York and a pub crawl 5

And get better it did.  My first port of call was a mere 1 minute stroll down Marygate to the Bay Horse where I was meeting my chums Rich and Mick. The Bay Horse is recently re-opened after being closed for nearly 5 years and from the outside it has some interesting and classic architectural features.  The beer – I chose Greene King IPA as a steady starter at 3.6% ABV – was well kept and helped to set the scene for some interesting discussions over the course of the evening.  But the inside of the pub?  Well it was another case of noddy land design with clashing colours and toy town furniture.  Now call me strange, but I just don’t get why so many pubs with historical merits and the ability to keep some good beer then decorate the place like it’s the local hangout for Postman Pat.  A real ale pub should be classically styled and easy on the eye.  It calls for natural materials like wood and stone not synthetic velour in a variety of primary colours.  But the upside was that the Bay Horse was quiet and that had some merit so we supped our pints and chatted about this and that (mainly how York City had done that afternoon).  Then we gathered our coats and wits and turning right out of the entrance headed down towards the river walk, past the museum gardens and into town.  It was a lovely evening, the fierce wind of the morning and afternoon had dropped, autumn leaves gently spiralled to the ground and it was very pleasant to be walking with two such interesting companions.  We arrived at the Three Legged Mare on High Petergate and wandered into a more successful example of a modern real ale pub.  Wood floor boards and a light airy interior attracted a pleasant and happy crowd of early evening drinkers who didn’t seem to be at all put off by the fact they were drinking in a pub with a hanging scaffold in the back garden.  This contraption from which the pub takes its name could hang three men at once which was considered an innovative move at the time. Me, I was happy to observe it from a distance and learn that the pub is also affectionately known locally as the Wonkey Donkey.  It has a signature beer of the same name and which is one of nine on tap at any one time.  The TLM is owned by the York Brewery which also produces Centurion Ghost Ale, Yorkshire Terrier and Guzzler and I decided there and then that at some point in the evening, being on their home turf, I would have to try all three. Draining our beer and now into the swing of things we headed off to the Guy Fawkes Hotel further down High Petergate.  I started to feel like I was slipping back in time as we entered into a dark and atmospheric front bar with seating that looked like it had been borrowed from the local chapel.  Though the front bar is very small, the pub opens out at the back into a much larger and airier room which again leads off as far as I can tell (it was just a quick glance)  into a conservatory.  The Guy Fawkes is also a hotel (and actual birthplace in 1570 of Guy Fawkes. “He’s not a traitor, he’s a very naughty boy”.  Opps, sorry, wrong film) and is now, I understand, in Administration.  But it served a good pint of Copper Dragon from the Skipton Brewery and at 3.9% I was still retaining, at least at this point, a moderately clear head though I see now as I go through my notes that my handwriting was definitely starting to suffer. I downed a pint of Leeds Brewery Best which at 4.3% started to get a bit more serious and then we were out once again into the cool night air ready to continue our adventure.   The Hansom Cab on Spurriergate has one thing going for it only – the price of the beer.  At £1.50 for a pint of Sam Smiths it’s worth a mention but one piece of advice girls – don’t visit the loos. In fact, the Hansom Cab was once known as the Burns Hotel and used to have a very different character (thanks Rich for this bit of info).  In parts it is a Grade II listed building of 17^th century origin.  But as you stand there and cast your eye around, you’d never really know it.  So on we went, the evening was passing and we had one or two other pubs of note to visit before the bus came like the pumpkin carriage in Cinderella and carried off my two fellow-real ale enthusiasts into the night.  The Blue Bell, on Fossgate is exactly the kind of characterful pub that CAMRA was set up to preserve.  There has been a pub on the site since 1798 (thanks again, Rich) and the current interior dates back to the Edwardian era of the early 1900s (for those whose English history is a bit shakey, Queen Victoria died in 1901 and Edward VII succeeded and ruled until 1910).  It is not a pub for those that like to draw their finger across the windowsill to see if there is any dust. The inside of the Blue Bell is very small indeed.  The upside of this is that it saves it from large groups or parties so it manages to retain the sense of a ‘local’ pub.  It transports you back to the days when going out to have a beer was really an excuse for a good chat with your mates or anyone else that looked likely rather than as it seems today, just to go out to get blathered.  The bar breaks the space into two and the back bar or smoke room - though of course you are no longer allowed to smoke in it - is where we settled ourselves. Service is through a glazed hatch and the smoke room is also where the beers are listed on a small blackboard.  This is a truly traditional English pub which is serious about its beers and which due to its size gets very busy but still manages to retain an efficient and friendly service.  It was my favourite of the whole night. But the evening drew to a close and what a lovely time I had had doing two of my favourite things – 1. wandering around a beautiful and historical city on a pub crawl and 2. having the company of interesting, funny and knowledgeable companions, namely Rich and Mick.  I hit the sack back in my room with a very big smile on my face.