The Fox, Todmorden

 

The Fox

5 Water Street, Todmorden OL14 5AB

This used to be called simply The Pub and was originally in smaller premises next to the market before it moved to its present location. This looks like it was once two shop premises. The previous owners retired in 2024 and the new owners renamed it and redecorated it.

Decor - 5

Very new in muted autumn colours.

Comfortable padded chairs

Ambience - 5

very relaxing

Service - 3

real ales - 4

Features - 2

dog friendly (they sell dog treats on the bar and keep dog water bowls on the floor)

board games

toilets - 4

Score 23 out of 30

The Midland, Marple Bridge

 

The Midland

26 Brabyns Brow, Marple Bridge SK6 5DT

0161 427 2370

This is really an upmarket restaurant rather than a pub but there is space for people who want to drop in for just a drink. It started life as a hotel about 1870, just five years after the railway line through Marple, running from Manchester Piccadilly through Hyde to New Mills, was completed. I surmise it was built to cater for railway passengers. It was newly refurbed in spring 2026.

Decor - 4

Comfortable seating with furnishings and walls in a variety of colours. It doesn't look so impressive from the outside at the front but the inside is rather lovely.

Ambience - 3

Swish

Service - 5

Faultless

Real ale - 2

Features - 3

serves food, and has a pleasant outdoor dining area next to the river Goyt.

child friendly

dog friendly (pooches allowed in one room)

Toilets - 4

Score 21 out of 30

The Norfolk Arms, Marple Bridge

 

The Norfolk Arms

2Town Street, Marple Bridge, SK6 5DS

TEL: 0161 427 8090

This pub dates from 1792 and is a free house.

Ambience- 3 

cheerful

Decor - 4

Mostly wood and wood colours. Open plan, part of the ceiling of one room is covered in different beer mats.

Service -4

prompt and friendly

real ale - 5

features - 1

serves food

toilet - 3

Score 20 out of 30

Close to Marple train station and a bus route with buses running between Marple and Stockport.

The Royal Oak, High Lane, Cheshire

 

The Royal Oak

Buxton Road, High Lane, Cheshire SK6 8AY

TEL: 01663 309284

Right on the A6 road to Buxton, buses 199 and 394 pass by it, and if you walk about 80 yards from it in the Manchester direction you come to the Middlewood Way. Follow that for half a mile in the Poynton and Macclesfield direction and you will come to Middlewood railway station.

decor - 4

appealing, comfortable seats

ambience - 4

very friendly

real ales - 2

Had Wainwrights gold when I was there at the end of May 2026

service - 4

very welcoming and prompt

features - 4

pub food

dog friendly (dogs allowed in one room)

child friendly

pub games: darts, pool, board games

toilets - 4

clean and fully supplied

Score 22 out of 30

It should perhaps get an extra point for the location. It's on the edge of the Peak District, near Lyme Park and the Middlewood Way 11-mile trail, the route of an old railway line,  that runs from Macclesfield to Marple

The Snap Tin, Poynton

 

The Snap Tin

83 Park Lane, Poynton, Cheshire SK12 1RD

TEL: 01625 630009

Not a traditional pub, it's a bar that looks like it's in former shop premises, and it's a restaurant bar. But it has a good range of drinks. (For those who don't know, a snap tin was what miners used to put their lunch in to take to work. Poynton was historically a coal mining area.)

decor - 3

light brown, tables a but close together

ambience - 3

friendly and relaxed

It wasn't busy when I was there, but I hear it gets lively on weekends.

real ale - 1

It does a lot of foreign ales with fancy foreign names but there's at least one recognisable cask ale

service - 3

Good but a bit distracted

features - 4

serves food

dog friendly

child friendly

music night on the last Saturday of the month

toilets- 4

Score 18 out of 30

The Boar's Head, Poynton

 

The Boar's Head

2 Shrigley Road North, near Poynton, Stockport SK12 1TE

TEL: 01625 409853

There has been a pub on this site for centuries but the current building, which replaced an older one, was built in 1906. In the mid-nineteenth century the local coal mine owner disapproved of the amount of drinking his employees did and had a Temperance Inn built right next door to it. The Temperance Inn is still there though it got a licence to serve alcohol in 1996. I may get a photo of it on a return visit. (I do intend to make a return visit as this area has nice walking routes and is also on the Middlewood Way, which goes from Marple to Macclesfield. I'll get a picture of the Boar's Head too. I didn't have my camera with me on this visit.)

UPDATE: return visit at the end of May, I got photographs.

decor - 5

posh, browns and greens, comfortable seating and little vases of flowers on the tables.

ambience - 4

friendly, relaxed

real ale - 1

Though it has up to three guest ales. Two of them were not available on my visit.

service - 3

A bit inattentive, even though the pub wasn't busy at the time.

features - 5

serves food

Welcomes 'walkers, muddy boots and dogs'

dog friendly

darts

quiz night once a week

toilets - 4

Score 22 out of 30

This is the Temperance Cafe next to the Boars Head. Although internet information says it got an alcohol licence in 1996, it doesn't serve alcohol now. It is a cafe and sweet shop and serves hot drinks, soft drinks, cakes and a few main meals. It is open from 9am to 4.30pm. 

The Swan and Royal hotel, Clitheroe

 

The Swan and Royal hotel, 26 Castle Street, Clitheroe BB7 2BX

TEL:01200 423130

This was a 19th century coaching inn and is now a grade II listed building. Its famous visited include Mathatma Ghandi in 1933 when he was inspecting a nearby cotton mill, and Winston Churchill and the jet engine pioneer Frank Whittle in 1940 and 1941 when they were discussing agreements for the development of the jet engine. The Riot Act was read from the steps of the building during the Cotton Riots of 1861 to 1865. This was the period of the Cotton Famine during the American Civil War, when cotton exports from the Confederate states were blockaded by the Union navy. The shortage of raw cotton for the textile mills in Lancashire caused them to close or go to short time working, which caused loss of income and hardship to the mill workers.

decor - 3

drab teal and brown

ambience - 3

lively

service - 4

real ales - 1

Timothy Taylor

features - 2

dog friendly

accommodation

toilets - 3

Score 16 out of 30

The White Lion, Clitheroe

The White Lion, 11 Market Place, Clitheroe BB7 2BZ

TEL: 01200 426995

decor - 3

muted greens and browns

ambience - 2

underventilated and muggy

service - 2

slow

real ale - 0

features - 4

dog friendly

pool

darts

TV

toilets - 3

Score 14 out of 30

 

The Bull's Head, Castleton, Derbyshire

 

The Bull's Head

Cross Street, Castleton, Derbyshire S33 8WH

TEL: 01433 620256

This is the first pub in the village you come to if you approach from the direction of the railway station at Hope. I haven't been able to find a date for it, so no idea how old it is. It was refurbished in March 2024.

ambience - 4

relaxing

decor - 4

comfortable seating

warm, light brown wood interior

service - 3

real ales - 1

features - 5

serves food

also serves savoury bar snacks and scones

accommodation

dog friendly

*location - I don't often give a point for a pub's location but this one is in the lovely Hope Valley, and in a village with Peveril castle (called Peak castle until the 19th century when Sir Walter Scott wrote Peveril of the Peak) on the hill above it.

toilets - 4

Score 21 out of 30

If you can get to Castleton on 29th May it holds the Garland Festival, which is believed to date back to at least the 17th century.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Castleton, Derbyshire

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Howe Lane, Castleton, Derbyshire S33 8WJ

TEL: 01433 620330

Doesn't look it from the outside but this place was built in 1660. It got its first ale licence in 1748 and was named Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in 1876. It is now a restaurant pub and guest house (check its website for room availability) as well as serving a good pint. 

decor - 3

ambience -4

relaxing

service - 3

bit inattentive but friendly

real ales - 4

features- 5

serves food

dog friendly

muddy booted walkers friendly

quiz night

accommodation

toilet - 4

fully supplied

Car park is opposite, across the road

 

The Brown Cow, Burrs Country Park, near Bury

 

The Brown Cow

Burrs Country Park

Woodhill Road

Bury BL8 1DA

TEL: 764 3386

Ambience - 1

noisy

decor - 1

shabby, dark and unappealing

real ales - 2

service - 2

offhand

features - 4

bug beer garden

serves food

child friendly

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score - 13 out of 30

Castello, Rochdale

 

Castello

415 Rochdale Old Road

near Bury

BL9 7TB

TEL: 0161 763 4754

It's a restaurant bar rather than a pub but it's a good one. You can stop for just a pint or a coffee.

Ambience - 4

decor - 4

Swish, nicely presented

Service - 5

Impeccable

real ale - 0

features - 4

serves food

well maintained flowery beer garden

child friendly

dogs allowed in the garden

toilets - 5

Score 22 out of 30

The Stonemason, Timperley Village

 

The Stonemason

365 Stockport Road

Timperley WA15 7UR

TEL: 0161 282 0958 

decor - 4

dark greens and browns, comfortable seating

ambience - 4

laid back (piped music but not intrusively loud

service - 4

real ale - 2

features - 3

serves food

TV screens

dog friendly. Keeps a jar of dog treats on the bar

toilets - 3

clean and pristine but no working locks on any of the doors

Score 20 out of 30

The Old Red Lion, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire

 The Old Red Lion

London Road, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 7AQ

TEL: 01477 549282

This grade II listed pub dates from at least the 17th century, the first written mention of it is in Thomas Gaudie's will (a local resident) in 1625. John Wesley preached at this pub in 1758  when he was on his way from Oxford to Manchester. It was a coaching inn.  The 15th century parish church is next to it.

decor - 7

ambience - 2

piped music

real ales - 3

Included Doombar when I was there

service - 2

Bit too formal

features - 3

serves food, wide menu

quiz night every week

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score 17 out of 30 

The George and Dragon, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire

 

The George and Dragon

Middlewich Road, Holmes Chapel, CW4 7EA

TEL: 01477 537785

There was previously a George and Dragon pub near this site from at least the 19th century but the original building was demolished to make space for the Knutsford Road to be widened to accommodate increasing traffic flow. This building dates from 1970. It looks plain and uninteresting on the outside but the inside is nicely designed with the dining area in a conservatory on one side and the other two rooms very spacious. The disabled access is quite good and there is enough space for wheelchairs to move between the tables in the room at the front.

decor - 3

taseful cream and brown colour scheme

Has the dining area in a conservatory

ambience - 1

spoiled by overloud piped musak

real ales - 3

Include Stormtrooper, Amarillo and Unicorn when I was there 

service - 2

Abrupt and not very friendly

features - 3

restaurant pub

very nice outdoor seating area at the front

dog friendly

toilets - 4

pristine and fully supplied

Score 15 out of 30

 

Reasonably good disabled access and has a disabled toilet

The Hare and Hounds, Wardle, Rochdale

 

The Hare and Hounds

76 Ramsden Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 0LQ

TEL: 01706 375389

There's not much to be found online about the history of this pub. It would be necessary to do some original research in local archives and newspapers. However, apparently the building was originally a farmhouse in the 17th century and was converted into a pub sometime in the 19th century. When the reservoirs were being built nearby the navvies working there made the pub their 'local', forming the major part of its custom. It was renovated and remodelled in 1925. That figures, it looks like a twentieth century building. But the next piece of information says that it was closed in 2002 and converted to residential accommodation. Well, it wasn't! It is still open as a pub, I had a drink in it just last week. I think the AI search has confused two pubs with the same name.

ambience - 3

decor - 3

dark and cosy

service - 3

ale - Timothy Taylor Landlord

features - 5

pub food

dog friendly

child friendly

live music

quiz night every week 

toilets - 5

pristine

Score 19 out of 30

The Crown, Darwen

The Crown, 

24 Redearth Road, Darwen BB3 2AB

TEL: 01254 777010

 decor -1

shabby

ambience - 2

comfortable

service - 4

fast and friendly

real ales - 0

features - 5

pool table

dog friendly

karaoke

live music every week

toilets- 2

cubicles so tiny it's hard to squeeze in and out of them

Score 14 out of 30

The Cock, Darwen

The Cock,

210 Duckworth Street, Darwen BB3 1PX

TEL: 01254 707622

Nice traditional high street pub with very friendly and attentive service. Has no real ales though, and apparently children not allowed in.

ambience - 3

decor - 2

shabby

service - 5

very nice

real ales - 0

features - 4

TV

pool

darts

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score 17 out of 30

 

The Garsdale, Bury

 

The Garsdale

Woodhill Road, Bury BL8 1BT

TEL: 0161 764 1968

Country pub just outside Bury, near Burrs Country Park.It was refurbed and given a dining room back in 2003. It is close to the ruins of Higher Woodhill Mill and used to be the mill manager's house, so must date from the mid-19th century, though it doesn't look that old.

Disabled access isn't bad.

ambience - 2

Another occasion when I was in a pub early lunchtime early in the week, when it was bound to be quiet. Except it wasn't all that quiet, there was piped music playing, including out in the big beer garden.

decor - 3

Brown. 

real ale -2

Two guest ales

Service - 1

I don't think all the staff are the same but I got the bar person who was blank faced and offhand and dead slow at serving.

features - 4

Serves food

dog friendly

Nice big beer garden out back that looks on to a field but I'm not a bit impressed by the plastic lawn. 

monthly open mic night

weekly quiz night

toilets - 4

Pristine

Score 16 out of 30

The Vine Inn, Dunham Massey

 

The Vine,

Barns Lane, Dunham Massey, Cheshire 

TEL 

When I saw this pub I thought at first it was a residential house because it has no pub sign anywhere. Then I noticed a menu in the window and that the person sitting at the picnic table out front was drinking out of a pub-style pint glass. 

    It might have originated as a private house, a local directory of 1909 says it was occupied by a Mrs Katherine Allen, a beer retailer. That meant she was licensed to sell beer from her house.

    It has a cosy bar area and separate dining rooms and a nice outside sitting space surrounded by hedges. .

The disabled access is quite good.

ambience - 4

Friendly and relaxed

decor-3

tasteful but plain

service - 3

Prompt and friendly

real ale - 3

Samuel Smiths pub, has guest ales

I had the Moorhouses White Witch

features - 4

serves food

book swap, lots of books on the shelves opposite the bar with backgammon and other pub games on the lower shelf

child friendly 

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score 20 out of 30