A Slight Return To Otley....

This small town beside the River Wharfe sits on the doorstep of the Yorkshire Dales and I recently went back there for the first time in about 40 years to check out how the local pub scene is faring these days. Here's what I found...

Back in the early 1980's I spent three years living in a bedsit in the Leeds suburb of Headingley. Despite the cramped living space, one of the benefits of living there was that it was easy to get to other places beyond the city; from the local station it was possible to catch the train to Harrogate, Knaresborough, or even York, whilst a 10 minute walk in the other direction to the Otley Road gave the opportunity of catching a bus to the eponymous Wharfedale market town. In those days before pubs anywhere could open all day, Otley's pubs could benefit from the town's market town status and open for longer when it was market day, which made taking a 30 minute journey there a worthwhile proposition. And away from the student suburbs of the city, it had a different feel, the pubs a mix of farmers, market traders, locals, and tourists.

The town, which grew up around a bridging point across the River Wharfe in the shadow of the Chevin, a long gritstone ridge to the south, has been a market town since the 13th century, and it still plays a big part in the town's life today. Over the centuries, the woollen industry became important, whilst in the early 20th century, the printing industry became significant. The town became an urban district, but in 1974 it was absorbed into the Leeds metropolitan district, but has exercised its right to set up a town council, and is still something of a centre for the lower Wharfedale area today. Otley no longer has a railway station these days, it being closed by the Beeching cuts in 1965, but is still a popular commuter town for Leeds and Bradford, both about 10 miles away by road, and is a popular destination for tourists, being situated right on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales countryside. 

Otley long had a reputation as one of the country's towns which had the highest proportion of pubs per head of population, and whilst that number may have fallen, there are still plenty there today, with many located in the narrow streets and alleys that surround the market place. There are three in the current Good Beer Guide, with the selection often varying from one year to the next. Otley had consequently been on my to-do list for a while, and so this last Saturday I decided to catch the train to Leeds and then catch the X84 bus there, which took about 50 minutes. We passed through the sprawling university area, suburbs like Headingley, Adel, and Lawnswood, before passing through some pleasant countryside, all the way along picking up passengers, the bus gradually filling up. Shortly after passing through the village of Bramhope, the road swung to the left and in the distance the countryside of Wharfedale appeared. The road then began the descent down the side of the Chevin, and a few minutes later we arrived at Otley Bus Station.

It was only a minute's walk up the road to the first pub on my list, which hadn't been a pub when I had last visited the town. In fact, The Old Cock only opened a few years ago as a pub, having previously been a cafe, but has been renovated in such a way that it looks a lot older. Stone-flagged floors, exposed stone walls, and bench seating, plus a very attractive decor with old pictures and signs give the impression of age. The bar faces you as you enter, and on the front there were 9 hand pumps featuring beers from the local area; the likes of Taylors, Theakstons, and Daleside. I went for a pint of Hetton Pale from the Dark Horse brewery from Hetton in North Yorkshire, which I hadn't seen for a while. On the bar were home made sandwiches and local pies if hunger struck. It was around half past noon, and the pub was pretty busy, but I managed to find a seat in the room to the right as you go which had several seniors in chatting away happily. The Hetton Pale was refreshing with quite dry finish, and was in great nick. I rated it NBSS 3.5, and it was a promising start to the day. The Old Cock was likewise a great pub, and ideal for a first/last place to call if you are on the bus, and if I hadn't had more places to call, I would have happily lingered.

The Old Cock; deceptively old

It was a matter of a couple of minutes' walk to the next pub, and this was one I used to call in regularly on those long-ago trips to the town. This was the Junction (opening picture), situated on a corner of Bondgate as you enter the town. I walked in, and whilst I can't remember the details from 40 years ago it still looked pretty much a traditional pub. Essentially one L-shaped room, it is split into a small area to the left as you enter, with the biggest space to the front of the bar then separated by an open fire in a stone column from a further area beyond. There was a seductive smell of woodsmoke as I walked in from the drizzle outside, and from a range of 8 hand pumps (like the Old Cock featuring predominantly Yorkshire beers) I ordered a pint of Ossett Yorkshire Blonde. Another good pint, another 3.5 rating. The pub was not too busy but there were several folk dotted around the pub; some silently sipping their drink, some engaged in conversation. There was a chilled, calm atmosphere about the place, and I thoroughly enjoyed my return visit.

I then headed into those narrow streets that lead towards the market square. I came to the Black Bull, reputedly Otley's oldest pub, where Oliver Cromwell is said to have stayed after the battle of Marston Moor, and whilst there are low beamed ceilings and other historical features, I found it pretty lacking in character. The beer choice was Landlord or Wainwright on cask, with the offer generally geared up for the Carling/John Sm***s Smooth/Dark Fruits crowd, but it was very busy and they were doing well with food, so who am I to criticise. I ordered a half of Landlord, and managed to find a seat a room where most tables were occupied by diners overlooking the market square. The Landlord was in decent enough condition though (NBSS 3) but with other places to visit, I didn't linger.

Directly across the cobbled market square with its clock tower and buttercross is another pub I can remember going in on previous visits to Otley. This the Bay Horse and like the Black Bull, it is a former Tetleys pub, and likewise there are still old signs and other reminders of their presence. It is a compact pub, with a small room on the right as you go in, then a central area with the bar, and beyond is a further small room with seating. In contrast to its near neighbour, it was pretty quiet as I walked in, and the landlord was in the bar hatch looking at a laptop. The beer choice was Taylors Boltmaker and Landlord, so I decided to mix it up and ordered a half of Boltmaker, which was a pretty enjoyable NBSS 3.5. Whilst I was enjoying my drink more people came in, and it seemed like many of them were regulars. In 40 years, the Bay Horse didn't seemed to have changed that much both inside or out, and I enjoyed my return visit there.

I turned right as I left the Bay Horse, and after stopping for a pork pie at Weegmann's butchers, I soon came to my next target. Straddling a corner at a busy crossroads (although every road in Otley seemed busy!) was the imposing bulk of the Black Horse Hotel. There was just the problem of crossing the road to get to it and getting a suitable traffic-free photo. I finally managed both, and entered what was a pretty busy, Victorian interior. There was much wood-panelling in evidence and large brewery mirrors at the back of the traditional style bar. There were 4 Kirkstall beers on hand pump plus a bank of 4 from Craven Brew Co, where the head brewer is the much-travelled and experienced Dave Sanders. A number of keg beers from both breweries were also available. I went for Three Swords from Kirkstall, which was poured by a young lad under supervision by an even younger-looking lad, and I have to say he made a pretty good fist of it. I spotted a seat at the side of the bar which would have given me a great view of the bar and a good spot from where to take some photos of the impressive interior, but as I picked my pint off the bar to move over there, I was gazumped by a guy who leapt towards it at speed, relegating me to a table seat in the room to the left of the bar. Just to rub it in, he droned on incessantly to his apparently mute sidekick about this and about that in a whiney voice for the duration of my stay. Fortunately the beer was excellent (NBSS 4) and on that basis I can thoroughly recommend a visit to what was overall a friendly pub with a wide mix of ages. I just hope Mr Droney is not there when you go!

Black Horse Hotel, Otley

It was a minute or two's walk up Kirkgate to the next place I had on my list. It was drizzling again and the clouds looked down gloomily from above the Chevin. I soon arrived at the Whitakers Arms, which is a listed building with an attractive exterior. Inside it was more functional, and had the feel of a town pub. There were several hand pumps on the bar, mainly featuring Taylors beers, but I instead opted for a half of Ossett Yorkshire Blonde. Unfortunately, it was very ordinary (NBSS 2.5), and I felt that overall the place was short on any distinctive character.

Whitakers Arms, Otley

I had time for a quick drink before I got the bus, and so I tracked down the North Bar Social. Situated in an attractive old building just off Bondgate, this is another outpost for the Leeds-based brewery who seem to be spreading their wings further afield these days. There was a pleasant relaxed atmosphere as I walked in. It is a fairly small bar, and it was pretty full, but there is additional seating upstairs, which is where I retreated with my half of Sputnik from the taps. There were a couple of guys sat in a corner chatting, and a family sat by the window, the kids quietly sat with their tablets as mum and dad enjoyed some peace and quiet. It was a chilled way to conclude the afternoon's activities.

It was only a few minutes walk to catch the bus for the return journey to Leeds. It was good to go back to Otley after all these years and it begs the question as to why I'd left it that long. The pub scene here is thriving, and out of the 7 places I visited all but a couple were very good indeed, with some above average beer available. The area I covered was very compact and with several other places in the town that I didn't get to that look worthy of investigation, it is ripe for another visit. I better not leave it another 40 years though....

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