retiredmartin

April 2026. Steeton. West Yorkshire.

I shouldn’t be jealous of anyone, really, jealousy gets you nowhere. But I do look at Simon’s blog and wish I was travelling round the country doing seven pints a day again.

While BRAPA was finding half a dozen new pubs in Oxon I was scrambling around for a single new Guide entry within two hours of home, and narrowed it down to the Goat’s Head in Steeton, my penultimate West Yorkshire tick.

I’d been saving Steeton till I could combine it with a Skipton micro two stops up the line, but that Skipton hobby pub seems disinclined to ever open.

I could have a made a Big Day Out in Keighley out of it, but I know Mrs RM would have wanted to join me in exploring the bargain shops there.

Steeton (pop. 4,375) sounds exciting;

“The village has a major hospital, (Airedale General Hospital*), a Pie Shop, a news agency, three hair dressing salons, a fruit shop, a Chinese takeaway, a transport cafe, two parks, a public house, a bowling green, a war memorial, two village greens, a football pitch, a cricket pitch, a graveyard, a primary school, an hotel, a Church of England church and a Methodist church, the railway station multi-storey car park.“

It had also saved up its month supply of drizzle for that afternoon, and I’d rushed out (in bright Sheffield sunshine) with just a fleece that was getting soggy as I stopped for the tourist shots.

Oooh, Easter wreathes made from eggs.

The lights at the pedestrian crossing took 3 minutes to change, and there was a mum and toddler waiting so I felt I couldn’t dash across even though there was no traffic coming either way.

If you’re looking for a typical UK village “wet” pub, the Goat’s Head may be it.

Open plan but divided into three areas, with locals at the front in front of roaring real fire,

darts to the right, pool to the rear,

cheery young barmaid, and Tim Taylor on the pumps,

The Boltmaker took ages to pour, Guinness would have been quicker.

“Nearly there !“.

A cool and creamy NBSS 3.5,

enjoyed while gentlefolk discussed their tea.

“Ain’t ‘ad a pork chop for YEARS“.

I think the young barmaid had control of the music, which was great.

The barmaid turns up “The Blowers Daughter”, an Old Boy on Carling sings along with Damien, it’s a communal moment.

Lacings never lie.

*the hospital was said to have “the largest single flat roof” of any English hospital – around 320,000 square feet (30,000 m²), which would give you an infinite number of flat roof pubs in Dundee