The Sun, Pickering

My first time in Pickering for quite a number of years. There are six cask beers on the bar, Tetley's Bitter and five changing guests from Yorkshire breweries - which of course Tetley's is no longer. The ceilings, beams and pillars testify to the extraordinary number of beers that have featured here, and the wall above the fireplace has a large number of awards from the local Camra branch - this pub is their rural pub of the year again, but there is no room on the wall, it seems. I arrived half an hour after opening, and both the beers I chose - Wold Top Wolds Way and Great Newsome Sleck Dust - needed pulling through and were well below optimum serving temperature. Both were in pretty good condition, but the chill knocks a lot of the flavour out (NBSS 2.5). This is a popular pub, with regulars meeting for a chat or to slake their thirst after work. It would be great to live within walking distance of a pub like this, but I was on my bike on my way to Helmsley, an hour's ride to the west.

Stopped off in this well-regarded ale house on one of the main roads into Pickering, looking for some warmth and shelter having just received an absolute soaking whilst walking around the nearby Rosedale Chimney Bank. The pub has a simple two room layout, with the bar to the left and a separate seating/dining area through a door to the right. You enter into the main bar which has bare floorboards, half height tongue and groove wall panels and plain painted uppers that have been liberally decorated with old pump clips, CAMRA certificates, beer trays, brewery mirrors and other such interesting bits of breweriana. Nice fireplaces stand proudly at each end of the room, topped with Toby jugs, carriage clocks and the like, whilst he window sills are full of various empty spirit bottles. Seating comprises pews along the front and right-hand walls, supplemented by low stools and a few standard tables and chairs. The bar is in the rear left corner and has an attractive curved counter with a modern wood panelled front and simple bar back lined with a bank note collection. Moving through to the right-hand room, you find yourself in a smart space with pleasant modern floorboards, plenty of table and chair seating and another nice stone fireplace. Most walls have the same half-panelled set-up as the main bar, but side of the room has nice exposed stone, which catches the eye. Walls are decorated with paintings from local artist and there is an impressive high gabled ceiling. A collection of board games can be found in a shelving unit to the rear and we ended up playing an epic game of Scrabble as out clothes slowly drip-dried. To the rear there’s a nice looking grassy beer garden, looking a little less appealing in the pouring rain than it otherwise might have, and there was background music playing throughout the pub, but at a level that was quiet enough that I couldn’t really make out what song was playing. We were greeted by a very jovial landlady who presided over a good selection of relatively local ales – Settle Ernie’s Milk Stout, Daleside Blonde, Tetleys Cask, Taylors Landlord, Bradfield Farmers Blueberry Ale and Wensleydale Beacon. My pint of the latter was in excellent condition, whilst the other half ordered an apple juice which she was given for free due to them not having enough to quite fill the glass, which was a very generous touch. I really loved this place and thought it was an excellent example of Yorkshire hospitality at its best. It’s a comfortable place to settle down for a session, enjoying the well-kept selection of Yorkshire beer, enhanced by a cosy feel and some top-notch service. One of the highlights of our trip to North Yorkshire – this is worth making a bit of effort to seek out.

An internally modernised but still nice looking GBG listed pub. Lowish ceiling and plain walls adorned with many Camra awards, beams festooned with pump clips and there’s a plethora of Tetleys memorabilia. Six pulls of mostly Yorkshire beers in decent nick. Two rooms side by side, there's no counter in the right hand room and you need to pass through there to reach the gents which although not outside is across an open passageway leading to the back garden. The facilities by the way are immaculatly kept. The service however is more local oriented if you know what I mean.

I'm not sure what prompted the previous three reviewers to add their comments to this site, but as a genuine pub-goer and regular reviewer on this site I have to say I thought it was really very good indeed. It's a lovely old building in local stone and looks an absolute picture. I entered from the garden at the back of the pub, because that's where the bicycle parking is situated (oh yes) and found my way through to the main bar room at the front, where there are six hand pumps, offering a variety of beers from Yorkshire breweries plus ex-Yorkshire Tetleys Bitter (see photos). Tetleys trays compete for space on the walls and ceiling with a multitude of pump clips - the latter are winning. This pub is in the Good Beer Guide and wins awards from local Camra, not to mention Yorkshire Pub of the Year Runner Up 2015. I went for the Helmsley Yorkshire Legend, which was absolutely spot on - a fine example of a well-balanced beer in perfect condition. The landlord was happy to be engaged in conversation about what a pleasure it is to come across a beer like that, and why can't I find any in Sheffield (with a few exceptions, to be fair). Regrettably I had to cycle a further six miles so only stayed for a half, but will be back when next in the area.