Marton Arms, Carnforth

Official site of Marton Arms - martonarms.co.uk

Official site of Marton Arms - martonarms.co.uk

A big old stone built village pub opposite the church in the tiny village of Thornton, a brisk stroll from Ingleton. The long bar counter features no fewer than 16 hand pumps, but when I was here on a midweek afternoon this autumn there were only four beers and one cider available, and one of those went off when the barman tried to pour me a half. I ended up with Copper Dragon Best Bitter and Black Sheep Bitter, the other one untried being the insipid Jennings Cumberland Ale. I've been here in years gone by when there's been a beer festival's worth of ales on, but possibly that's just for the summer months. This is a very pleasant pub to sit in, with its stone flagged floors and chunky pine furniture, but when the hits of the 70's on the CD player reached that crime against music, American Pie, I just had to step outside for a few minutes to photograph the church. If you're staying in Ingleton, take a walk out this way, hopefully there'll be a different CD on.