The Station Inn, Whitby

As noted below, this consists of a small lounge at the front with limited seating and a larger bar at the rear. I missed out on the Station Masters Room. I opted for the small front room where an old duffer started explaining to me how this was the only pub worth going to in Whitby and giving his reasons why the others are all rubbish. Looking back on the six Whitby pubs visited he wasn't far off the mark. The eight beers available on my visit were Taylor's Boltmaker, Whitby Smugglers Gold & Jet Black, Ossett Silver King & Yorkshire Blonde, Old Peculier, Cameron's Strongarm and Black Sheep Best. I went for the Whitby Gold (£3.40) which was in good nick. This is certainly not one to be missed in Whitby and remains GBG listed.

A multi room pub opposite the railway station as the name suggests. A front left lounge or snug and a rear bar share a servery while there's a sitting room off to the right. Four pulls on each face of the servery but with 8 different beers, there's also an Old Rosie pump. Beers on this visit from Whitby Brewery, Ossett, Taylors and Cameron's plus Summer Lighting visiting from Wiltshire and Courage Directors from Bedford? The decor is Brewers Tudor with old photos and some fake railway porn. Traditional furnishing with some tractor seats in the snug. There was a decent rock & roll band on while I waited for a train, mind you they were old enough to have heard it first time round.

Date of visit - September 2013 Opposite the bus station and railway terminus is The Station Inn, a large brick built, partly mock Tudor, multi roomed pub close to the harbour. On the left is the old tap room, featuring boarded wood panelling, a fine brick surround fireplace and a beamed ceiling. The main bar has a skittles board and, perhaps not surprisingly, a railway theme with many interesting photos, prints, old signs etc. On the right is a room denoted as The Station Masters Room. I remember this pub vaguely in its previous incarnation as The Tap and Spile. I formed the view that it’s now a more comfortable, pleasant and relaxed place than it was then. Live music is a regular feature. The Station Inn has what is most probably the best real ale selection in town. 8 pumps were in operation on my visit, serving TT Golden Best, Otter Best, Doom Bar, York Brewery Guzzler, Whitby Platform 3 ( brewed specially for this pub, so I was told ), Ossett Silver King and several beers from Camerons ( Ruby Red and Strong Arm ). The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular and local Cleveland Branch award winnner, This pub is much less tourist orientated than many other town pubs and there’s evidently a good solid core of loyal regulars. Definitely worth calling in