The Golden Lion, Settle

Old skool place with a hotel vibe. A bit of modernisation but the grand full-length wooden bar and staircase combo (with drinking area) remains, with fairly staid rooms off either side. Laid-back atmosphere that complements the other GBG pub, the Talbot. The big topic of discussion was where to put the Xmas tree. Reviewers below might be pleased to note that whilst I was indeed the youngest customer, there were at least a couple of others who weren’t yet eligible for a free bus pass. Six cask on which seemed a stretch, majoring on Thwaites. My two halves of Dark Horse beers were easily GBG though 2x NBSS 3.5 with Westons Rosies Pig available for the apple-grapplers. Whilst I preferred the Talbot as drinking venue, this one more than held its own. 7.5

I used the Lions Den entrance on my recent visit, but it was more like Dogs Central. Now merely part of a large opened out space, this must have been a real separate room back in the day, with its own stretch of bar counter sporting five hand pumnps, each with a charming little Santa hat. Yes, it's the season to be grumpy once again. Four Thwaites beers plus a mild from Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery. I queried this with the barman, and he said they do ask for Thwaites Mild, but they haven't had it for a while, so maybe Thwaites aren't brewing it. Anyway, the substitute was good enough, though not as good as some of the beers I had in other pubs on this visit to Settle.

Official site of The Golden Lion - www.goldenlionsettle.co.uk

Official site of The Golden Lion - www.goldenlionsettle.co.uk