Stop number three on the walking tour brings us to the Narrowboat, a lovely little pub set back a little way from the canal. Just 8 ales to choose from, with 4 local ales permanently available, Black Sheep, Landlord (#obvs), Ilkley Mary Jane and Okell's bitter. And there are also another 8 keg pumps, which gives more than enough choice for everyone.

My choice was "My Generation" a new spin-off from Black Sheep brewery, hoppy, golden, and perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon in Skipton, setting the world to rights.

A very nice pint indeed.

We also sneaked a look at the menu for later on, full of pub classics like fish'n'chips, burgers and pie, as well as specials. Sadly, when we did attempt to return for dinner, they were not serving food because they had another party in, which seemed like an odd decision. Anyway, a nice place for an afternoon drink.

The second stop on the Skipton walking tour. We've had a nice morning just trundling around the lovely little market town of Skipton, and needed to find somewhere for more refreshment and a spot of lunch. The Castle had been mentioned a few times, as the bus driver taking the ladies to Yarndale had pointed it out as the current "best pub in Yorkshire". That, and the massive banners both outside and inside, proclaiming this fact. They're certainly not milking it or anything 🙂

Refreshment first, a pint of Drop Kick from Acorn brewery, very topical and a classic bitter. We were also joined later on by Yarndale escapee Ali, who was taking a break from the wooly madness to enjoy a pint in the sunshine on this lovely day.

My drinking companions opted for some Theakston's, the classic Old Peculier.

A nice little sandwich menu is available at lunchtimes, lots to choose from:-

Roast Beef & Onion Gravy
Southern Fried Chicken & Garlic Mayo
Chicken & Bacon Club
Tuna Mayo & Cheddar Melt
B.L.T
Pulled Pork Shoulder & Apple Sauce
Bacon, Brie & Cranberry

Regular MOFAD readers will have instantly narrowed down my choices to those containing pork, since triple pork nirvana is on today. I suspect my predictability will give me away, because it had to be the pulled pork:-

As pub pulled pork goes, it was very tasty, juicy and with a good sauce, not too sweet, and a nice apple sauce to accompany. The salad and coleslaw accompaniment were also very nice. And yes, that is a pint glass full of chips (they are sold by half or pint here). This did spark some debate about whether the pint glass should be filled with gravy, but I'm very much in the salt & vinegar camp, as I was born near the Thames, not the Aire.

A very nice lunch and a very nice pint, The Castle is certainly MOFAD approved.

Today, ministerial duties find us in Skipton. Mrs MOFAD is spending the day at Yarndale, the festival of wool (and other crafts, but mostly wool), along with regular MOFAD companions Hazel, Caroline and Ali.

The gentlemen were not particularly interested when the invitation was extended to us, so an alternative plan was formed. A "walking tour" of Skipton, where we would wander around the town, have a bit of a laugh, an impromptu game of I Spy and then maybe visit the odd pub or two. Maybe.

Somehow, we found ourselves in our first pub before 11am. No idea how that happened. No idea at all. We were also joined by regular camping companion Shaun, who lives just down the road. After that long drive, he needed refreshment, so we somehow managed to find ourselves a pub serving Timothy Taylor's, the local brew 🙂 And how appropriate that it is called the Woolly Sheep, given that wool has brought us all here.

My day began with a pint of Golden Best, a lovely golden ale to start the day, and perfect for starting to put the world to rights. We moved on after this, although not before sneaking a quick look at the menu, which has lots of interesting dishes on such as pulled lamb shank press, or chilled braised ham hock (posh ham, egg and chips).

We did try to pop back for dinner later, but it was fully booked so we went elsewhere.

The Woolly Sheep is certainly MOFAD approved, and we'll certainly be back on our next visit.

Two visits in one day? Not unheard of, but a fairly rare occurrence due to our general pattern of activities. Today was a a little bit different, as we have travelled to Yorkshire for the weekend. As we are already the furthest north of our group of travellers, we had a head start, and had arrived at our destination just in time for lunch. By a stroke of good fortune, the Roebuck was just a few doors down from our hotel, a pub that serves food all day, and has a selection of ales too.

To accompany lunch, a Bridgehouse Blonde from not far away in Oxenhope. A very nice blonde ale after a long journey. A point taken away for serving it in a Guinness glass though – don't mix and match!

Mr predictable opted for the burger topped with pulled pork – it was very nice, good onion rings too. The chips were incorrect (I'd wanted proper ones, not spiral fries) but that wasn't the end of the world. We had a nice chat with the chef when she popped out to see how everything was – she was very friendly.

We could have stayed there all afternoon (well, I could at least) but we opted to have a wander into Keighley to mooch round a few shops and pick up a cache or two along the way. Once that was done we popped back to the hotel for a cup of tea and then back down to the pub to settle in for the evening. Regular MOFAD companions Hazel & Matt had joined us by this point, but we were still waiting for Chris & Caroline. While we caught up on recent events (it had been 5 days since we last met!) it was time for another pint. Stancill Blonde was the next one, and the sparkler was probably a bit over-active as there was a bit too much foam on the top. One day I'll share my feelings on sparklers.

After catching up, it was time to order some food, and another beer, a Pride of Pendle from Moorhouse's Brewery from across the border in Burnley. A very nice bitter to accompany dinner.

And finally, on to the food. A chicken triple (called three way chicken) with dressed slaw and chips. A chicken breast with salsa and cheese, three chicken wings and a chicken kebab, all served with an excellent chilli sauce. This was really tasty, a very nice mix of juicy chicken and a tangy sauce. The slaw would have been better as a full on coleslaw to counteract the chilli sauce, but it still worked.

If you happen to be staying in the area (perhaps at Fawlty Towers) then this is certainly recommended.

A very brief one this, as we popped in for a quick post walk pint after a leisurely wander around the surrounding area. A Sharp's Cornish Coaster was my choice of refreshment – I was looking for something more local, but that was off, so this inoffensive ale was what I got.

The pub itself looked pretty nice, with some tasty looking dishes on the menu, but this was not on our radar today. Perhaps another day.

I have written previously about Wetherspoons, as we visited our local one before a comedy show earlier in the summer. Handily for my Manchester trip, there was one just 300 yards or so from the hotel. This serves two purposes. As an evening destination for a competitively priced pint or two. And as a morning destination for a very competitively priced breakfast to set you up for a long day ahead.

So this post covers 6 separate visits in the space of four days. Three evenings and three breakfasts.

The Paramount is a former cinema (like quite a few 'Spoons) and has a nice little display on the wall showing it in its former glory.

Monday's trip was for a quick drink before retiring for the evening, and it was good to see an impressive range of ales on offer, both local and from further afield.

A pint of Greenmill Citrus Snap which was a standard pale ale to round off the evening.

Tuesday morning saw us arriving for breakfast, with plenty of items to choose from, including breakfast baps, granola, porridge, poached eggs and salmon and of course, the classic full English. At Wetherspoons they have calorific information on the menu, so you can be well informed when eating your 1,000 calorie breakfast. Not too much of an issue as I was safe in the knowledge that I would have walked around 5 miles before the end of the day. More importantly, it's very tasty and not swimming in grease.

Later on Tuesday evening we returned for a nightcap after a trip to the Palace hotel, with a pint of Bon Don Doon from Wilson Potter brewery, hoppy, citrus flavours and very tangy – just what was needed after bland wines earlier in the evening.

Shortly afterwards, a couple of friends from London popped in. After picking them up off the floor (drinks for less than £4, and even some less than £3) we enjoyed a drink and a chat. A pint of Wizard from Robinsons kept the conversation flowing.

Wednesday morning sees the same routine, full English, another 5 or so miles of walking.

After evening plans for Wednesday turned into a damp squib, we returned for another pint. The Saint Louis Schlafly had followed us up from Leicestershire (brewed by Everards) and was alright, but nothing special, like much of their output.

Thursday morning saw a final visit and the same breakfast routine.

The Paramount is certainly MOFAD approved.

A Danish bar in this famous old industrial city? Not at all surprising. As with most British cities nowadays, an international flavour is de rigeuer. Apparently there is a very good Korean restaurant just a bit further along Oxford Road, so these kinds of places are just par for the course.

In Manchester on business for the next few days, so this is the first of several Mancunian musings. After a pleasant rail journey through the Peak District (the Sheffield to Manchester passes through some of the nicest railway scenery in the country), a quick trip to the hotel to ditch baggage, and then off out for dinner.

Krobar had been a pre-arranged destination and was a bit of an unknown. I was vaguely aware of it from a previous visit to the area, but had never been in. As soon as you get to the bar, there is a welcome sight, several pumps for ales from local breweries, as well as an interesting selection from Europe.

There are lots of areas upstairs, and several communal bar areas downstairs. There's a kind of beer patio out the front, and a nice courtyard out the back. It was quite a balmy evening (particularly for Manchester in September) so we sat out in the courtyard.

First up a pint of Ticketybrew Pale Ale which was hoppy, but not pale. Perfectly pleasant though.

Some familiar faces were arriving now, so it was time to catch up on gossip. Some plans had been hatched to go elsewhere for a curry, but by this point we had seen the menu, and wanted to stay to sample it. So it was back to the bar to order. When did you last see a pork schnitzel burger on the menu? I'd wager it was either "never" or "quite a while ago". Unless you spend a lot of time in Danish bars/restaurants.

What an excellent choice it turned out to be. Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle and very flavoursome. Accompanied by a bit of salad inside and a fried egg. and some chips, it made the decision to stay a good one. Accompanied by a pint of Tommy Legs from Derwent Brewery which went down well – pleasant but in no way an IPA.

We stayed for some more chat and a pint of Ticketybrew Black IPA. Doesn't come across as a black IPA, but a challenging and interesting palate.

If you find yourself in the Oxford Road area near the Manchester museum then I can certainly recommend Krobar – good food and good ales.

Settle is a lovely little town. It has lots of lovely pubs. It has a lovely supermarket and a market every Tuesday (since the year 1248).

The supermarket is Booths, which is absolutely stacked full with great beers, as can be seen in the photo. There are also some lovely chutneys picked up from a couple of local delis.

It contains the Royal Oak which puts together a nice burger and a few good pints. After a long journey, it was a welcome resting place, which we visited purely on the basis of its proximity to our camp site. Oh, and it has a revolving door!

It also contains The Lion, who also have several good pints available, as well as a tasty roast quail. A very nice meal was had here.

There are also quite a few cafes, and we visited Ye Olde Naked Man for lunch one day. Including that name once more should guarantee a few extra hits on this post. Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe is a cafe and deli in a prime position opposite the market place in Settle, with an extensive menu and an excellent take on the club sandwich.

It also contains the pub of the month for August, the Talbot Arms, which has a great range of food and drink (six different ales on!)

A sausage, pork and apple pie was the perfect way to achieve triple pork nirvana – it was a very tasty pie indeed, and one of the best I've had all year.

Just time for one more beer picture, Hair of the Dog from Pennine Brewing, a very flavoursome session ale.

Settle is full of great food and drink. Can't wait to go back, but I will have to wait until 2016 at least… Settle, we salute you!

A tough month, in the sense of choosing a pub of the month. We've been away on a couple of extended breaks, which has included lots of pub visits.

Suffolk was our first port of call, which included trips to The Kings Head in Yoxford:-

IMG_3344

The Crown in Westleton (a lovely piece of skate, and some nice ales):-

IMG_3352

and The Bell Inn in Middleton (classic village pub, thatched roof, low beams, a flint church tower visible out of the window, and with a classic character for a landlord):-

IMG_3365

A couple of other pubs in the middle of the month, and then we find ourselves in Yorkshire, where we found ourselves in four great pubs on four separate nights.

Our first stop was The Royal Oak in Settle (lovely burger and a pint of Tether Blond):-

IMG_3426

followed by The Lion (roast quail and several good ales):-

IMG_3435

Next up was The Harts Head in Giggleswick (not a made up name), a lovely piece of gammon, several ales and a fun pub quiz:-

IMG_3447

Today, the final day of August, the Talbot Arms swoops in to steal the title. A friendly and welcoming pub, lovely landlord, six ales on tap and a great selection of food.

IMG_3455

We had a lovely meal here, and sampled all of the ales available. A really lovely pub, and easily the pub of the month, despite stiff competition!

IMG_3457

After our dinner at the Royal Oak, we decided to pop over the road for another drink, which would also give us the opportunity to check out another local hostelry. The Lion is a Thwaites pub, and we've visited a few of these recently, including the MOFAD approved Royal Oak (in Keswick).

Continuing with the keeping it local theme, a Main Line from the Settle Brewing Company, a good fruity bitter. The Lion looks like a nice pub, and I think we'll be back tomorrow night for dinner…