Waddington Arms, Clitheroe

Another outlet of the James' Places company, with the Lower Buck on the other side of the church. There were four hand pumps in operation on our visit. I went for the Boland Brewery Headless Peg, when the manager informed me that James Warburton aka James Places had recently acquired Boland Brewery to add to his expanding portfolio. We decided to take a table in the lounge on the left with the log burning stove, our lunch was fabulous and the prices were very fair for the high standard and generous portions. The staff were friendly and polite and made you feel more than welcome. We had lunch here on the Monday and came back on Tuesday.

Originally called the Sun Inn, this attractive stone pub set in the middle of the picturesque village of Waddington, closed back in the early 1990's before being revamped and reopening as the Waddington Arms in 1994. Today the pub presents something of an upmarket gastro style which isn't entirely out of place in what appears to be a fairly affluent village. The pub has two distinctly different sections, with a two room pub in the larger building to the left, and a smart, formal restaurant in the smaller building to the right. The restaurant side was initially hidden behind closed doors when I arrived, but these were later opened, giving me a glimpse into an appealing dining room with elegant wall panelling. I was only here for a drink so I entered via the main front door into the bar which has the servery along the back wall and a few tables opposite in a bland area enhanced by fish wallpaper and some vintage car themed pictures. The room to the left was much more enticing, with a nice flagstone floor, wallpaper depicting rural scenes and a glorious 17th Century fireplace, a good six foot high and filled with firewood and a lit stove. This is surely the pub's most impressive feature and there is a similarly ancient fireplace in the bar as well, if not quite as dramatic as this one. The left hand room is furnished with a mix of bench, standard and wicker chair seating, an old chest of drawers and a bookcase. Each table has a wine bottle with a candle in it, although I didn't get to appreciate the atmospheric touch this presumably provides, as I was here during daylight hours. There is a pleasant garden to the rear, although I'd prefer to sit out the front, where benches give views across to the church, a small stream and the village square. There were five hand pumps on the bar, one of which was out of action and another displayed a reversed clip, leaving three to dispense Lancaster Blonde, Settle Classic and Ribble Valley Cider. I gave the Classic a try and thought it was a very drinkable amber ale in good condition. The barmaid was friendly and welcoming and the bar and waiting staff were very easy on the eye. Waddington is roughly a 30 minute walk from Clitheroe along a road with nice views and a river crossing, which convinced me to give it a try. I thought this would be a great place to bring the whole family along to for a meal and the decent beer makes it worth a look if you're visiting the charming village, but it's probably not worth the trek otherwise.

Official site of the Waddington Arms, includes menus - waddingtonarms.co.uk

Official site of the Waddington Arms, includes menus - waddingtonarms.co.uk