The West Riding - Dewsbury

Got to say, Rick's spot on with his words there. Get involved in the rail trail, and get involved in the West Riding Refreshments they're dandy as anything. Despite being within the station, this fabulous venue retains all the vibe of a friendly local pub, so much so that you feel as though it's your very own local. The staff here were excellent, and had advice on hand when it came to the beers, as well as a great selection of snacks of which I ordered far too many. But snacks were desired at this stage of the ale trail! For me, I opted for a Buxton Dark Nights, and at 4.6% it was fully flavoursome. The selection however was all too tempting, as they've many in store, including Brew Dog and Magic Rock. With friendly faces all around, bundling in from the cold, laughter as the sound track and your train not far away, what's more to love? A bite to eat? Well, I'll have to go back to let you know for sure. But even so, do it for the craic. It's the business.

Having visited this pub a few times now I have come to the conclusion that it is probably my favourite pub in Dewsbury. I had the pleasure of a couple of visits this Christmas period and on both occasions the pub was pretty full, with a good natured and varied crowd of beer lovers. It's not a large pub but there still seems to be plenty of seating if you look hard enough and are prepared to squeeze in amongst your fellow drinkers. It has a classic old school pub feel with lots of dark wood and simpl furnishings. The walls are covered with an interesting selection of railway and beer ephemera which is very fitting given it's connection to the Anglo Dutch brewery and its location on platform 2 of the train station. Excellent selection of cask ales which are well kept and lovingly poured. Always seems to be Black Sheep and a couple from Timothy Taylor available with the rest of the pumps given over to a quickly rotating localish selection. Staff are friendly, knowledgeable and more than happy to give you a recommendation and a wee taster before you buy. Like all decent pubs of this ilk my advice would be to have a couple if they have something on you particularly like as it will no doubt be gone on your return. For a London visitor the prices are great with pretty much all the ale in the £2.20 to £2.50 price bracket. No wonder these Yorkshire folk moan so much when they come down to the big city. Have never tried the food but I'm informed its pretty reasonable pub fare which will go well with your pint. I have never seen any ankle biters in here, not sure if they have an adults only policy, and this is not one I would recommend to the kiddy and buggy brigade. For the adult beer lover who is looking for a decent pint amongst a friendly, eclectic crowd and a welcoming atmosphere this is my top choice in the area. Cracking pub accessible from platform two at Dewsbury trail station. Excellent selection of well kept local ale. Mix of young and old beer lovers in an old school yet cosy pub. Highly reommended and worth making a point of visiting if you are in this neck of the woods.

For those of you who are unaware, there is something called the Transpennine Real Ale Train Trail, which take advantages of the fact that for reasons I am not clear the Huddersfield Line railway is unique in the UK in retaining licensed premises at many of its stations. This means the a train pub crawl is very achievable without actually exiting the railway property (there are also some recommended additions, such as the Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden, that are only a short distance from the station . Of these licensed premises on stations, however, the one I 'd most heartily recommend would be the West Riding Refreshment Rooms on Platform 2 of Dewsbury stations nicely arranged, good selection of ales, good service, good pub grub : what more can you ask for ? ;

Great pub, a little spoilt on a weekend these days, since the Ale Trail went 'bad ' so you get a lot of stags and hens at one of the best real ale pubs in the county drinking lager and wkd. Shame really because the selection of beers is second to none, the bar staff know their stuff, and it 's full of interesting local folk. With 7 pumps, there 'll always be a beer on that you like, and even if there isn 't, there 's a vast array of superb bottles and craft beers!

I had the pleasure of visiting this pub on Wednesday evening, first impressions were that it was an intimate pub with a certain degree of charm. My estimation rose considerably when I saw the selection of beers! I think Leffe Duvel are a sign of good stock. And there they were. West Riding also had a good collection of whisky. Even though I didn 't get to try the cask ales, they had some reputable brewers on tap. Another time perhaps. The 'spice night ' curry was nice though I must try one of those pies! I wondered how a drink turned into a few one hour turned into 6. Now that 's a sign of a good pub, along with good company.