Summer Evening Excursions
Saturday, July 1st, 2006Do try the Thompson’s Arms at Flaxton, right by the level crossing. As rural a pub as you could imagine, set amongst the rolling arable landscape at the edge of the Vale of York as it runs up to the Howardian Hills. The beer is excellent, the welcome cheery, and you are unlikely to find it overcrowded. Approach via Strensall Common, best route is to wheel your bike across the railway from the Strensall / Flaxton Road and use the track through the woods till you hit the Flaxton / Sherrif Hutton Road - Thompson’s is a few hundred yards to your right.
Then, in another direction entirely, take the Roman Road out of Copmanthorpe to the west, follow it as it deserts the straight line for Tadcaster and zigzags along the side of 18th century enclosures, until the Sun at Colton comes in sight. Much more frequented this (they say the food is good too) with several notable real ales. A winding and undulating route, affording excellent trainspotting possibilities at Colton Junction, will take you to Bolton Percy, where The Crown serves what looked like extaordinarily nourishing gravy, allows sword-dancing in the garden, and the beer is cheap (Sam’s, of course). Follow this with one of the world’s most delightful green lanes to Appleton Roebuck where the pub had been so entirely anonymised externally that one wondered if it were truly still licensed premises. But yes, and Sam’s again. And then it’s a long pedal back through the late dusk to the bright lights.