The White Lion, Delph

The White Lion, corner of Delph Lane and Denshaw Road, Delph OL3 5HX

01457 920038

This is in a 300 year old building, that was once two separate premises - the rooms are of very different sizes. Delph is a pleasant village in a steep sided hollow in the Pennine foothills. At the far end of the pub (looking at the first of these three pictures) there is the start of a footpath which leads past some angling ponds and alongside a stream to the remains of Castleshaw Roman fort. Worth a walk on a fine day in summer, it's two miles there and two back.

UPDATE 2022: I've been here a few times since I first wrote about it. It hasn't changed but I've added a couple of features I missed the first time.

ambience - 4

comfortable and cosy. The small compact rooms are on your left as you go in the front door. The bigger rooms and the pool table are on the right.

decor - 4

service - 4

friendly

ale - 3

three cask ales, including at least one from the Greenfield local brewery

features -4

serves food during the day

child friendly

dog friendly

Nice beer garden at the back

toilets - 3

clean and in decent condition

score 22 out of 30

This pub had a review in The Telegraph in 2011, read it on this link

The Wellington, Greenfield

The Wellington, 29 Chew Valley Road, Greenfield OL3 7AF

A very welcoming locals pub, in view of the Saddleworth moors and two miles from Dove Stones reservoir at the north end of the Peak District national park. It was newly decorated and refurbished in August 2011, and serves almost nothing but real ale, and on my last visit it was impossible to fault. It is also child- and dog-friendly.

ambience - 4

decor - 5

newly redecorated in August 2011

ale - 5

at least 6 real ales and farmhouse ciders

service - 5

welcoming and prompt

toilet - 5

newly decorated and refurbished like the rest of the pub, fully tiled and fully supplied

features - 4

serves food during the day

allows dogs

allows childen during the day

table football

score 27 out of 30

The Buffet Bar, Stalybridge

The Buffet Bar, Platform One, Stalybridge Station

This pub is notable for occupying a platform on a railway station first of all, and for retaining its interior Victorian features from the 1880s. However, by modern standards this makes it drab and uncomfortable and, apart from its range of real ales, it has little to recommend it. It is popular with locals and real ale buffs, and is frequently overcrowded and noisy. The staff allow patrons to hang around at the bar when they're drinking, and since there is little space this means you have to fight your way to the bar to get served, and then fight your way out to find a seat.

ambience - 1

decor - 2

drab, seats are fairly comfortable

service - 0

the service is consistent: consistently grumpy and off-hand, and dead slow. If you're in this pub for a meal, expect to wait - and wait. I thought the service was slow because the pub was a victim of its own success, it frequently is very busy with people wanting to eat. But I have been in this pub a few times, and the speed of service never varies. I have been kept waiting an hour and ten minutes for a sandwich when it wasn't busy.

real ale - 5

always a selection of at least five

features - 0

toilets - 3

drab as the rest of the pub, but clean and adequately supplied with handwash, loo paper etc.

score 11 out of 30