15/10/20 - Ripon and the closed at lunchtime Good Beer Guide Entries

Distance - 6.25 Miles

Geocaches - 7

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold 49 Yorkshire - Walk 11

Off to the Cathedral City of Ripon for more water course based walking.

Ripon's Prime Assets in one Photo

The narrower River Skell runs through the City.  Shallow enough for a dog to wade across but you do worry about whether the rapids will whisk her away.  This leads to the mightier Ure, where we do a two sided lap - crossing the river at North Bridge and Hewick Bridge.

River Ure

Guide Dog in Training Abi 

Must be a first - a circular walk, taking in the banks of two rivers.

With a handful of perfectly place, hand crafted Geocaches, we arrive back in the City at midday, looking for refreshment.

Two potential Good Beer Guide Ticks - The King William in darkness and doors bolted.  Google (which of course I should have checked first) states that its opens at 4pm.  Mrs M decides that the exterior is unworthy of photographic recording for posterity.  Onwards to the One Eyed Rat - which has a sign outside declaring Covid adherence and the large beer garden that we would have surely taken advantage of.  5pm opener.

I just want a nice pub, open at lunch!

The other pubs in the City did not look too inviting.  A couple of Green Kings and assorted establishments guarded by smokers in doorways, where you can only hope their coughs aren't that serious.

Instead, I decide to follow a couple of brown signs on the drive back to Harrogate.   Bishop Monkton has two - both closed at lunch.

Success found at the Malt Shovel in Brearton.  From the outside, you would think you'd be lucky to get a pint of mild and a pickled egg.  On entry, it became obvious that we had entered a world far more gastro.  

The fishfinger sandwich was "haddock goujon" and came with a soup spoon to slurp at the unexpected Cream of Mushroom in a teacup.  

Theakstons Best - beyond gorgeous.

Which is best - this or Soup in a Teacup