Hills and Mills - part 2

 A (drinking) visit to Barnoldswick, or Barlick to locals, was recommended by family, whom also have a campervan.

With the promise of a comfortable park up and good micro pubs, we felt it a good excuse to meet said family for a catch up.

A rally at the Rolls-Royce leisure centre (usually £9 per unit per night) forced us to seek an alternative stopover… which was easily done and closer to town.

First bar of note was Hickey’s & friends, just off the main square. This came after a caskless visit to the Cross Keys to watch the Grand National… no winners.

Hickeys & friends bar, Barnoldswick

What I’d call an aspirational bar with modern decor, offering light bites and cocktails. But they did have cask, Gold by Three Peaks which was in good form.

Hickeys & friends bar, Barnoldswick

Back towards the town square was the busy Wax & Taps, a record cafe like that in Bradford.

Wax & Taps, Barnoldswick

Perched on the window seats with something hazy (from cask, I just forgot to note. The other cask option was a Jam Donut by Tiny Rebel), we had a good view of the vibrant town square with locals making the most of the sunshine.

Inside Wax & Taps

View of the town square 

On the opposite side of the square it was bottled Moorehouses White Witch in Jacs, which mainly specialises in wine and cheeseboards.

Back to some cask at the GBG entry The Barlick Tap, a typical micropub of one seating area, a bar with 4 cask and 3 keg lines towards the rear and the customary one toilet behind the bar.

The Stanley’s Pale drank very well

From here we headed to McCulloughs Irish Bar, which pleasingly didn’t adorn the usual Irish pub fixture and fittings.

Low ceilings, rabbit warren layout and a live music basement make an ideal pub, the Flat Cap bitter by Bank Top was also in good form. Unfortunately only one photo was taken…

Back to the van for a Silentnight sleep. If you know, you know.

Hills and Mills - part 1

 Easter break means two weeks off work, but with a gig to see Lambrini Girls at the Crescent in York, we had to split the campervan trips.

First is a weekend in Otley and Haworth in West Yorkshire, and East Lancashire if you accept Barnoldswick is over the border.

Between the river Wharfe and the foot of the Chevin, Otley claims to be the original Yorkshire beer town, with over 20 pubs and bars. That’s approximately 1 public house per 570 residents, on this sunny Friday the ‘spoons looked to have its entire quota in the beer garden!

Guided by the GBG24 our first stop was The Junction, a popular pub on a busy bend of the road in and out of town.

Stanley enjoyed the free treats

A traditional pub, in respect of interior and beer choice with the Landlord and Kirkstall both drinking well.

Fine Yorkshire selection, Theakstons wa also available 

Second was another GBG24 entry and camra champion, The Old Cock. Looking like a forever pub it has only operated as a public house since 2010, previously being a cafe.

Tha’s no finer view

With up to 9 cask beers, mostly local and always with at least one dark option, I chose the Big Chief IPA from London based Redemption, which as you’d expect from a pub of this stature was in good form.

A steady stream of customers, seating also available upstairs

Tempting as it was to work through the options, I was keen to visit more of the 20 pubs and bars, bars now being the focus.

North Bar Social is exactly how a seasoned ticker/drinker would expect it to be. Millennials, maybe millennials with kids opting for something in a can (not the kids) rather than the one cask line, but thankfully the kids were sat outside in the decent beer garden and the bloke before got 2 pints of the cask, something by Goose Eye of Keighley or Bingley?

Inside North Bar Social

The Curious Hop Biere Cafe was next, which makes good use of its space placing tables around a central half partition. The ability to bring pizza from the unit opposite was a nice touch too.

Inside the Curious Hop Biere Cafe

A few more cask options are available here, but not being in the mood for porter or Belgian, it was the Goose Eye Bitter which is a fine example of a bitter, but unfortunately I was disappointed with my follow up keg choice in the West Coast IPA by Abbeydale which just didn’t do the job I wanted a Westy to do.

3 cask and 10 keg lines in Curious Hop Biere Cafe

Otley Tap House next. A place that offers just about everything, cask, macro lager, food, darts, pool, happy hours and just about every type of person was in there to sample, young, old, lone drinkers, couples, dog walkers.

Otley Tap House

Whilst the music was first album Arctics and everything around that, the Durham Citra was a little disappointing.

Discovering Shadow Brewing was a few doors down, we called in to try their cask Bitter and Blonde, which were both fine beers.

With the seating positioned in the double bay windows, the small bar in the middle and 1bbl brewing system at the back, it could be an attractive venue. But unfortunately it felt cold and lacked atmosphere, despite The Stone Roses album playing on vinyl, which is also for sale.

Feeling tired and hungry we cancelled a visit to the now Brew York Horse & Farrier and finished at The Black Horse Hotel.

As you’d expected from a Kirkstall pub, the interior is full of original or added features and brewing paraphernalia.

Cask selection wasn’t just Kirkstall either, with the Stubbee never seen before.

Stubbee - Aussie beers, brewed by an Aussie…in Bradford!

However, I had to try the Dissolution because it’s probably one of my favourite cask beers but sadly it wasn’t in fine form from when I had it last at The Tetley.

Just like the beer, the atmosphere wasn’t quite there. Perhaps the Black Horse is more of an afternoon spot, rather than 9pm?

A pet hate - remnants of Covid

Completing 7 pubs and bars we were done, and retired to the campervan for a free nights kip before Barnoldswick.

Otley - easier by plane.

Ps, If you’d like to know where to stay for free in Otley, buy me something from here and I’ll happy reveal.