the back of the building with views over beautiful Yorkshire hills. We couldn't have picked a better spot to stay. Our location, at the top of the high street, meant that we were virtually opposite several locations linked to the Brontes, all of which were on our list for visiting. First though, we wanted to explore a little bit more of what this lovely village had in store. 

Our exploration would start next door. What was formerly the old apothecary (a chemist, or pharmacy in modern parlance) is now a very cool, folklore and mythology themed shop selling all manner of things. As well as various scented candles and bath salts, there are also books. These range from copies of the classics, including, as expected, a few of the Bronte novels, alongside Dickens, Jane Austen and Bram Stoker, but there are also books on mythology, folklore and various forms of divination, including from birds and flowers. It really is a very interesting emporium and not the sort of place we expected to find in this quiet village. We returned to the shop later on and made some purchases. Amy picked up a book and a candle. For my part, I bought a folklore book that actually accompanies some books I already own by the same authors. It would soon turn out that this isn't the only shop of this type in Haworth but more on that later. We continued our exploration by following the steep high street down to the bottom. In our eyes, it made a lot more sense to work our way uphill, particularly as we were staying uphill. Having reached the bottom of the street, passing numerous other quirky independent shops, and a large number of B&Bs along the way, we took a detour into the local park. This was a nice, quiet spot, where we could take in our surroundings and have a bit of a breather. Several flowers were in bloom, which provided a significant splash of colour, under the azure vault of the sky above. We spent a few minutes here, wandering about and sitting on a bench, whilst we recuperated. Before too long, it was on to our next destination. The exploration of Haworth's pubs was about to begin in earnest. 

A short distance from both the park and the bottom of Haworth's main street, is Sun Street and on Sun Street can be found a magnificent building. This is Haworth Old Hall, now a pub. 

The present building is believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the village and is believed to date from at least 1621, although there is evidence of a dwelling on the site going back to the Tudor period. What began as a more simple timber-framed structure was rebuilt in brick, giving it its imposing current form. The current building was originally an extension to an Elizabethan manor house that no longer stands. The hall is built with traditional Yorkshire stone and has retained several other original features, including a large, studded, oak door, stone floors, archways, mullioned windows and two huge fireplaces. It also boasts vaulted cellars which were rumoured to contain tunnels leading away from the hall, one leading to the church, in the event that a quick escape was needed in times of religious upheaval. Amongst it's previous lives, the building was a private house belonging to the Emmett family, who purchased it in the 18th century, and divided it up into lodgings for their various tenants. It has also served as a courthouse and was also used as a filming location for the first ever cinema adaptation of Wuthering Heights, as far back as the 1920s. Nowadays, the hall is owned and operated by Marstons as a pub and restaurant with significant charm. We had arrived a couple of minutes before opening but before too long, we pushed open the magnificent entrance door and made our way inside. The interior is very much in keeping with the building's age and previous use. A large, wood-panelled bar runs along the wall as soon as you enter. Opposite this, an archway leads through into a drinking and dining area, divided roughly into two. The decor very much suits the place. There are taxidermy animal heads on walls, old weapons on display, old beams still visible on the ceiling, a shelf displaying tankards, decorative plates, and portraits of former residents. There is much bare brick and subtle lighting. The seating is traditional wood. One area of the dining space is carpeted with the other half given over to bare wood. The toilets are located in this area, with the gents in one corner of the room and the ladies adjacent to the bar. Even though there are modern accoutrements, such as radiators and electric lighting, these do stand out against the grandiosity of the interior. As stated, there is a bar here and, being Marstons operated, there is real ale too. On said bar, there are 5 handpulls. Three of these were in use when the first customers of the day (us) walked in, with offerings from the Marstons stable, namely Wainwright Gold, Hobgoblin IPA and Pedigree. I began with a pint of Hobgoblin IPA whilst Amy started proceedings on a J20. The total cost of the round was £8.55. We made our way into the room opposite the bar and took a seat. It was quiet whilst we were there but the Old Hall is clearly popular. Several tables were reserved for dining for later in the afternoon. First thing in the day, this is a very atmospheric place. Marstons have done an excellent job with the conversion, adapting the place for hospitality use without lessening the character of the building. There is also outside seating here, both in a small garden to the rear and a much larger lawned area to the front. A building of this age must be quite imposing to be in late at night, especially when locking up. There are a number of spooky tales linked to this place. In general, Haworth has arguably more than its fair share of ghost stories. likely due to the village's higher than average 19th century mortality rate. The tales here are varied. The most famous story concerns two workmen who, whilst renovating the cellar in 1992, had the wits scared out of them by the apparition of a man who was just staring at them, the end result being that they fled in absolute terror. A man in a long coat and hat has been seen in the building many times. Is this the same figure? Perhaps. Staff often report the intense feeling of being watched whilst carrying out their normal tasks. This was a sensation that Amy felt when she went to the toilet, and she didn't know about the claimed phenomena at the time. Other customers have reported strange activity too, with one visiting gentleman allegedly staying up all night talking to a young girl that only he could see. Scary stuff. Less scary here was the beer. The Hobgoblin IPA was in fine condition. Nothing mind-blowing but decent enough to blow the cobwebs away. 

Having enjoyed our time at the Old Hall, it was time to continue our explorations. We retraced our steps, making our way back up the main street, with a dry stone wall to our right and the hills and dales rolling away below. A short distance further up the road, on our left as we approached it, is the only pub in Haworth to feature in the Good Beer Guide 2025. On now, to The Fleece Inn.

Situated halfway up the cobbled street, The Fleece Inn is a former coaching inn, with parts dating back to the 16th century. By 1823, it served as a prominent stop-off on the coaching route between London and Edinburgh. The Bronte sisters are believed to have visited the inn frequently and it is mentioned in their writings. Nowadays, the pub is a very popular location for locals and tourists and is operated by Timothy Taylor as one of its tied houses. The entrance leads through into an open plan bar area, with a small room to the right and a lower-level eating area down some steps to the left. The bar is roughly central to the main room with seating around it and opposite. This takes the form of low tables and chairs but there are also banquettes adjacent to the bar, under a large mirror. The decoration is modern and contemporary but fits with the pub's traditional aesthetic. The toilets are located upstairs. Unsurprisingly, Timothy Taylor beers occupy significant bar space, but that's no bad thing. There are 8 handpulls here, offering the core range and an occasional seasonal. On this occasion, the options were Landlord, Golden Best, Boltmaker (all of which were doubled up), Knowle Spring and Ram Tam. I went for the Knowle Spring, springing for a half, whilst Amy went for a half of Vocation's Heart & Soul from amongst the pub's keg range. All told, this cost us £5.45. We made our way to the banquette next to the bar, which included a plaque dedicated to the memory of a departed regular and perused the interior. There were a few other customers in, most of whom seemed to be eating. We were just there for the beer though and it's a good job that we were. It's very nice indeed. I've had Knowle Spring on a handful of occasions and here it was at it's absolute best. You'd expect nothing less from a Timothy Taylor beer served in one of its own pubs but, nonetheless, it was excellent! The Fleece is another very comfortable place in which to imbibe after a wander up the high street. It apparently has an excellent reputation for food. One woman at the bar certainly thought so as she was booking a table for the evening, asking stupid questions the whole time. Ah, the joys of hospitality. It's not all comfort and joy in this place though. The Fleece has a darker side. Low level poltergeist activity has been reported in the bar area itself but the more terrifying stuff happens upstairs. The ladies toilet is home to a particularly malevolent presence. A black mass has been reported in one of the cubicles, which is known to move towards witnesses. This is alleged to be the post-mortem manifestation of a very unpleasant man who tortured his wife. Her unfortunate shade patrols the corridor outside of the toilet. The Fleece also has guest rooms and they haven't escaped sinister goings on. A Victorian gentleman in a top hat has been seen standing in the corner of one of the bedrooms. One woman woke up to such a sight and, believing it to be her husband, asked him to come back to bed, only to discover her husband sound asleep beside her. A trope? Yes. But, where do such tropes come from if not from actual experience. We wisely decided that we wouldn't be venturing to the toilets on this occasion though. The Fleece is a cracking little pub. It thoroughly deserves its place in the Good Beer Guide. The beer is in excellent condition. This is exactly what Yorkshire pubs should be like.

Leaving the Fleece, we continued on our stroll back uphill, popping into a couple of other shops on the way. These were selling souvenirs, handmade gifts and the like, although one shop was selling witchcraft ingredients, for both good and bad magic, and some genuine haunted dolls. A strange find in a place like this. Not today, Satan. Before long, we had reached the summit. We would take a brief break from pubs now. It was time to dive deep into Haworth's literary heritage with a visit to some local landmarks that are inextricably linked to the Bronte family and their enduring legacy. We were already really enjoying Haworth. The pace of the village was much different to the busier, and much larger, towns and cities we'd covered during our road trip. With its location amongst verdant rolling greenery, and its cobbled streets, Haworth is a very picturesque place indeed. And, just when we thought it couldn't get any more quintessentially Yorkshire, we were greeted by the site of a couple of chickens wandering about amongst the nearby buildings. Conveniently for us, the next two locations on our Bronte themed excursion are adjacent to each other. We began at the church of St. Michaels and All Angels, the local place of worship that was not only frequented by the family in life but is where all but one of them are buried, in an area at the back of the church. Anne Bronte died in Scarborough and so is buried there, overlooking the sea, but her sisters, brother, father, mother and aunt are all buried within the church confines. Their resting places are marked by engraved stones and plaques. For reference, there is a memorial in Westminster Abbey also dedicated to the sisters but none of them are buried there. Following our time at the church, we exited and walked around to the rear where there is a small, but very overcrowded churchyard. Local evidence suggests that up to 40,000 people are buried here, crammed in on top of each other, which doesn't look possible but is certainly not without precedent. The overcrowded graveyard is believed to have contributed to the unsanitary conditions that led to Haworth's infamously high death rate. Despite the small size of the graveyard, it's an eerie place. There was previously a gate, now replaced with a stone wall, that led from the graveyard into the church grounds, which would have been part of the Bronte family's route to church. From the graveyard, it was onto the adjacent parsonage. Patrick Bronte, patriarch of the family, was the parson of Haworth and so lived in the parsonage, where the children were brought up and lived for most of their lives. The parsonage is now a museum, with each room decorated as it would have been at the time that the family lived there, including mostly original artefacts that belonged to them. We paid the entrance fee and went into the museum. Whilst it doesn't take very long to go round, it is an enlightening, sobering, and in some ways, a deeply personal experience. Seeing how and where the Bronte family lived their lives, where the sisters wrote their masterpieces and where their wayward brother Branwell painted, and battled alcoholism and opiate addiction, puts greater context into their existence and makes the reality of their untimely deaths even more poignant. More than that, seeing the rooms in which they went about their everyday activities, and where three of the siblings (Emily, Charlotte and Branwell) died, adds a human dimension to figures that have taken on an almost mythical edge. As a literature buff, I can say that the Parsonage Museum was one of my highlights of the whole trip as, just for a moment, it brought me into the presence and mindset of women who battled against sexism and misogyny, famously publishing novels under male names, and who are responsible for works that are rightly widely considered as classics. 

With our exploration of the Brontes, and their connection to the village, complete for now, it was lunch time. Luckily, another pub would provide us sustenance in both solid and liquid form. A short distance from the parsonage is the King's Arms. 

 

This pub dates from the 17th century and was formerly a manor house. It also acted as a courthouse, with the rooms upstairs, now private, used for this purpose until around 1870. A former innkeeper here was Enoch Thomas, a close friend of Branwell Bronte. A later landlord, Joseph Fox, was a confectioner by trade and provided the food for Emily Bronte's funeral wake. The Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds was formed here in 1876, with one of its members, John Hartley, eventually becoming the longest serving landlord, managing 47 years before his death in 1907.  Inside, the bar is L-shaped and there is seating organised around the perimeter of the room. There is some exposed stone work which, in conjunction with wood panelling and laminate flooring, provides a cosy and welcoming effect. There are two levels. The first is the larger, main bar space and there is a separate, quieter area to the rear. There is also an outside seating area. We walked in and were given a warm welcome by the landlady and also drew the attention of a dog that quite clearly wanted to say hello but wasn't allowed to. Pleasingly, there are 6 handpulls on the bar here, all featuring beers from Bridgehouse Brewery in Keighley. Some of these are named after members of the Bronte family, rebadged from their core range, with bespoke pump clips to match, although there are other beers from their range too. Our options were Emily, Anne, Charlotte, Branwell, Bitter and White Bear. I went for a half of Emily, which is as confusing to read and write as it was to say at the time. Combined with a Diet Coke for Amy, this came to a very respectable £4.00. We took a round table just next to the entrance so we could peruse the menu. We weren't ready for anything enormous but the pub offers sandwiches so we ordered a ham and cheese and a cheese and pickle. These soon arrived, with a little salad garnish and a handful of crisps on the side. They were very tasty and just what we needed. The beer here was also great. Emily (Aired Ale) (4.1%) is a malty bitter that has a big biscuity finish and a subtle maltiness. The King's Arms is another great example of a traditional Yorkshire pub, with a solid welcome and the art of simple things done well. It also has a more notorious history. In years gone by, the pub was used by the local undertaker to store bodies, with these being housed in the cellar. This was due to a shortage of space in the mortuary which, until recently, was the site of the local Tourist Information Centre. If that wasn't enough, a slaughterhouse previously occupied what is now the beer garden. This would lead to torrents of congealed blood running down into Main Street and further into the village, further adding to the unsanitary conditions of the time. Both of these previous uses have indelibly stained the building with paranormal activity. Whilst there are accounts of objects moving, disappearing and later reappearing in odd places, this is confined to the private accommodation. The stronger, more frequent activity happens in the cellar. You know, the place where they used to store corpses. Several landlords and landladies have heard unexplained noises taking place in the cellar in the dead of night, only to find nothing amiss when they've plucked up the courage to go down and investigate. This sinister undercurrent could not be further from the feel of the pub in broad daylight though. The King's Arms is great.

For our next move, we would travel to the outer edge of the village, just a few minutes walk away, before looping back in to continue where we left off. Leaving the King's Arms, we turned left onto West Lane. We followed this road on where it soon becomes a proper tarmaced carriageway as opposed to cobbles. A short distance along this thoroughfare, close to the junction with Heathcliff, is the Old Sun.

Located on the western edge of the village, the Old Sun was originally built in 1730 as the Sun, and underwent a later rebuild in 1897 by Treadwell & Martin. The name 'Sun' is a relatively popular name for pubs due to its association with good weather good fortune but also references the coat of arms of the Distillers' Company. In modern times, the Old Sun has undergone a recent refurbishment and is now independently owned. This well appointed brick building benefits from an easily accessible location on one of the main roads into the village. The front beer garden, seen above, also features a fountain which, whilst unusual for a pub garden, certainly adds some additional character. Inside, the layout is primarily open-plan, light and airy. The pub is to one side of the room and there is modern, minimalist decor throughout. The tables are carved wood giving them an uneven, quirky style. There is one main room, with a smaller, quieter room off to one side. The floors throughout have retained their flagstones. The walls are cream painted and decorated with a combination of photos and old maps. The Old Sun was definitely the busiest pub of the day so far but not so busy that we couldn't find a table. First though, the bar was calling. There is a bank of 4 here, and 3 of the available pumps were in use, offering a choice between Timothy Taylor Landlord (doubled up) and Saltaire Blonde. It was the latter for me and the same for Amy, with two halves totalling £4.70. We made our way into the smaller room, where there were no other customers, and set about making ourselves comfortable. For all its older outward appearance, the interior of the Old Sun has certainly been made to look and feel welcoming and modern. We weren't the only ones that thought so. A table of older ladies were chatting and knitting nearby. We'd passed some locals enjoy a lunchtime beer in the sun on the way in. Throughout, an air of relaxed joviality permeated the place. The beer here is certainly worth visiting for. Saltaire Blonde (4%) is a light and refreshing beer balancing soft malt flavours with some subtle spice from the use of Saaz hops. It's very drinkable and thirst quenching. Sunshine in a glass, which seems appropriate given our location. The pubs in Haworth were certainly consistent in their welcome and their quality. There hadn't been one venue that we'd not enjoyed our time in so far. It was time to see whether that theme would continue. 

We retraced our steps back into the village proper where our next stop had just opened. The newest addition to Haworth's pub scene is the Haworth Steam Brewing Co.

This micropub operates as de facto taphouse for Haworth Steam Brewing, which currently brews near leads. The space it occupies was formerly a grocery shop and a pub, the Cross Inn. The single door leads directly into the bar area. A refurbishment this year has apparently expanded the internal space. The bar now sits to the back left of the room. Seating occupies most of the remaining floor space with banquettes around the edge and a couple of tables, with standard chairs, in the middle of the room. The floor is flagstoned and the ceiling is wooden beams and whitewash. Wooden panelling has provided a nice finishing touch. Brewery posters, adverts, and murals of brewing equipment dominant the wall space. There are locally made spirits and mixers, made by the same owners as the brewery, available for sale. The toilets are located opposite the bar in a small corridor style space. The pub was quite busy when we arrived, despite not having been open for very long that day. The clientele primarily appeared to be locals and their four-legged friends but the buzz of conversation was prominent. This is clearly a very popular place. Happily, real ale is front and centre, with 5 handpulls offering various goodies. From Haworth Steam's own portfolio there was T'Owd Lad and Hells Bells, alongside Wold Top Against the Grain and Little Critters Vanilla Chinchilla. The 5th handpump hosted Weston's Old Rosie cider. We decided on a half each of the Hells Bells (4.1%) and procured a table in the middle of the room. We really really liked this place already. The sense of modernity wrapped in the shell of a much older building really appealed to us. The atmosphere was great. There was a sense of belonging, even though this was our first visit. We felt at home. It also helped that the beer was cracking. Hells Bells is billed as a robust blonde and it certainly ticks the boxes. The hops are to the fore, with a crisp hoppiness that descends into a clean finish. We both really enjoyed it. Such was the joy we felt at being here that we stayed for another, this time a half each of the Vanilla Chinchilla (4.5%). Somehow, this was even better! This is a vanilla ice cream porter and it's bloody delicious. Equal parts sweet and smooth, it's balances the bitterness of chocolate with subtle hints of coffee and custard. It's a treat of a beer, even in what is decidedly not dark beer weather. 

As sad as we were to leave Haworth Steam, it was time for some food. We had been recommended a place by our B&B host, and this place also happened to already be on our itinerary. Mere feet away, we approached the Old White Lion.

It is not known how long a public house has stood in this spot. The first recorded name is the Blue Bell Inn, dating back to before 1783 and there is some suggestion that the inn may have been around at the time of the old turnpike road that used to run from Colne to Bradford, known as Blue Bell Turnpike, that passes the front door. By 1783, the current name was in use and the inn was run by Jeremiah Jowett, who rented it for £17 a year. Haworth's first Masonic Lodge met here from 1796 and, in the 1820s, it was bought by William Garnett, who ran it for 20 years. He died in 1859, after a long retirement, and is buried in the nearby churchyard. In 1850, J & R. R,. Thomas acquired the building. They were prominent citizens and wine and spirits merchants, who also owned the Cross Inn over the road. They undertook a substantial rebuilding job in 1858. A succession of tenants followed until 1881, when it passed to Samuel Ogden, owner of one of Haworth's two principal breweries. When the brewery closed, the pub was sold, first to Whitaker & Co. of Halifax and then to Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery. In its current form, the Old White Lion has been family-run for 25 years. The current owners have undertaken significant improvement and restoration works to preserve the character of the place. Over many years, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the building has expanded, incorporating neighbouring properties, including houses, a brewhouse, coaching yards and a barn, which contained an old well. The current car park was developed over demolished houses and infilled ash pits. The layout inside is reflective of these periods of expansion and development, as well as the ongoing renovations. Perhaps, as is often the case, the numerous renovations and refurbishments have stirred something up. This is yet another location in Haworth with stories of hauntings linked to it. Room 7 is the location of a particularly tragic, though locally famous, apparition. The parachutist Lily Cove is believed to haunt here. In 1906, at the annual village gala, she was attempting a stunt wherein she would jump from a hot air balloon and open her parachute, gliding safely to the ground. Inevitably, something went wrong. Upon attempting the stunt, her parachute failed to open and she plummeted to the ground at nearby Ponden. She was brought to the White Lion, barely alive, and passed away a few moments later. The room in which she expired is said to house a female apparition, seen staring at guests whilst they are in bed. There are also accounts of the sensation of a heavy mass falling on people just as they drift off to sleep. This latter phenomena could perhaps be attributed to sleep paralysis but it seems unusual that it would happen to so many people in the same location. We entered through the front door, which gives you the option of going right, to the bar, or left to the hotel reception and accommodation. We of course went right, entering the main bar room. A small central bar, serves two areas, with the larger space to the rear, which is primarily used for dining. Old beams dominate the architecture, both on the ceiling and as part of the support structure. The bar is stone, in keeping with the rest of the building, but there is carpet throughout. Sash windows allow light in. There is a distinct olde worlde feel, with whitewashed texture walls, exposed beams, decorative plates and tankards, together with wooden tables and leather-backed chairs. An old fireplace, now with a log burner, sits at the far end of the main room. The bar here features 3 handpulls. Our options here were Tetley's Original Bitter, Rooster's YPA and Goose Eye Bitter. I went for a half of the YPA and Amy went for a Diet Coke. Once we explained that we were planning on eating, we were directed around the bar to the larger area where our order would be taken at the table. Before too long, we'd ordered. I went for the 'tipsy chicken', charred chicken breast with a mushroom, garlic and white wine glaze, served with potatoes and vegetables. Amy went for the chicken and chorizo tagliatelle. The portions were enormous, just as our B&B host had assured us they would be. My food was good and very filling. It wasn't anything outstanding though. It filled a hole. I expected to be blown away by it but I wasn't. Amy's tagliatelle was ok but she had the added disadvantage of finding a large piece of chicken that hadn't quite been cooked enough. The rest of it was properly cooked but Amy did feel a little bit unwell afterwards. The beer was nice enough. I've had YPA before and it's never been sensational. In this case, it was the best of the available options and it was drinkable without being bland. In total, our bill, including food, came to £35.35. We were a tad disappointed with the Old White Lion. It was even more frustrating as we'd gone on there on a recommendation from our host. He wasn't to know and it wasn't his fault. Perhaps we'd just caught them in an off moment. The food was filling at least and very reasonably priced.

Another reason for our frustration was that we hadn't originally intended on this being our final stop of the day. Our original last destination was to have been The Black Bull.

Conveniently located opposite our B&B, the Black Bull is another pub entangled in the history of the Bronte family. The pub itself dates back to the 16th century. The Bronte family are known to have frequented here due to its proximity to the parsonage. Branwell Bronte was particularly fond of visiting and is known to have spent many a day here, drinking himself into a stupor. In more recent times, the pub has featured in a film about the Bronte family, 'To Walk Invisible', and also featured in the Railway Children Return. It should come as no surprise, given its connections to the Bronte family, and Branwell, the recognised 'black sheep' that the pub has many stories associated with it. So many in fact, that it featured on an episode of Most Haunted. Branwell is believed to be the primary ghost here. He has often been seen sitting in a chair that he frequented in life. A bell that he used to ring for service has been known to randomly ring for no reason, often in the middle of the night when the pub is devoid of customers. Branwell has also been seen outside, crossing the cobbles to the site of the former apothecary, from which he used to procure the opium that would ultimately hasten his death at the age of 31. Said apothecary is the shop we visited upon our arrival and lends its name to our B&B, to truly bring things full circle. Branwell is not alone in returning to the Black Bull after death though. Two men, one in fine attire and the other in casual clothes, have been seen arguing at a table before disappearing. A little girl offering sweets has been seen on occasion, as has a maid who may or may not have been murdered. Shadowy figures are often seen behind windows when the pub is known to be closed. In addition, there have been reports of objects mysteriously moving of their own volition and the sound of a woman's anguished screaming emanating from the nearby churchyard. There are some that have linked this last phenomena to Emily Bronte who, some evidence suggests, may have been pregnant when she succumbed to tuberculosis. She died aged 30, just 3 months after Branwell's sudden death. I was very much looking forward to exploring the pub and I'd love to tell you what it was like inside, what beers were on sale and what the atmosphere and feel of the place was like. However, I can't do that. The pub was closed for a short refurbishment, only for a few days, but during the duration of our stay. It was due to reopen the following day, the day we would be travelling home. 

Instead, with that disappointment behind us, we returned to the B&B for a chilled evening, and what would eventually turn out to be the best night's sleep we'd had since we'd been away. Haworth being in such a quiet location definitely aided us on that front. The following day we awoke to the sun beaming through the blinds, over the timeless West Yorkshire countryside. It was time to travel home. Following another full English in another hot dining room, although at least one with a view, we packed up our wares, bid our farewells to our host and left Haworth behind us. The roughly two hour drive back to Nottingham gave us plenty of time to analyse Haworth and to put the trip as a whole into perspective. I'd really enjoyed Haworth. On paper, it could easily be dismissed as the home of the Brontes and nothing more. And whilst the shadow of that most famous of literary families does loom large over the village, there's more to discover than we expected. With its cobbled streets, small shops, stone-built pubs and miles of unforgiving moorland around it, it's not difficult to see why it was such an inspiration to Emily, Charlotte and Anne. The location is a character in its own right and, given Haworth's chequered history, its influence on the Gothic stylings of some of their narrative work is easy to pinpoint. This history has carried over into the numerous pubs we visited, all of whom have benefited in some way from the village's place in literary history. However, it's more than that. Haworth is the epitome of Yorkshire. Stoic, unmoving, unbothered by time and change, and determined to cling onto its place on this earth, through thick and thin. What started as an exercise in ticking a location off of my own literary locations bucket list became something deeper without us even realising. It is certainly a place that I'm very glad we got the chance to visit. I cannot stress enough how nice a place it is and its pubs are to die for. 

All of this of course, leads into the bigger question: what was our overall opinion of our road trip as a whole? The biggest thing for us was that it was a much needed break. Without going into too much detail, the weeks leading up to our trip had been fairly horrendous in more ways than one. A change of scenery and a change of pace gave us a chance to switch our brains off and to reset. Arguably, Yorkshire is a perfect place to do just that. Visiting new locations is always a treat and on this occasion we visited a fair mix of places, all with their own unique feels. From the seaside stereotypes of Bridlington, with its very nice old town and accompanying pubs, to the Gothic spectacle of Whitby, intertwined in the myths and legends of Dracula. From the now familiar streets of York, which will always have our hearts in ways that a lot of other places can't quite manage, and on to Haworth, forever memorialised as the seat of a writing dynasty, whose subsequent untimely ends wouldn't seem out of place in the pages of their own works. Yorkshire has it all. Its pubs reflect their environments. They are a part of the towns and the people they serve. They are a part of the landscape, and what a landscape that is. You'd have to go some to find a pub in Yorkshire that won't leave some kind of impression on you, for better or worse. We can certainly testify to that. The fact that were able to do this kind of trip successfully leaves us not only with a sense of achievement but the urge to do more of the same in future. This opens up new pathways in exploration. If you do one thing in your life, be that now or in days to come, spend some time in Yorkshire. Have a pint in a Yorkshire pub and truly absorb what it means to be in God's Own Country. It's an experience almost without equal. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog series as much as I have enjoyed compiling it. I'll be back, before too long, with more standalone adventures. 

Pub of the day: Haworth Steam Brewing Co. A modern gem.

Honourable mention: The Fleece. Excellent beer in a cracking pub.

Biggest surprise: The Kings Arms. Comfortable and traditional. A proper Yorkshire pub. 

Beer of the day: Little Critters Vanilla Chinchilla. Simply brilliant.