Harrogate and Ripon Campaign for Real Ale
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We hold monthly branch meetings and social events in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and beyond.
BRANCH DIARY
Beer festivals and events
Find out about upcoming beer festivals and beer related events in our area.
EVENTS
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Latest branch news
Harrogate
Husk Beer Emporium & Bar is now serving just a single cask ale.
Knaresborough
Mother Shipton Inn (Admiral Taverns) has reopened with a new tenant following a £250k refurbishment. Three cask ales were available on opening day, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Theakston Best Bitter and TT Golden Best.
Wellington Inn (Samuel Smith) is up for sale for £325k with a condition that it is NOT for pub use. A number of other Samuel Smith properties, with a total value of around £6m, have been put up for sale in recent weeks, some with a similar condition.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/26578055.camra-responds-sam-smiths-listing-inn-non-pub-use
Ripon
The Portly Pig has reverted to 2pm opening Wednesday to Friday with slightly later closing times, and will be closed on Wednesday 30th September and Thursday 1st October.
Other towns and villages
The Royal Oak at Dacre Banks is up for sale for £895k.
At the Moor & Pheasant at Dalton Moor there is an application to North Yorkshire Council for change of use to residential and to convert the pub into four apartments (26/04277/FUL). A previous application for change of use was refused in April 2024.
The Horse & Hound (formerly The Bay Horse) at Kirk Deighton is up for sale for £560k. The business is unaffected with tenant operator in situ. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/771434096422017
The Squinting Cat at Lund House Green (Greene King, no real ale) is to change from a managed to a tenanted house. The pubco say they are preparing to make a ‘substantial investment’ in the venue and are advertising for tenants.
https://www.yourharrogate.co.uk/local-news/harrogate/harrogates-squinting-cat-seeks-new-operators
Black Bull in Paradise in Masham (Theakston Brewery) now has longer opening hours, 6pm on weekdays, 7pm Friday/Saturday. (Closed Sunday).
The Bruce Arms in Masham (Stonegate) is now open seven days a week. Theakston Best and two changing Yorkshire ales are served.
At The Royal Oak in Pateley Bridge the licensee is leaving after 23+ years and new operators are to take over in October.
Club news
Knaresborough WMC have had their ‘fresh ale’ line removed. Two cask ales are served, usually a Taylor’s beer and a pale. The club has indicated that it may increase to three cask lines if demand allows.
Brewery news
Harrogate Brewing Co. Taproom has reverted to its winter hours and is now closed Thursdays, open Friday to Sunday only.
Plan a local pub crawl...
KNARESBOROUGH
This small market town boasts a diverse selection of great real ale pubs.
HARROGATE
RIPON
The spa town with victorian inns, modern bars and micropubs.
From one-eyed rats to pigs and unicorns, this cathedral city has a variety of real ale watering holes.
Branch boundary map
You may be surprised by how large an area Harrogate and Ripon Camra covers, from Thornton Watlass, near Bedale in the north, to Pool in Wharfedale on the edge of Otley in the south. The map below shows the branch boundary.
Branch diary
MEETINGS
SOCIAL EVENTS
PRESENTATIONS
Tuesday 20 October 2026
Branch meeting (and presentation of silver award for Champion Beer of Britain)
HBCo Royal Parade.
19:30
Tuesday 10 November 2026
AGM
Winter Gardens.
19:30
Saturday 31st October
Leeds City Centre Visit
Starting at The Templar from noon.
36 bus from Harrogate at 10:50, 11:00, 11:10 or 11:20. NB only the 11:10 starts from Ripon (at 10:25).
Tuesday 20 October 2026
Presentation to HBCo Royal Parade of silver award for Champion Beer of Britain
19:30
Beer festivals and events
Beer scoring and the Good Beer Guide
You are probably aware of the ‘Good Beer Guide’, National CAMRA’s flagship publication which lists the best real ale pubs in the UK. But what you may not know is how those pubs are selected to appear in the Guide. The answer is that it is largely via beer scores submitted by CAMRA members from all over the country. If you are a CAMRA member you can send in beer scores. If you’ve ever wondered why your favourite pub isn’t in the Guide, this may well be because you, and others, haven’t entered scores rating the quality of beer there. By beer scoring, you can contribute to the process of selection of pubs that go in the Good Beer Guide. Here's how...
So how do I score the quality of the beer?
It's really simple. Go to any pub on https://camra.org.uk/pubs then click or tap on ‘Beer Score’. You just pick a rating that best describes the quality of your beer. We've also given some potential reactions (see below) to help you pick the best rating for your beer. You'll enter the date and rate the quality of the beer served, and add the price if you want. It's a great way to share your experiences and guide fellow beer lovers.
An added bonus is that a record of your scores is kept so you can look back to see the beers you’ve had and how and when you rated them. Find out more about beer scoring at https://camra.org.uk/nbss
How do I edit my scores?
If you submit an incorrect score by mistake or decide you want to change a score, you can edit them here
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For more information about CAMRA, or to become a member visit camra.org.uk