The Wheatley Arms, Ben Rhydding, Ilkley

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about The Wheatley Arms

This is a posh hotel in the posh suburb of Ben Rhydding. I always feel ill at ease in places like this, expecting people to gape at my casual, ill-assorted and poor quality clothes, like one of those cartoons by HM Bateman: "The cyclist who entered a hotel in Ben Rhydding". Members of the public are served here, although to say there is a public bar would be strteching things. There is a bar counter at which the casually dressed cyclist can stand and wait to be served, and then stand and wait again to get his glass topped up. (Four hand pumps with Ilkley Mary Jane, Saltaire South Island and Dark Horse Hetton Pale - their Craven Bitter was turned around.)

But when it comes to finding a place to sit down and enjoy his drink, well, that's another matter. One expects to meet a member of the royal family at any moment, or at least a footman (what is a footman, anyway?). I managed to find a spot where I thought I was least likely to be thrown out for contaminating the furniture, and to be fair the beer was in pretty good condition and no one seemed to notice I was there. A bit like a pub in that respect, but in others...not so much.

Date of visit: 28th July 2022

On 4^th October 2022 - rating: 5
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