Ilkley Beer Bar T'at....

Last weekend I caught the train to an attractive little town which lies on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Here amongst a host of attractions for the visitor I discovered a number of varied pubs and bars and managed to sample beers from each of the town's three breweries....

Wharfedale is right up there as one of my favourites of the Yorkshire Dales, but whilst I have walked the moors and valleys of the upper reaches countless times over the years, my visits have been few and far between to the small town that acts as a gateway to this beautiful part of the country. That town is Ilkley, well known to most because of the traditional song, Ilkley Moor Baht'At, but to many others as a traditional spa town and tourist destination. The moor referred to in the song broods quietly above the town, with miles of open countryside to attract walkers and the famous Cow and Calf rocks. The coming of the railways opened up the area and soon visitors were attracted by the open space and fresh air on offer as a welcome respite to the smoke and grime of the Victorian West Riding towns. The more well-heeled, the elderly, and the infirm came to take the waters, majestic hotels were built, and Ilkley grew almost as a small version of Harrogate. The town's roots go back a lot further though; it is believed the area has been settled since at least Neolithic times, whilst the Romans had a fort here, the name of which informs the name of someone from Ilkley, who is called an Olicanian.

Today, Ilkley, which serves as a commuter town particularly for Leeds and Bradford, remains a tourist attraction, with the moors of course, an extensive array of shops for a small town, including branches of many high street names, fancy boutiques, small independent retailers, and the downright quirky. There are plenty of eating places and restaurants for all tastes, with one, The Box Tree, where the young Marco Pierre White cut his teeth, and where more recently it was overseen by Simon Gueller, a regular Michelin and Egon Ronay entry over the years. Those who fancy a dip can visit the outdoor lido in the summer months, whilst a stretch of the Wharfe which flows through the town became the first riverside site in the country to be a designated an official bathing space in 2020. It has hosted and featured in many high-profile cycling races including the Tour de France and the Tour de Yorkshire. And Ilkley is home to several pubs and bars, many of which I'd never visited before.

I caught the train from Halifax first to Leeds, but because of earlier issues down the line I missed my connection to Ilkley. Not deterred I caught a train to Shipley, where I could change and catch one to Ilkley from Bradford. With its five platforms and triangular layout, Shipley station never fails to baffle me, but fortunately this time my train was due in at a nearby platform, came on time, and soon afterwards I arrived at Ilkley. A few minutes to get my bearings, and I decided to call in at the originally-named Station, situated just across the road. It was quite busy, with a mix of locals with those who were more obviously on a tour of the town. The beer range was predominantly from Taylors, from which I ordered a pint of Boltmaker. It was on fine form, probably the best I'd had of this beer in ages, cool, refreshing, and in very good condition (NBSS 3.5). I spotted the Test Match was showing on a large screen at the back of the pub, so I went to watch it whilst I enjoyed my pint. I liked the Station Pub, as it calls itself on its sign, it was friendly, down-to-earth, and the beer was both good and reasonably priced, especially for Taylors.

The Station Pub, Ilkley

From there, it was just around the corner to Friends Of Ham, which opened in 2015, and where I had been before. It is connected to the Leeds establishment of the same name, and offers a similar array of cask and craft beer, charcuterie, cheese, grilled sandwiches, and small plates. It is an attractive bar which with its large windows, stripped wood, marble bar and splashback, and subdued lighting has a relaxed feel. The open kitchen is front of house and plenty of tins of olives and other food-related items are on display. From a choice from local boys Ilkley, Taylors, and Burning Sky on cask, I opted for the usually-reliable Burning Sky Plateau, and went to sit at one of the high tables in front of the bar. Unfortunately, this 3.5% pale was unusually tired and lacking in much of the usual gravity-defying big flavours imparted by a mix of US and New Zealand hops and in my view was only worth a 2.5 on the National Beer Scoring System. I fancied some food and as I studied the menu, I finished my pint, and decided to go for a beer from the taps. My original choice was gone, but I was more than happy that its replacement was Parade from the estimable Beak. Mind you with an ABV of 6%, I decided I would be sensible and get a half. It was an opaque pale orange, and its intense citric hit courtesy of the Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops was sublime. I finally ordered some toasted sourdough brushed with tomatoes, balsamic, parsley, and salt, topped with slithers of manchego, which was very good, and washed it down with another half of the Beak. By the time I'd finished I'd forgotten about that disappointing first pint; no doubt I was just unlucky, as I enjoyed everything else about my visit here.

Friends of Ham, Ilkley

It was a few minutes walk to my next pub, during which time I passed several grand stone buildings as I walked along The Grove, a stall selling hats - presumably aiming to minimise the chances of anyone wandering over the moors or anywhere else baht'at - the local branch of Betty's Tea Rooms, and various other establishments on a canopied esplanade, and then I turned right down Cunliffe Road. Not far down was Bar T'at, a modern bar run by Market Town Taverns. Here there was a good range of beers on cask and keg and the welcoming, effusive lady behind the bar immediately approached to ask me what I would like. From the available cask, I went for a pint of Kirkstall Three Swords, which I have found is always a good bellwether pint when in somewhere new. The bar, which you enter via a mini flight of stairs, is split in two, with the bar itself to the right as you go in from the road, with an adjoining room with seating, which is where I went. There is an additional room below, whilst outside is an area with several tables alongside the car park of a shopping centre. The beer was pretty good, a decent NBSS 3, but I had spotted a beer from Bini Brew Co on the board, so once the Three Swords was no more, I ordered a half of their 4.3% hazy pale Under the Manhole Cover from the keg list. Now I was interested because (a) Bini are a new brewery that started in Ilkley and (b) because I'd had a brief conversation with the brewer when he called in at the Meandering Bear in Halifax sometime last year when he dropped off a can or two of samples, and the friendly lady told me he was a regular visitor to Bar T'at. The beer was quite flavoursome and enjoyable. As I sat enjoying it, a guy came in with a large dog, and he sat at the table opposite, whilst his canine companion flopped down, rug-like, next to his feet, but despite its sprawl it was no trouble. That seemed though to lead to an influx of owners and their dogs. Several were quite yappy and snappy (the dogs that is), the calm was disturbed, and by the time I left the room resembled a vet's waiting room. But overall I liked Bar T'at, good beer and a friendly welcome in a comfortable modern bar.

Bar T'at, Ilkley

It was another short walk to the next pub, although it took a few minutes to cross the busy A65, beside which it is situated, and which dictated the angle of the photo I took (opening image). The Flying Duck is a traditional, busy pub, and is home to the Wharfedale Brewery. From an impressive bank of hand pumps which line the bar, I ordered a pint of the Wharfedale Blonde brewed around the back. The Flying Duck was built as a farmhouse in the early 18th century, is Grade ll-listed, and is allegedly Ilkley's oldest pub building which retains many original features. It features two rooms downstairs, a further room upstairs and a loft bar, and also has a hidden heated outdoor terrace. Despite all that, I was trying to find somewhere I could rest my pint when a guy with a handlebar moustache approached and asked me if I was interested in a brewery tour, which was just about to start. I followed him out the back of the pub with a few other people he'd rounded up from around the pub, and he took us into a separate building where there was a small brewery. The brewery started out here in 2013, but there have apparently been two other Wharfedale Breweries over the years. It is a small 3 BBL (brewer's barrel) plant which brews predominantly for the pub. They have several regular beers in the range, despite the plant's size. Everything is on a small scale, but the same basic process is followed as other much larger breweries. Beers are fined with isinglass, so are not suitable for vegans. And my pint of Blonde was an impressive 3.5, and interesting to see where it was brewed! The Flying Duck does sell beers from other breweries, which today included Dark Horse and Bosuns, but it wouldn't have been the same if I'd not had the local brew!

Discussions around the hop back: Wharfedale Brewery

I crossed back over the A65 a little further on where there was a pelican crossing rather than working my way through the cars as I had done before I'd gone to the Flying Duck. A short walk further on I spotted the impressive-looking Crescent Hotel, situated in a prominent street corner location. Its main focus is as a hotel along with bistro dining, but there is also an attractive bar which is open to non-residents, which I had visited before. I seem to think it had more hand pumps then than the 3 that were on the bar today. I ordered half of the Mary Jane from Ilkley Brewery, who as the name suggests are based in the town, having started out in 2009, making them the oldest in town. The Mary Jane, which at 3.5% is a light pale ale, was a solid NBSS 3 on this showing. The Crescent was comfortable and gave the opportunity to catch up on the Test Match but it had a distinct feel of hotel bar about it, and was consequently more formal than the other places I'd been to.

The Crescent Hotel, Ilkley

It was then a short walk back up to the station. I needed some cash and buy a loaf of bread before we set off so I arrived on the station platform just as my train was setting off. Help came in the shape of a pint at the Midland Hotel, another pub close to the station, which served a decent pint of Taylors Landlord at the bargain price of £2.95 (NBSS 3). The pub was pretty empty save for a couple of guys stood chatting at the bar, a couple of heavily-tattooed lads who kept flitting from outside in to the bar to try to wind up the lass who was serving, and a sad-looking guy playing the fruit machine as the final overs of the day in the test match played out on a large screen beside the bar. Randomly, the lass put Technologic by Daft Punk on the jukebox and declared to the wind up merchants "it's my choice and if you don't like it, tough!". Great stuff. The Midland was an excellent antidote to the posher vibes I'd left behind at the Crescent, and I enjoyed my 20 minutes or so in this friendly no-nonsense pub.

The Midland Hotel, Ilkley

I caught the next train back to Bradford without any further ado. It had been an excellent afternoon visiting 6 varied places in what is a pretty compact town centre, plus I'd had an impromptu brewery tour thrown in at the Flying Duck. And whilst it wasn't that far to travel for me it was far enough to feel like I'd had a proper trip out. And so to conclude I would say Ilkley is well worth a visit, whether it's with or baht'at....

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