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 New Inn, Middleton

 

The New Inn

34 Long Street, Middleton, Manchester M24 6QU

No phone number listed

An unpretentious, friendly high street pub.

decor - 3

Blue, grey and white with wooden beams

ambience - 4 

very welcoming

real ales - 0

service - 4

welcoming

features - 4

pool table

darts

TV screens

live music at weekends

toilets - 3

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 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 Brown Cow, Clitheroe

 

The Brown Cow

42-44 Moor Lane, Clitheroe BB7 1AJ

TEL: 01200 424193

A nice high street pub on the edge of Clitheroe town centre below the castle. It looks like an average high street pub but it's friendly, welcoming and seems to be getting enough customers to keep going.  I only had time for a brief visit in March 2025 so I'm not sure whether it is dog friendly. 

decor - 3

bit plain, brown and green  colour scheme

ambience - 3

relaxing

service - 4

real ale-2

two changing beers

features - 3

darts

pool table

karaoke at weekends

toilets - 5

Score 20 out of 30

Clitheroe, by the way, is worth a visit for the castle and it's famous specialist sausage shop.

De Lacy Arms, Whalley, Lancashire

 

De Lacy Arms

61 King Street, Whalley BB7 9SP

TEL: 01254 823197

decor - 1

drab, White, black and grey colour scheme

Ambience - 3

relaxing

Service - 4

Real ale - 3

features - 5

child friendly

dog friendly

pool table

TV

live music

toilets - 3

Score 19 out of 30

The Crossings, Furness Vale, High Peak

 

The Crossings

Station Road

Furness Vale

High Peak SK23 7QS

TEL: 01663 308726

I assume it's called The Crossings because it's on the same road as a level crossing over the railway (with Furness Vale station right next to the level crossing) and also a bridge that crosses the Peak Forest canal. It has a big open plan room with a side room with a pool table.

Decor - 5

Walls in shades of blue with blue-and-white checked covers on padded seats.

Ambience -  3

Service - 3

Bit slow, otherwise not bad.

Real ale - 1

Unicorn

Features - 3

pool

TV

dog friendly

They started doing food in  March 2023 according to their facebook, but I'm not sure if they've kept it up (visited May 2023). You can phone to ask.

Toilets - 3

Score 19 out of 30

The Angel, Lees

 

The Angel

2 Nicholson Street, Lees, Oldham OL4 3BW

Big open plan space with a smaller tap room, just off Lees High Street. Children and dogs allowed in before 8pm.

Decor - 3

dark walls and furniture but not stylish not gloomy

ambience - 3

service - 5

real ale - 0

features ;- 5

TV screens

bar food

quiz night

darts

toilets - 4

The disabled access is reasonably good, no stairs and the main room is well lit.

Score 20 out of 30

pool

The Pace Egg pubs

 There are only two places I know of in the country that still do the ancient Pace Egg plays during Easter. One is Heptonstall in Yorkshire. The other is Middleton in Greater Manchester. The Middleton Pace Egg players perform their short play seven times in seven of the local pubs and collect money for charity. Middleton has been lucky in that all of its town centre pubs are still open, none have been closed down. I didn't get round all six of them, only three but I've named all seven pubs and expect to get round the rest and review them sometime soon.

The Pace Egg play: Saint George the champion of England is challenged to a fight by the Turkish champion. The plot involves a couple of his men (this year played by two six year old boys) and Captain Slasher having a go at the Turkish champion and losing.  St George gets wounded and has to be cured by the doctor. The doctor has a horse though nobody seems to know why. St George wins in the end. Then the players collect money from the audience. Back in the day the players would have collected money (and beer) for themselves, now they collect for charity. This year (2023) they were collecting for the Stroke Association.

The Dusty MIller

34 Middleton Way

Middleton M24 4DF

This pub was renamed the Edgar Wood in 2018. It was closed temporarily while its licence was reviewed. According to articles in The Rochdale Observer the police asked for its licence to be reviewed after there had been a few fights on the premises. One of the conditions for getting its licence back was that it had a name change. Not all the regulars were happy with that. The name Dusty Miller is historic. there has been a pub on the site since the 1770s and it was so named because it was near the local flour mill. A lot of people still call it The Dusty Miller.

The Roebuck

18 Middleton Way

Middleton M24 4DF

TEL: 0161 643 7066

Ambience - 3

decor - 4

tasteful greys and greens

service - 4

fast and friendly

real ale - 0

But serves the full range of other drinks

features - 3

pool table at the back

child friendly

dog friendly

toilets - 4

Score 18 out of 30

Britannia Inn

6 Middleton Way

Middleton M25 4DF

ambience - 3

decor - 4

comfortable seating

service - 4

real ale - 0

But serves the full range of other drinks

features - 3

quiz night

child friendly

dog friendly

toilets - 4

Score 18 out of 30

Harbord Harbord

17-21 Long Street

Middleton M24 6TE

TEL: 0161 654 6226

A Wetherspoons pub so it serves food and has a range of real ales and ciders

New Inn

34 Long Street

Middleton M24 6UE

The Olde Boar's Head

111 Long Street

Middleton M24 6UE

I should have got a picture of the inside of this (I've just got photos of the yard when the Pace Egg players were performing.) because it's very old. This pub dates from the 16th century and has most of the original interior layout and features. The session room at the back, which is now used for functions, is where the local magistrates once held their court hearings. It is now mainly a restaurant pub with a space at the back just foir drinkers though as pub restaurants go it's friendly .and not offputtingly posh.

ambience - 5

decor -4

plain wood beams and tasteful cream and brown colour scheme

service - 5

real ales - 3

features - 1

serves food

toilets - 4

Score 22 out of 30

The Ring O Bells

St Leonards Square

Middleton M24 6DJ

I have in fact been into this pub before, five years ago, and reviewed it (I'd forgotten, only realised when I reviewed this blog this week.) Here's the link to that review:

https://ups-and-downs-pubs.blogspot.com/2018/04/ring-o-bells.html

The Shepherds Arms, Whaley Bridge

 

The Shepherds Arms, 7 Old Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak SK23 7HR

Decor - 2

A bit drab, wooden floor in bar with benches round the walls, wood stove.

ambience - 2

Piped music

service - 5

A friendly as they claim on the sign outside

real ales - 5

Included Pedigree and Hobgoblin when I was there.

features - 3

darts

dog friendly

two beer gardens front and back

toilets - 3

Score 20 out of 30

This unusual memorial bench is next to the back door, it looks like the seat has been carved in one piece out of a tree trunk.

real ales -