The Devonshire (JD Wetherspoon), Skipton

An old style JDW lovingly converted from the Duke of Devonshires townhouse built in 1702. Multiple rooms and statues in alcoves and loads of pictures of the conversion adorn the walls. Very good staff, clean tables and late on a Thursday evening, no knobheads. A nice and peaceful drinking environment, although I'd called in early afternoon to find it packed with shoppers eating lunch. A good selection of guest beers on the bar and both the ones I tried were in good nick. It's a very good JDW.

This is a large building split into different sections. It may well have been two separate buildings originally and it retains two separate entrances to the front. Two banks of five hand pulls offering the Spoons usuals plus guests. Unfortunately the guest ales were all light or golden beers with nothing dark on offer, so the choice felt a bit limited. That said, my Goose Eye Chinook Blonde was very good and slipped down a treat. It definitely looks and feels like a Spoons inside but once you start looking around you sense that the building is of some age and there are some interesting features remaining such as the wood panelling and wooden staircase leading to the toilets upstairs.

Multi-roomed 'spoons housed in a fine old building, set back from the road with what is now a patio beer garden. Opened out slightly inside, but the various seating /dining remain distinctly separate. In addition to the usual trio, I found a couple of real ales from Goose Eye - Chinook and Over & Stout (£2.10) - plus Oliver's Twist from Rudgate and Ossett White Rat from the two banks of five handpumps.

I thought this was pretty bog standard Wethers. Busy on my Saturday afternoon visit and though the place is reasonably well kept it just seemed cluttered to me. Multi-roomed with a large hall-like bit as you enter leading to the bar. 10 handpumps and the selection wasn't that far off what Mr Aqualung had except there were a couple of beers left over from the beer festival. Its an ok place I suppose.

According to What Pub this is the former home of the Duke Of Devonshire but what was he doing up here when he should have been in Exeter or somewhere? It's an old stone building with a decent size front patio that was packed on my Saturday afternoon visit. Inside the bar area is at the back right with eating areas either side at the front. The bar has ten hand pumps which had two available soon, one unused, Ruddles doubled, Doom Bore, Goose Eye Chinook, Black Moor & Pommies Revenge and Bradford Golden. I went for the Black Moor (£2.19) which was in excellent nick. Apart from the staff being a bit stretched when I arrived on a busy Saturday I thought this was a good Spoons.

Pleasant enough 'spoons in a rather nice old Georgian townhouse. Opened out but still with discrete spaces and the furniture isn't crammed in as in some places. Not many of the usual spoons characters to enjoy on my Sunday lunchtime visit. However in the irritating modern style, payment was taken for my pint before a drop was poured by a barman who promptly forgot which beer it was ! Interesting art works sculpture wise plus the usual old photos. A 5x5 pump configuration with limited double ups, no coming soons and mostly decent staff, so almost a top spoons.

Gloomy lobby and bar with 4 brighter side rooms. 5 local ales - all pale and wan - 3 regulars. We staggered back for breakfast - warm plates and cold food. Plenty coffee and quiet and time to take in this fine old building.