Less than an hour's drive from Halifax, The Ferry Tavern pub is a real destination day out.
Dating back to 1762, it's set on its own island and surrounded by water - found on an island strip forged at Fiddlers Ferry when the Sankey Canal was first opened.
Called The Ferry due to the original licensee being the ferryman, where the pub stands today was once the main crossing for the River Mersey.
For the past 250 years, it has been a beacon of hospitality to thirsty travellers seeking refreshment - including, rumour has it, Oliver Cromwell.
Just as popular today as it ever was - particularly now that outdoor beer gardens in the UK have reopened - it's been packed in recent weeks with drinkers keen to sit on the river and watch the wildlife.
Run by the same family for nearly twenty years now, The Ferry Tavern has won awards for both its tasty ales and big-hearted community spirit.
First taken on by the new landlady's parents in 1992, today the daily operations of the place are overseen by Jade Mulholland and her husband Andy.
With plenty of seating, gorgeous views and a rather unique position, it's understandably become a popular choice now that beer gardens are allowed to reopen.
And with the added bonus of spotting porpoises and seals from your table, who wouldn't want to pay it a visit?
Equipped with a fantastic kitchen, the Mulholland's are holding off for further easing of restrictions in May to bring back their food offering.
For now, they're only serving weekend drinks whilst they ease back into everything - with week day openings announced ad hoc depending on the weather forecast.
Set on the Trans Pennine trail, it's an ideal stop off point for walkers and cyclists.
Visitors arriving by car can park on the other side of the canal, and then use the bridge over the water to access the pub.
Booking in advance is essential, with dates currently open until 16th May.
Feature image - The Ferry Tavern.
News
‘It wasn’t its time’ – Mediterranean Leeds cafe closes just two months after opening
A new street food spot has sadly closed its doors just two months after opening.
Back in May, a beautiful taste of the Mediterranean was was brought to us by Shvaan, a very talented chef who previously worked alongside his family at Eastern Oven in Kirkgate Market.
An absolute gem of a spot, Eastern Oven is known for its fresh breads, aromatic meats and plates bursting with colour - and this is exactly what Shvaan set up with FenerBar.
This new venture opened up inside The Attic, a multidisciplinary arts and events space just on the outskirts of the city centre by The Tetley and the new Aire Park development.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Serving up Eastern Mediterranean dishes like mackerel, lamb and beef kebabs, as well as various colourful vegan plates, everything at Fenerbar was homemade and you could really tell the amount of love put into each and every dish.
Unfortunately, Fenerbar has now closed its doors with owner Shvaan stating 'it wasn't it's time'.
Announcing the sad news to Instagram, Fenerbar said: "fenerBar has been closed. It wasn’t its time, whether it’s from the past or in the future, we’ll have to find out.
"Many thanks to @theatticleeds for hosting me and giving me the space to give it a shot. Wish them all the best. And thanks to everyone who came."
Of course in true Leeds fashion, fellow independents flocked to the comments showing their support and wishing Fenerbar all the luck in the next chapter.
We're sure this isn't the end for Shvaan's talents, and we can't wait to see what he does next.
Vinyl-only 1970s-inspired cocktail bar coming to Leeds from team behind some of the city’s best bars
Clementine Hall
A new cocktail bar is coming to Leeds city centre.
If you know a thing or two about cocktails, or just drinks in general, then you're going to be very excited about this news.
The very talented team behind Roland's on Call Lane and The Domino Club, just to name a few, are setting their sites on a brand-new venture.
Introducing Paper Plane, an intimate new cocktail bar that will be taking over the old Casa site in the city's beautiful Grand Arcade.
Paper Plane will be inspired by the glamour of 1970s air travel and will be a vinyl-only listening bar, serving a world-inspired cocktail menu alongside a carefully curated whisky collection.
The space will be lovely and intimate, with around just 40 covers, designed to transport guests somewhere completely different from the minute they step foot through the door.
And what a location too, joining a whole host of fantastic independents in the arcade such as Alfonso's Deli, Stuzzi and Sonder.
For now, we don't know many more details about the project, but we already know it's going to be exceptional cas anything these guys do turns to gold.
Not only has Roland's been consistently one of the busiest bars on Call Lane since they opened back in 2014, but The Domino Club was recently crowned one of the best cocktail bars in the world. Now that is some accolade worth shouting about.
We'll keep you updated with Paper Plane's progress, but Roland's have stated that the site is hoping to open this coming autumn. So we really don't have long to wait.
Georgina Pellant -
5th May 2021 
