retiredmartin

May 2026. Masham. North Yorkshire.

From the Peak to the Dales.

This year’s crop of new GBG entries in North Yorkshire had only one thing in common; they’re a sod to get to on public transport.

And who wants to drive to Masham, one of the homes of “Proper Beer”, for a half ?

So I booked a night at the Guide newbie Chef & Brewer in the village square, cheaper on a Sunday if far from bargain, and arranged to pester Joan and Dave a penultimate time on their “Ye Olde World Tour of Lil Ol’ England“.

£2 to park in the honesty box next to the Folly Fancier plaque,

then an hour to wander Masham’s town centre before catching the Southworths, an hour to realise this is a town of 1,205 residents.

Plus perhaps as many residents in the pubs and coffee houses.

30 years ago Masham was one of those destination breaks you read about in the Sunday Supplements. I reckon we had a £50 stay in the White Bear with tokens clipped from the Times, and in 1996 Theakston and Black Sheep taps were as exciting as it got as I started GBG ticking.

I doubt it gets the same beer tourism these days, more bikers and bun scoffers.

But the town is still charming, particularly as the cars leave the market place,

and the only disappointment is that the Black Bull in Paradise is shut,

so I don’t get a chance to compare the Theakston tap with it’s Black Sheep brother. But you can overdo Masham, as we will shortly find out.

The Black Sheep tap has the last of the Sunday lunchers, the sheep pun trade,

and evidence that a brewery can’t survive on beer alone. The diners drink wine and enquire about Low Alcohol beers and it’s easy to see why Black Sheep has had such a tough time since COVID, despite the quality of their Bitter.

But it also has Riggwelter, rarely seen locally these days,

and Mrs RM isn’t impressed, perhaps you expect more for your 5.9%. She’s a tough judge (NBSS 3).

That Jaipur really has cornered the 5.9% market.