Black Bull Inn, Leyburn

Locals' pub on the corner of Middleham's Market Square. Entering from the front door, there are 3 different rooms. The one nearest the door has bare boards and a dartboard. The second room you come to down a couple of steps is the main bar with a stone floor and a fireplace with a wood burner. A TV was showing live horse racing from Ascot. With Middleham being a major racehorse training area, the barmaid and other locals were keenly watching the King George. The furthest room from the entrance is a games room with a pool table, another dartboard, a fruit machine, board games and a large mirror on the wall. A TV in this room was switched off. Regular cask ales here are Theakston Best Bitter & Wensleydale Semer Water. The guest beer was Timothy Taylor Landlord, with a fourth handpull unclipped. Kirkstall Virtuous & Camden Pale were on keg. The cider was Thatcher's Gold. I thought that for a pub listed in the Good Beer Guide, that the range was nothing special. A CAMRA discount is offered. Wine lists can also be found on each table. Children are allowed in until 9pm. Food was served for a while, but has been discontinued. Meanwhile, an Oktoberfest was advertised. Two outdoor tables have good views of the Market Place. I thought this was the better of the two pubs we visited in Middleham.

Facebook page of Black Bull Inn - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Black Bull Inn - www.facebook.com

This is by far the best pub in Middleham for the quality of the beer. Is now a free house with 5 ales on. Wensleydale ales feature with a other Yorkshire beers. There is no food as yet but they do plan to open their kitchens soon. It's has been taken over by a Camra member who is passionate about the pub. Good luck to them in the future.

Lowest down the hill in the Market Place this is a Greene King house and more plain and pubby than the other licensed establishments in Middleham. Built in white washed freestone rather than being left plain as with the Richard III and the Black Swan. The pub is on a steeper slope and so you enter at one level to a room containing just a pool table and drop down to a bar area with the counter then there is a sitting room beyond. Greene King IPA and Black Sheep bitter on the two handpumps plus half a dozen keg taps much as you would expect. The ever popular red and cream colour scheme predominates and the furnishing is pretty traditional apart from a low sofa in the back room, the large back room also has the racing pictures and there are two big screens in this friendly pub. There are a couple of bar stools including one from a tractor.