I have recently been a visitor to this small West Yorkshire town which enabled me to check out the state of play with the local pubs, with one visit involving a farewell drink with an old friend from the town who is heading North to pastures new. Our catch-up reminded me of some of the places we used to get to when a group of us from the town would set off walking....
I'd got a WhatsApp? message the other day day from a new group which had been set up by an old friend, someone I hadn't seen for a few years. The message was inviting a group of us to join him for a farewell drink at the Drop in Elland, as he and his wife were moving up to Scotland. And whilst given the short notice (three days) it was not surprising that several of the invitees had prior commitments and were unable to make an appearance, there were a couple of us that could. Not a simple journey on public transport, but that said I'd discovered that there was a daytime bus service that ran on a Saturday between Brighouse and Halifax which went via Elland. And so I caught a 563 bus which headed up the hill from Brighouse bus station through Rastrick and on to Upper Edge, from where it began the steep descent into Elland.
I alighted at the bus stop across from the town side entrance to Morrisons, from where it was about a 5 minute walk to the Drop Inn. This was a place I used to call in quite regularly at one time as I only lived about a 5 minutes walk away. The pub had originally belonged to Halifax brewers Thomas Ramsden & Son before they were acquired by Joshua Tetley & Son in 1964. It was subsequently a free house after Tetleys disposed of a raft of pubs following the Beer Orders Act in 1989, but for the past few years it has been run by Ossett Brewery. The pub was originally called the Oddfellows, but colloquially it was always known as the 'Drop' because it was a handy stopping off point for those who lived or worked locally who would literally 'drop in' for a pint.
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| Drop Inn, Elland |
Martin, our host, was already there when I arrived, as was the other attendee, Peter, another long-standing friend. Pleasantries exchanged, a pint of Silver King was swiftly put in front of me, and the conversation began to flow. Martin, who I'd last seen a few years ago at the funeral of a mutual friend explained that he had now retired, and having sold their house, they were moving up to Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland, which being close to the Cairngorms would enable them to have less miles to drive to maintain their hobby of Munro-bagging. Now for those that don't know 'Munro' refers to a Scottish mountain with a height of over 3000ft, their name coming from Sir Hugh Munro who compiled the original list back in the 1890's, a tally that today stands at 282.
It was walking that had brought a group of us together. Well, walking and the Barge & Barrel, a now-closed large rambling pub overlooking the canal in Elland. I had started calling in as I was passing by and Martin used to work behind the bar in what in those days was a very popular free house run by West Riding Brewery, with Dave Jessop and Ken Williamson the licensees. We got chatting, and as you'd soon find with Martin, the conversation would one way or another eventually get round to walking the mountains. It was something I'd enjoyed in the past but over the years since university and with a couple of kids my current status back then could only be described as lapsed.
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| The former Barge & Barrel in Elland |
After a few times calling in over subsequent weeks, Martin cajoled me in to joining him on an attempt on Blencathra, a large hill in the Northern Lakes with a height of 2,848ft. Now I was no novice: I had previously completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the Lyke Wake Walk across the North Yorkshire Moors, and the Limey Way long distance walk in the Peak District, but they were all a few years earlier. So as we drove northwards through the Yorkshire Dales and then up the M6, I was feeling a sense of trepidation. We parked at Threlkeld, on the A66 between Penrith and Keswick, heading up the mountain up a direct and steep route (I was to discover later there was an even steeper route up a severe ridge called Sharp Edge). It was a pull, but by way of compensation the views on that sunny day were stunning and the air was getting fresher. We arrived at the top and stopped to look around. It was quiet, save for the distant whisper of traffic on the road way down below and the plaintive cry of a passing curlew. Added to the sense of achievement, it was a magical moment, one that was to keep drawing me back over the following years. We headed back down the way we'd come, quicker descending than on the way up, where we partook of the second most significant part of the day's proceedings, the post-walk pint, this time in the Salutation Inn at the foot of the mountain, which back then was still pretty much a traditional Lakeland inn. Unfortunately I can't remember the beer I had that day....
I can't quite remember how it all came about but over the next few weeks a group of like-minded people from the Barge & Barrel came together, with me very much the incomer, and we started going out on walking trips every week or two, mainly to the Lake District, but also to the Yorkshire Dales. We'd take it in turns to drive, or if there were enough of us, we'd drive in a convoy to our chosen destination. We called ourselves the Barge & Barrel Knackered Fellwalkers, not taking ourselves too seriously whilst respecting and not under-estimating the challenges of the mountains. So over the years we took in fells like the Langdales, Helvellyn, Scafell, Coniston Old Man, and High Street in the Lakes, and such as Ingleborough, Pen-y-Ghent, and Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales. At the end of every walk, we'd enjoy a pint or two in a pub close by as our aching muscles seized up, but then when we met in the Barge & Barrel during the week we'd go over the fun we'd had on the last walk and enthusiastically plan the next one.
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| Langdale Pikes, from Elterwater |
A couple of pubs we regularly visited when we were on our travels were the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Great Langdale and the Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale. Both had the advantage of being close to several routes so you had a number of options. The Old Dungeon Ghyll is still there today, its Hiker's Bar pretty much unchanged in the 30-plus years since I first visited. Set in a stunning location beneath the Langdale Pikes, with other fells like Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, and Pike O'Blisco in close proximity, it is a magnet for walkers and climbers. The bar is pretty basic, with a traditional range fireplace which throws out plenty of heat in the winter months, much needed after a cold day high on the fells. There is bench seating and old wooden tables, whilst on the bar there are 6 hand pumps, with one selling the very popular Loweswater Gold from Cumbrian Ales, with most of the guests from local breweries like Barngates and Fell. Outside is a lovely cottage-style beer garden which can be quite a sun trap in the summer months.
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| The Old Dungeon Ghyll, Great Langdale |
Sadly, the other pub I mentioned, the Old Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale, is far removed from the days when we used to call in. Situated below the bulk of Ingleborough on the road between Ingleton and Ribblehead, this old former farmhouse and drovers inn was a handy place to call in. Parking was available on the road close by and after a day walking on Ingleborough or Whernside, the welcome here afforded to walkers, cavers, and general visitors was second-to-none. The beers tended to be from the likes of Theakstons and the now-closed Dent Brewery and were always in good nick. Food was limited to the likes of pies and some amazing home-made scotch eggs. There always seemed to be a roaring fire which after a while was too warm to sit close by, whilst there was always a cracking atmosphere here, and part of the attraction was the fact there was bunkhouse accommodation and camping available in a field out back. Nowadays, like so many places in both the Lakes and the Dales, it has been gentrified and now, according to the pub's website, it "specialises in delicious home cooked food and excellent puddings."
Over the years, as we've got older, for most of us the walks have become simpler and more localised, taking in the Calder Valley mainly, which left Martin as the only one of us still taking on the big stuff, and so we didn't tend to see as much of him. So as we caught up over a few pints at the Drop it struck me how many years had passed since we'd been heading northwards every week or two. So whilst some of us might be less active now, aching muscles and other afflictions taking hold, the beer that afternoon in the Drop was still flowing well just like it always used to! I'd switched to the White Rat which Martin and Peter had been drinking, and I have to say it was in excellent condition. It had been a most pleasant afternoon in this cosy and friendly Good Beer Guide-listed pub, and good to catch up over old times and relive some wonderful memories.
Not far away from the Drop is Elland's other Good Beer Guide entry, Elland Craft & Tap, situated in former building society offices on Southgate opposite the market square. Since it opened its doors in 2018 this friendly little community pub has gone from strength to strength, and draws in both locals and visitors from further afield. When it first opened it was a rare event; a new pub in a town that had seen so many of its hostelries, not just the aforementioned Barge & Barrel, closing down for good. The people of Elland took the Craft & Tap to their collective heart, as it meant that those in search of a decent pint now had a local option so they didn't have to travel to Halifax or Huddersfield. I get chance to call in for a pint every now and again and invariably there will be someone in there that I know, and in fact when the old walking group decides to have a curry at the restaurant across the road, the Craft & Tap is invariably the meeting place. It is not unusual to come across former customers of the Barge & Barrel here. The cosy area in front of the bar, which is a step up from the larger wood-panelled lounge as you go in, is laid out in such a way that it is inevitable you will end up talking to one and another if you linger there. There are several hand pumps on the bar, with two dedicated to their excellent house ale (brewed by Millstone), and the others serving a range of guests from breweries like Wensleydale and Phoenix. In fact I was delighted to discover on one recent visit Snake Eyes from the amazing Two By Two Brewing on one of the pumps. There are also a number of taps offering a selection of craft beers. Unusually for a micro pub, the Craft & Tap is open every day, and is well worth a visit at any time.
So two fine pubs and some excellent memories of times gone by in both this little West Yorkshire town and far beyond....
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