CHRIS TITLEY works up a thirst in Wharfedale.

WHARFEDALE is Barrie Pepper's favourite dale. "It's a beautiful area," said the Yorkshire-man. "There's a sort of softness about it." Moreover it boasts a marvellous collection of pubs. For Barrie, that makes a pretty unbeatable combination.

"The pubs tend mainly to be free houses," he said. "Not many are owned by the pub-owning companies.

"The consequence of that is they're looked after better. When it's your own place you do look after it more. There's a wonderful selection of beers served as well."

There speaks a man who knows. Barrie is Yorkshire's foremost expert on the subject. He has been a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers since it began in 1988, and among his publications are The Best Pubs In Yorkshire ("that's a little out of date now", he confesses) and A Haunt of Rare Souls - a history of the Yorkshire pub. For 11 years he also presented What's Brewing on Radio Leeds.

The licensed trade is in his blood; his father ran a pub in Sowerby Bridge. But he can trace his deeper interest in the heritage and traditions of the great British boozer back to a holiday on the other side of the Pennines.

"I was walking in the Lakes one day and came across a pub called The Mortal Man at Troutbeck. It had an interesting sign with the words:

'Oh, Mortal Man, that lives by bread,

What is it makes thy nose so red?

Thou silly fool that art so pale,

'Tis drinking Sally Birkett's ale.'"

That prompted him to research into the history of pubs, and he has never looked back. Barrie has travelled around Ireland sampling the best pubs north and south for one publication; and he has been to towns and cities across Britain to compile 50 Great Pub Crawls.

Now he has finally turned his attention to his favourite dale, and produced Walkers, Writers & Watering Holes: a gentle wander down Wharfedale.

For this book, Barrie teamed up with Jack Thompson, who has just retired after 28 years in the West Yorkshire Fire Service.

Over a pint of mild in The Jolly Sailor, Cawood, Barrie explained that the idea struck them as they were walking together in the dales. Over many months they chronicled 150 pubs, each with its own unique character, yet each unmistakably part of Wharfedale.

The book is the perfect companion for the walker who elects to stop for refreshment in a traditional Yorkshire inn. It begins with the first pub in modern Wharfedale, The George at Hubberholme, and takes you gently through such famous Yorkshire names as Ilkley and Otley before depositing you carefully in Cawood.

Along the way you pick up all manner of fascinating nuggets of knowledge. The George at Hubberholme, for example, was writer JB Priestley's favourite pub. His ashes are buried close to Hubberholme Church, and a memorial tablet recalls that he found the village "one of the smallest and pleasantest places in the world".

Another of the writers celebrated in the book is Charles Kingsley. He spent summers at Bridge House in Arncliffe and was inspired by the dales to write his fairy tale The Water Babies.

An aspect of pub history that fascinates both Barrie and Jack is how hostelries arrived at their names. The Fox and Hounds and the Red Lion are the most popular in Wharfedale. Other pub names are unique: the Calcaria in Tadcaster for example, which takes the Roman name of the town.

Some are inspired by local folk tales, such as The Spite at Newall, near Otley, and The Hermit at Burley. Others even have Barrie stumped. Why are there three Old Stars near each other in East Keswick, Collingham and Clifford? Why is the pub at Thorp Arch called the Pax? The word is Latin for peace, and the present sign shows a dove, but where does it come from?

Pressed to select three favourites from the book, Barrie began with the Bowling Green at Otley, chosen not only for its excellent beer but for Trevor Wallis, the colourful landlord.

"If I were looking for somewhere to rest my head," Barrie continued, "I would go to the farthest north, the White Lion at Cray.

"The first time I went there I had walked about seven miles. I just dangled my toes in the stream. I don't think I could ever enjoy a pint of beer better than that."

His final choice was the pub he was sitting in, The Jolly Sailor. "For a small town pub, it has quite a remarkable selection of ale."

Barrie and John now hope to collaborate on more books, including a further 50 Great Pub Crawls. That gives us all a chance to discover the pubs of Wharfedale as chronicled in Walkers, Writers & Watering Holes - the best www since the world wide web.

Walkers, Writers & Watering Holes by Barrie Pepper and Jack Thompson is published by Wharncliffe, price £9.95

PICTURE: Authors Barrie Pepper, left, and Jack Thompson enjoy a drink with their new book at the Jolly Sailor, Cawood Picture: Nigel Holland