The Wharfedale

Oh God I am SO in two minds here.
Do I share my little secret? Do I open up my sanctuary to a wider audience? Can ALL of us fit around the open fire in the Chesterfield chairs or will it all descend into a bloodbath when I realise I have opened the doors to Nirvana and let the horde in?
And then I think of the staff at The Wharfedale Inn. I think about how they will do you a tab by just asking your first name. I think about how you can gleefully rearrange your dinner into a combination of infinite variations and they will just smile and say the Chef wont mind. I think about how they ask how you are and where you’ve been. I think about how they smile when you ask for the Chocolate Brandy Pot pudding with extra cream and how they wander back past the table when you’re on your last trouser button and encourage you to finish it off.
I think of all these things and I realise it is supremely selfish of me to keep The Wharfedale Inn to myself and so here we are.
Nestled by the railway bridge in Arthington (between Pool and Harewood) with a roaring open fire; comfy mismatched seating, homely paintings and pottery proudly on display on the walls, a tank of pet fish to distract you and make you do kissy fish faces on your way to the loos, a separate ‘posh’ restaurant on the side where you can sit up straight and use a knife and with the friendliest bar in Yorkshire where you can tuck into big meaty portions of perfectly cooked classic dishes all made with quality local ingredients and a liberal smattering of hot love, The Wharfedale Inn is one of my favourite places on God’s green earth and it is well worth riding a bus into the wild countryside to partake in its numerous pleasures.
The prices are more than reasonable, around £9 for a main, £4 for a starter and same for pudding. There’s a cracking wine list that goes above and beyond the capacity of most country pubs. The Specials Board is always a delight and often features a few surprises– the Japanese Prawns being one recent discovery.
I recommend grabbing those Chesterfields by the fire, ordering a pint of cloudy Addlestone’s cider and then munching your way through the Honey Roast Duck with chunky chips and salad followed by that legendary dollop of the Chocolate and Brandy Pot that will suck ALL the moisture out of your head. It’s not fancy, it’s more than any normal human should expect to eat in any one sitting and the salad is just good old English lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onion but my goodness does it make you smile from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. To use the vernacular, it is simply DELISH.
And if I’m in there buy me a drink, for I am the Gate Keeper to wonderful things.
Oh and when you do finally stagger out of the door be sure to look up into the sky, there’s Red Kite in them there hills and they really like to circle the pub. I can’t blame ‘em :)

I have stayed here a couple of times, though the room rate is almost as expensive as some quality hotels, this is just a pub !. But a pretty good one too, with excellent bar food, and an adjoining restaurant.
I had to smile when, looking out of the back from my room (‘Almscliffe’) there were lots of rabbits in the field. When I came down for dinner, one of the specials was ‘Rabbit Pie’. Pity breakfast is only a cold affair, placed in fridge the previous night. Pub is good, but I wouldnt stay there again.

The wharfedale is a great pub located out in the country. The pub sells a wide range of traditional pub food and has a lovely atmosphere. definately worth a visit.