GAVIN AITCHISON follows the mob to Wheldrake and beyond

WHY don’t we organise flash-mobs for rural pubs? A couple of friends and I mused on that many years ago, after hearing an all-too-familiar tale of woe from a struggling landlord.

Could we arrange a monthly or weekly event, whereby busloads of beer lovers would arrive at a particular village inn simultaneously, delivering a surprise boost to a quiet pub’s coffers? We imagined scenes of joy as pints flowed, tills jingled and a hard-up landlord was able to afford a smile, before the marauding crowd moved on to save another lost cause.

It was a simplistic idea born in a pub, quite clearly, and we never acted on it, but I did find myself wondering recently whether someone else had turned the idea into reality.

You see, the last thing I expected when I arrived in Wheldrake on a mid-week evening in January was to find the Wenlock Arms bursting at the seams.

I had deliberately timed my trip for what I assumed would be a quiet night, so I could have a decent chat with the landlord, Paul Grant.

But as I reached the pub and glanced through the windows, I found I couldn’t even see the bar for the throng of people. It looked as if the population of the entire village had massed in this front-room. My hopes having disappeared, I turned tail and returned instead a few days later, with a bit more luck.

It turned out my first visit had coincided with the pub’s much-loved carvery night, a weekly dress rehearsal for the ever-popular Sunday lunch.

Not that the food is the only attraction here. The pub is a classic city-village local, offering good beers, food, a weekly quiz and live televised football.

Paul and his wife Gillian have been here for nine months now, following the closure last year of The Junction in Leeman Road, which fell by the wayside despite considerable effort by everyone concerned. Licensee Pete Pendlebury added an on-site brewery, owners Enterprise Inns funded a major refurbishment, and Paul and Gillian worked their socks off, all to no avail.

Paul is one of the nicest landlords you could hope to meet though and it is pleasing to see him back behind a busy bar and doing well.

The Wenlock Arms may not be an obvious draw to anyone outside Wheldrake, but is worth including on a little circuit if you are walking, cycling or have a designated driver to chauffeur you around.

On leaving, I headed north to The Grey Horse at Elvington, which had a good beer range and other tempting choices on the coming-soon board, including Castle Rock’s Harvest Pale, a former Champion Beer of Britain, and Adnams Gunhill. Just over the border into the East Riding, the St Vincent Arms at Sutton-Upon-Derwent is another tremendous pub. The menu is varied and extensive and the beers are always on fine form, with a particular leaning towards those from Fuller’s Brewery.

And last but by no means least, The Ferry Boat at Thorganby, a couple of miles south of Wheldrake, remains one of the finest pubs in all of Yorkshire, with a beautiful riverside garden, an outstanding selection of fine ales, a cosy bar-room and friendly staff.

• YORK’S newest bar opened on Wednesday. Missoula replaces The Living Room on Bridge Street. Alongside a long list of cocktails, wines and spirits there are some impressive American beers on the bar, including Anchor Steam Beer, Flying Dog Atlantic Lager and Shipyard Pale Ale.

Twitter: @pintsofview