Cricketers, Knaresborough

I'd just been skimming a piece in the Guardian the day before about "greige", those popular colours that "span from beige to dark grey but mostly split the difference with a rich spectrum of greige", sometimes enlivened with a splash of aubergine or magenta, but in this case with a hint of fudge. And when I say fudge I'm not referring again to splitting the difference - I'm talking about those irresistible sweets sold in expensive packaging in tourist hotspots like Keswick. I'm sure nothing was further from the minds of the people who painted the pub formerly known as the Union and now renamed with reference to the very pleasant grassy area to the rear of the pub. Entrance is by some steps to the left and through what looks to be a modern extension. Once inside, there's a large room where several small ones were once, and a decent sized bar counter with a trio of hand pumps tucked away around a corner behind a pillar. One had a Hobgoblin Gold pump clip, while the another had a Marstons Pedigree clip modified by the addition of some blurb describing a beer brewed specially for the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II. This beer was super-frothy and could have done with sitting a bit longer in the cellar - say, the length of time needed to ask Marstons to put a pump clip in the post and wait for it to arrive.

Situated just outside Knaresborough and walkable from the town centre in under 15 minutes thanks to an easy downhill approach, this is a decent, two bar Marstons pub. A sign outside declared that the pub was under new management - often a mixed blessing, but in this instance the pub seemed very smartly presented and service was friendly enough. The entrance is at the side of the pub and takes you into a corridor with stained glass, rose-motif doors leading into the front or back bars. The front room felt like a smarter version of a classic public bar, with its plush carpet, nice new tables and chairs, leather sofa and half panelled walls. The dark wood servery is in the rear right corner, next to a fireplace on the end wall which was lit on my visit, making the room very hot given that I'd enjoyed a brisk walk down to the pub. A TV screen above the fire was showing some sort of trashy daytime TV show with the volume turned up seemingly for the enjoyment of the bar staff alone. A dartboard is hung to the right of the fireplace and the whole room has enjoyed a nice paint job and is decorated with some great, old black and white photos. I only paid the rear bar a cursory look, but it seemed to be similarly apportioned with slightly comfier seating options and the only customers in here were those enjoying food from the typical pub grub menu. The pub is child and dog friendly, which meant I got to watch the two combine to comic effect as a young child fed an entire plate of chips to a golden retriever, much to its owner's suppressed annoyance, before engaging in a game of fetch which was enough to convince me to move on elsewhere. Wychwood Hobgoblin was the sole real ale option available and I thought it was very well kept, despite being a pale imitation of the beer it used to be. The pub only had a handful of customers in at Saturday lunchtime, in stark contrast to the other pubs at this end of town. I thought the owners here have created a very simple, pleasant environment in which to enjoy a pint or some food, spoiled only by their acceptance of a child running amok. It's a good option for those who like honest, unpretentious pubs, but there are much more engaging establishments in the centre of town.

A large Marston's pub in the hamlet of Calcutt just up the bank from low bridge next to the river and cricket field. Traditional two bar setup with a Lounge and a Public Bar, similar decoration and furnishing, with mainly tables and chairs, carpeting and occasional tongue and groove. The doors and space above the bar counter has a white rose motif in stained glass. Plain walls are decorated with photos of the pub both recent and older plus the usual old photos of the area; you can see some of the newer ones and some interior shots on the pub's website. The bar counter is located between the the two rooms, serving each. Three handpumps are on each face of the counter with regulars from the Marstons stable, Pedigree, Ringwood and Jennings Cumberland with a regular guest available, I tried a couple of beers and they were certainly well kept. The kegs are a standard UK line up, with the smooth coming from Mansfield, the lagers from Carlsberg, Fosters and Stella, the cider is Strongbow and Guinness makes its normal appearance. A fair amount of wine is on their list and food is of equal importance to drink here, the style being well prepared traditional pub fare. The staff are first rate and even take care over glassware.