Harrogate 09.04.2022.
To get to Harrogate by train from Retford you need to change at either Doncaster, Leeds or York, from Worksop you can catch a bus to Doncaster and then catch the train or travel via Retford. The journey from Retford takes about 90 minutes.
The train departed at 10.50 from Retford, we changed at York with 12 minutes to find and board the Leeds bound train and we arrived at Harrogate at 12.15.
The route and list of pubs around Harrogate used was
Harrogate Railway Station
Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen
Harrogate Railway Station
Hales Bar(the oldest pub in Harrogate with the old gas lights on the bar), the Winter Gardens (Wetherspoons) lovely big pub, Cold Bath Brewing (you can get 3 casks but they only do their beer on keg), Harrogate and Roosters brewery taps(well work a visit but a bit far out) and a few others could be put in depending on your preference in pubs and time available.
Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen does not show on the map, it is just the other side of the A61 from Major Tom's going towards the Little Ale House.
Harrogate Beer Trip with Whatpub pub descriptions, Google Map directions and a few comments.
Starting from Harrogate railway station
Left out of the railway station, walk south on Station Parade
Turn right onto Victoria Ave, 279 ft
Turn left onto Belford Rd, 453 ft
Belford Rd turns right and becomes Tower St
Destination will be on the right 259 ft
31 Tower St, Harrogate HG1 1HS
Completely refurbished in modern style by new operators in 2017, however the three-room layout is unchanged. Food is available all day, mainly in the form of hot and cold snacks rather than formal cooked meals. Take away bottles and cans are available from fridges in the public bar and the rear room has a selection of over 300 board games. There are four handpumps in each of the front bars with up to six changing beers, and one pump devoted to cider.
I remember this pub as the Tap and Spile and it is still a great pub. Note the outside seating and the room at the back does have a lot of games. The pub is comfortable and beer wise we had Ilkley brewery Mary Jane and it was in good nick.
Walk south-west on Tower St towards Belford Square, 325 ft
Turn right onto W Park/A61, 0.1 mi
Turn right onto Raglan St, 121 ft
Turn left onto Prospect Pl, 295 ft
Prospect Pl, Harrogate HG1 1LB
Extensively refurbished and reopened under the Nicholson's brand, the "Alex" has been decorated in an elegant Victorian style with dark grey walls and woodwork, cream ceilings and a tiled floor round the counter. The room is decorated with many prints and black and white photos of the Harrogate area as well as a small painting of Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales. Three banks of pumps serve up to eight cask ales from a range of brewers both local and national. Sports screens dominate throughout.
Leeds Pale was the choice here, beer was fine but not every bodies choice of pub and I imagine it can get noisy.
Walk south on Prospect Pl towards Albert St, 30 ft
Turn right onto Albert St, 121 ft
Turn right onto W Park/A61, 62 ft
Slight left onto Montpellier Hill, 0.2 mi
At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Cold Bath Rd
Destination will be on the right, 249 ft
Cold Bath Rd, Harrogate HG2 0NF
Single room pub created in part of the historic White Hart Hotel. Large bar area with high quality ornate finishings throughout. Raised floor levels around edges interspaced with part glazed screens along one wall give intimate atmosphere. Outside is a large patio area partly covered for all year round drinking and dining; dogs are welcome in the outside areas. The pub can get very busy especially at weekends. Bar meals are available at all times or diners can choose the separate adjoining restaurant. Seven mainly local real ales are served, Tetley Bitter, Black Sheep, Timothy Taylors Landlord plus 4 guest beers, together with a cask cider from Black Sheep.
Popular bar in the White Hart hotel. The outside heaters provided means there are people outside most of the time if it is dry. Ossett Chinook was chosen here and again in great condition.
Walk north on Cold Bath Rd, 161 ft
At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Royal Parade
Destination will be on the left, 226 ft
6 Royal Parade, Harrogate HG1 2SZ
A Market Town Taverns establishment, the Old Bell opened in 1999 on the site of the Blue Bell Inn which closed in 1815 and was later demolished. President Bill Clinton visited the inn during a visit to Harrogate in 2001. Later the same year the pub expanded into the former Farrah's toffee shop, where there is a collection of Farrah's memorabilia. The interior was refurbished in 2017, with new leather armchairs and updated decor. Eight handpumps serve beers from mostly local breweries, always including a dark. Cask cider, eg. Old Rosie, is also usually available.
Another good pub and not often Northern Monk is on cask so Eternal it was and again very good. The staff brought the beer to the table but you were free to check out the beers on the bar.
Walk south-east on Royal Parade, 92 ft
At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Montpellier Rd, 161 ft
Turn right onto Montpellier Gardens, 210 ft
Continue onto The Ginnel
Destination will be on the right, 138 ft
3 The Ginnel, Harrogate HG1 2RB
Described on its website as a 'youth club for grown ups' this is a cafe bar housed in a former antiques emporium upstairs from a vintage shop. It provides real ale, craft keg, pizza, music, and art all in one package. Simply furnished with wooden tables and chairs, and some bench seating. The décor is in a mix of styles to suit its eclectic customers, including some art work of pictures and pottery for sale. The four handpumps dispense a changing variety of ales, usually from a range of smaller breweries often including the local Rooster’s brewery, and Turning Point from Knaresborough. A cask cider, eg. Weston's, may also be available. There are interesting keg beers, and bottles and cans from the UK, US and Europe; the bottle shop offers a takeaway discount.
Don't let the adult youth club tag put you off, one not to miss. Turning Point Wavelength spot on, but it had only travelled a few miles from Knaresborough! A good take out selection available.
Walk east on The Ginnel towards Parliament St/A61, 128 ft
Continue onto Oxford St, 141 ft
Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen
47 Oxford St, Harrogate HG1 1PW
Relaxed café bar with a modern contemporary feel, it has stripped-back brickwork and the downstairs wall features a mural of a murmuration of starlings. The pallet-fronted counter holds six hand pulls with a well-chosen range of mainly Yorkshire beers offering a good mix of styles and strengths, usually including a dark beer, while the sixth pump is devoted to cider. In addition, there are 10 keg lines and artisanal gins. The beers are listed on a large black board on the bar back which is updated regularly, and on TV screens upstairs, with a live feed to the website. This old building offers three distinct areas, in addition to the downstairs bar there are two large rooms upstairs providing both family friendly space and café style drinking and dining. Teas and coffees are available from early morning together with a brunch menu, stone-baked pizzas are served from 12pm. Card payments preferred.
Kirkstall Three Swords in here. We got the last seats, the name bar cafe is a correct description and again beer spot on.
Walk east on Oxford St towards Cambridge Terrace, 249 ft
Turn left onto Cheltenham Crescent
Destination will be on the left, 246 ft
7 Cheltenham Cres, Harrogate HG1 1DH
Harrogate's first micropub, comprising one room with the counter at the back, and a downstairs cellar room. As with many micropubs, the beers are kept cool in a glass cabinet to one side. Five handpumps dispense cask ales usually including a dark beer and there is always at least one real cider. KeyKeg, Belgian bottled beers and local artisan gins are also available. Seating is at tables with a mix of chairs in the front part of the pub and there are high seats at a drinking shelf and standing room around a cask in the back area. Plain white walls are enlivened with pictures which are sometimes for sale, and there are some drink related objects on shelves and bunches of hops over the exposed brick fireplace. There is an outside seated area at the front as well as a pleasant covered yard with bench seating at the rear, with service at the window in summer. Card payments preferred.
My favourite pub in Harrogate that often provides a different choice. Two by Two brewery Leaf Frog Pale, a new beer for me, and very pleasant.
Walk north-west on Cheltenham Cres towards Cheltenham Parade/A61, 92 ft
Turn right onto Cheltenham Parade/A61, 417 ft
Turn left onto Mount Parade
Destination will be on the right, 39 ft
2D, Oxford Buildings, Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate HG1 1DA
A shop conversion to form a modern bar with Sterling board and plywood fittings, there is a long room with the counter along one side, seating is at the bar and window shelves on tall stools as well as at some small round tables. At the end of the room down a few steps is another room with tables and chairs and a photo booth. Three handpumps provide a varying choice of cask beers while there are numerous keg taps and fridges with bottles sourced from the UK, USA and Europe. Some of the beers in each style are from North Bar's own brewery in Leeds whilst others come from local favourites such as Kirkstall and Rooster's. It opens early for coffee and croissants and its coffee and cakes are popular with ladies who shop.
Again not a traditional pub but a very friendly atmosphere and 2 North Brewing Co. casks, Seasons Reverse bitter and Vanishing Point pale. We had the pale and were not disappointed.
Walk south on Mount Parade towards Cheltenham Parade/A61, 39 ft
Turn left onto Cheltenham Parade/A61, 121 ft
Turn right onto Beulah St
Destination will be on the left, 79 ft
38 Beulah St, Harrogate HG1 1QH
Small bar opened 2019 in a shop unit opposite the bus station accessible from either Beulah Street or Station Parade. A long, narrow bar, it has some soft seating at each end in the windows, and stools at the bar with some standing room as well along the wall in the centre, there is also seating outside on Beulah Street. Framed photographic prints of local scenes, which are for sale, adorn the wall opposite the bar. Three handpumps serve changing cask ales, always including a dark beer, and there are eight craft keg fonts; sometimes there are tap takeovers. On Wednesdays and Thursdays pizzas are ordered in from a nearby takeaway. NB This bar accepts card payments only, not cash.
3 casks available, a dark, a bitter and a pale and Daleside blonde was our choice and we were not disappointed
Walk south on Beulah St, 207 ft
Turn left towards Station Parade/A61, 98 ft
Turn right onto Station Parade/A61, 299 ft
Harrogate Station, Station Parade, Harrogate HG1 1TE
Overlooking Platform 1 of Harrogate station, though accessed from outside the station, is this impressive transformation of a neglected railway building into a fine pub of similar style to the Tapped Brew Company's other bars at York and Sheffield. Comprising a long bar room with a separate snug at one end, the décor features dark wood panelling, a tiled floor and tasteful Victorian-style fittings. A diverse range of cask ales is available on two banks of six pulls, always including a gluten-free option. One pull is usually devoted to cider. The cask ales are listed together with tasting notes on a board to the left of the bar as you enter. The cask ales are complemented by craft kegs from nine large fonts in the centre of the bar as well as some bottled world beers. Bar snacks are also available.
As with Sheffield and York Taps Harrogate Tap has been done to a stunning standard and it serves great beer. Firebrand El Dorado, a single hop pale and another good choice and onto the platform in good time.
Conclusion, a great day, great beers, great pubs. I had beers from 9 different breweries and I had beers I had not tried before. I hadn't had the Two by Two Leaf Frog, the Northern Monk Eternal or the Firebrand El Dorado. Most of the beers available were from Yorkshire breweries but we were expecting that and all the beers we had were in really good condition. The route was 1.4 miles, mostly flat, and we missed the rain.