Where to have your tipple in the Ribble

My wife and I had the great pleasure of spending the past bank holiday weekend with some very good friends at their home in the Ribble Valley, a bucolic piece of gently lilting countryside in northwest England that (at least to my American expat eyes) is about as English as anywhere on this green island. In fact, at times the people and situations we encountered were so extraordinarily English that our hosts joked that they had called central casting before we came to arrange the “sets” for our visit.

And indeed, the “sets” often seemed perfectly arranged: folks in country casual ambling about with their dogs … flocks upon flocks of sheep grazing for our viewing pleasure … pub after pub (after pub) providing some of the finest ales (all local) that this writer has ever tasted.

Yes, we were in good hands when it came to our pub visits. Actually, one of our two hosts has dedicated an entire blog to the many pubs of the Ribble Valley. His blog, Ribble Valley Pubs, is a brilliant (and honest) resource for anyone ever fancying a proper pint in a proper pub in this lovely corner of Lancashire.

Ah, only a three hour train ride from London’s Euston Station but, in every sense, a world away. I already look forward to my next pastoral getaway to the Ribble Valley and, for once, hope that not too many people read one of my posts.

Expect more photos soon!