The Black Bull, Richmond

A large, white building - or is it two buildings? Certainly the hotel's smart dining room appears to occupy a different one, and the public bar is a world of its own, and all the better for it. There's a stone flagged floor and an open fire. We liked the atmosphere in here, and the friendly barman was doing a good job. Like the Kings Arms, I would have said there were probably one or two beers too many on the bar, but either they keep it better here or we just got lucky, as the two we tried were in good condition. There were three Theakstons beers, Old Peculier, Lightfoot and Best, plus Black Sheep Bitter and Thwaites Wainwright. Of Reeth's three pubs, this would be my choice for a prolonged visit if the opportunity arose.

Early lunchtime on a damp but mild October Saturday. Some elderly bikers were discussing the Scott Trials, being held today.We sat by the rather too warm fire in the bar and ate ham ‘n’ eggs. A room to the right was laid up for dining, but sadly unoccupied.The pub seems to ramble away from the front, with some sort of games room to the rear. Date visited:19th October 2013

Judging from the conversations, this is the Reeth locals' favourite pub and I also thought it was the best of the three in the village. There was a very lively atmosphere at night and the beer was excellent.

Probably the best known pub in town thanks to its infamous upside down sign above the front door, a visual protest resulting from a dispute between the previous charismatic landlord Black Bob and the local Dales authorities over external “improvements” that didn't meet their approval. The landlord has moved on but I didn't get the impression that too much in the pub has changed. The L shaped interior has a main bar with a large inglenook fireplace and high backed settles, a pool and darts (2 boards) area at the rear and a separate restaurant / dining section. There are some interesting articles (namely the “dispute”) and interesting old local photos (note the Reeth in flood pics), brewery mirrors and usual pub paraphernalia but overall it seems to be more of a locals pad than anything touristy. 5 ales on offer, most of them fairly regular for the area - Black Sheep Best, Theakston Black Bull, Old Peculiar & Best and Old Speckled Hen, decent enough quality on my visit and reasonable prices. The food was also decent enough (there aren't many places to eat round here in winter) but fairly pricey for what it was. A perfectly decent place to unwind and certainly worth calling in but it just lacks that bit extra to make it an essential stop.