This month’s hike and pint was one of Wainwright’s Walks in the Limestone Country, number 30, a 5 mile walk from Settle to Attermire and Victoria Caves.
Martin picked another dry day, with Settle being mostly sheltered from the bitter east wind, muddy in parts but far better than the Bentham ‘swamps’ of the last walk. Five members, three regulars plus two new comers, left on the 1049 train from Lancaster, to Giggleswick, walking over to Settle. Meeting up with seven members from the Keighley & Craven branch in the Talbot Arms, on the High Street, a nice pub deserving an entry in the Good Beer Guide, Rooster’s Buckeye was available, with several Moorhouse’s beers on tap. We heard reports about the new Settle Brewing Company, shortly to start on one of the industrial units by the railway station, being operated by the people who run Nine Standards Brewery in Kirkby Stephen.
The party soon left up Constitution Hill, noticing a building named the old Brewhouse, up along Banks Lane, a slog up hill for a mile+ before levelling off , the Yorkshire supermen sprinting off, as though they were rehearsing for the Three Peaks run, leaving the Lancastrians going more at a leisurely pace admiring the scenery. One of our group even scrambled up to have closer look at Victoria cave, I just looked at Wainwright’s sketch. With the groups splitting, the ’Yorkies’ perhaps going back for more quality at the Talbot, we continued with our pub crawl around Settle. I was disappointed with the Royal Oak, I nice location on the Market Place, but was rather quite and slightly run down, we tried the Black Sheep. On to the ‘Lion at Settle’ on Duke Street, a think formerly called the Golden Lion, a Thwaites ‘Inns of character’ pub, we sampled the end of their Christmas special, the Good Elf. We had all arranged to meet in the Thirteen Café Bar, also on Duke Street, which unusually only opened at 4pm. Settle’s only entry in the GBG, I can understand why, an excellent pub, we tried the Ingleborough Gold from Settle’s micro brewery, Goose Eye Chinook and Dark Horse Best Bitter. We should have had an extra beer here and made our way leisurely back to the station, but we tramped to Giggleswick to the Hart’s Head on Belle Hill, a GBG pub, where we sampled a Kirkby Lonsdale’s Stanley. Unfortunately we left the hotel too late, passing the Black Horse (another LocAle pub) in the village centre, walking through dark lanes, we just missed the last train (1749). Taking refuge in the adjacent Craven Heifer, some of the party trying the Copper Dragon, whilst ringing for a taxi. An excellent day just spoiled by the missed train.