Great Inns of Britain

After thousands of votes and hundreds of different nominations the public has crowned one of our Great Inns, Shibden Mill Inn as Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub 2011.

The Halifax establishment was announced as the winner this week at the Great Yorkshire Show and will feature in a new Ale Trail being launched by Welcome to Yorkshire.

The competition began in April and the first round of voting saw the public nominate more than 200 different pubs. The top 30 most popular all feature in the new Ale Trail, which also includes a guide map and highlights a range of festivals to see and breweries to visit.

The 12 finalists then attracted almost 3,000 votes between them as the public had their say on who should take home the winner’s title.

TV presenter Christa Ackroyd was on hand to present the trophy to Shibden Mill Inn, and congratulate The George and Dragon, Hudswell, who came second and The Shoulder of Mutton, Kirkby Overblow, who came third.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted by the response we’ve had to our competition at every stage from both our great pubs and their patrons.

“The thousands of votes that have poured in during the last couple of months just go to show that not only do we have an unrivalled mix of pubs here in Yorkshire, but the passion and interest in them is incredibly strong.

“Our aim was to celebrate and promote pubs across Yorkshire – and we hope that’s what we’ve done through the competition and the new Ale Trail which is an engaging, informative guide for visitors to the great county.”

The trail has been supported by brewery T&R Theakston Ltd and Simon Theakston, executive director, said: “The trail will give people a real taste of the amazing offer of friendly pubs and some of the best ales in the country. Yorkshire has a proud tradition of creating and crafting award-winning beer and here at Theakston, we hope this trail encourages more visitors to discover this for themselves.”

Ale Trails are available from Tourist Information Centres, events, various hotels and attractions and can be ordered at Yorkshire.com. Visit the Shibden Mill Inn at www.shibdenmillinn.com