The Fleece

We arrived at the Fleece on Sunday, but had to park on the street due to a large smelly horse box filling the car park, it was a hot day and the smell from the vehicle already put us off this place.
We walked in and were greeted by a very dark and dated interior. This place definitely needs modernizing.
The food we had was bang average although quite cheap like the surroundings so I guess you get what you pay for.
The men working loved the sound of their voices, one of them was telling stories to his local friends sat at the bar, who all found him extremely funny. We on the other hand didn’t want to hear his life story.
In short, this place is like the cast of Benidorm shacked up in the Woolpack (BEFORE IT HAD A MAKE OVER)

I really wanted to enjoy this local more than I did, and should perhaps go back for a second visit being as this was a swift one, but it wasn’t my favourite. The outdoor area has a few tables out the front, next to the busy road, but it at least has somewhere to sit and sup out in this warm weather.
The bar inside seems decent, and cosy for when it gets a bit more wintery, but I didn’t get to see the whole of it as it was a quick pint before moving on. As for the range, it appeared there was a good selection of ale, for those who like cask, and a mixed range of other lagers and soft drinks for those who don’t. Standard spirits, if memory recalls.
The thing that put me off was the service. It wasn’t rude, per se, but I noticed that despite having waited before several of the local bar flies, I was still last to be served. The chap was nice enough, but having worked in a bar before, I considered it good etiquette to serve in order of arrival. It was disappointing, as the rest of the experience was rather pleasant. Perhaps an off night, so as I say, a return may be in order.

Easily the most run of the mill, average, not great, not awful bar that I’ve visited in Horsforth. I’m sure that for pork scratchings and a pint of ale on a sunday afternoon, there are very few places in the area that are likely to evoke as many feelings (or lack thereof) of apathy as The Fleece.
Completely and absolutely A-​OK.

Unilocal Horsforth Pub Crawl 19−07−13. number 3
This is a 3.5 for me, although rounded down due to the bar staff trying to serve the locals before me.
Really good array of ales and nice atmosphere inside.
We sat out as it was a little stuffy inside and frankly cannot remember the décor at all, due to the cocktail, cider, lager mix that I had imbibed.
I do remember getting two halves of different ales as I couldn’t decide which one to buy!
they perhaps need to make a bit more effort with the «beer garden», which comprised of 3 benches next to the road.
nice enough place though and if I lived near by, I would be along again as it’s good ale. If I was a local, I might get served ahead of those bleedin’ Horsforth tourists an’ all!

From the outside, the Fleece looks a lot like it could be one of those ‘destination’ pubs, where bankers and executives come at the weekend with their screaming kids in tow to sip at a pint of ale they don’t really like and nibble on a goats’ cheese salad. Thankfully, appearances can be deceiving, and you’re as likely to find a sun-​dried tomato in here as you are a bottle of WKD. This is a proper pub, with basic homecooked grub and a good selection of real ales on tap, and the locals here look like they’ve never left Yorkshire or, indeed, the stool on which they’re unsteadily perched. It’s a shame that on the few occasions I’ve visited it seemed very quiet; places like this deserve to be living, breathing centres of the community, not dusty relics of a bygone age.

This area of Horsforth is rather trendy nowadays dontchaknow, which has led to The Fleece standing as the lone pub on New Road Side.
It looks like a proper Yorkshire watering hole from the outside, with nothing fancy or gimmicky on show to detract from the old stonewall charms.
Inside, you’ll find a very pubbish-​pub if you know what I mean. If you don’t, I’ll try and explain. Nowadays, pubs are either closing or being bought up by chains, leaving little chance for uniqueness or character. The Fleece, however, has its own distinctive charms (including a pleasing selection of real ales) and it’s the sort of place that you imagine hasn’t changed in half a century. Commendable.