It will have been close to about 15 years ago since I went in. I still return to my roots now and again as my dad still lives in Ossett, but I have to say pubwise it now is a ghost town. Gone were the nights of the teenagers packing Ossett town centre on a Friday night outside Cock & Bottle or Carps. Down to the Manhattan for a bit of a chat with the local dj's then either over the road to Sams Fitness Club / Nightclub to see a few fights kick off or down the road to the Thorn Tree for the lock in till 3am. And then Sunday morning football followed by a stripper in the Tavern I think (next to the social club, opposite OTT).

These days its just The Maypole and generally nothing else.

Sad really as Ossett holds so many memories for me.

All of that is indeed gone, and Ossett is much better for it.

It's not a pub ghost town though - you're making the mistake of assuming Ossett revolves around the town centre; we've got our very own real ale trail now, with the Brewers Pride down Healey Rd, The Tap on The Green and The Old Vic on Manor Road, all selling top quality real ale and two of them doing food.

Maybe it's an age thing, but what we've got now suits me just fine.

Your real ale trail would take probably a good few hours walking time to get around those three !

Used to live off Healey Road, but the Brewers Pride just seemed to be so way off the circumference as in, just situated in an odd place. You went there for a drink, where could you go next ?

The Tap, I hear good things off my mates who still live in Ossett. In my day The Tap was the The Masons and Id probably preferred to turn left to have a drink at the cricket club than right to the Masons.

I remember once been totally bored and had a few drinks with a few mates at home before we decided to venture out to a pub for a few hours. We tried something different to try and go out somewhere different instead of the usual places and put every pub in Ossett into a hat, did an FA Cup style draw and then rolled a dice for the scores to decide the winner and continued in Cup format till the winner was the place we went for the night. I think the Cricket Club won, so we chucked the names back in the hat and got a taxi to the Cock & Bottle instead !

Having been one of those teenagers doing the cock & bottle/thorntree/dirty thirties thing and now being real ale in the Tap fan I have to admit Ossett is a better, more easy going night out these days. Still has its moments though, with the maypoles drugs busts as regular as clockwork and the Tawny still able to draw a varied clientele!

Do I know you !! ??

Back on topic of Ossett... has the Wo Sang shut down yet ? Best Chinese takeaway in the area, but last time I called in to say hello, Im sure the owners were having to relocate because of the flats above. Owners daughter was in my year at school and always had a chat with their son too as he was mad on tennis at a time when I was high up the pecking order at Ossett School in tennis terms in our final years.

Wo Sangs Barbecue Spare Ribs can and never will be beaten by anyone, full stop.

It only takes a few hours if you do it my way; stick the dog's lead on and amble down Storrs Hill and over the fields to the Brewers, up Healey Rd to The Tap then across Green Park to the Vic.

I'm happy to be out of my 80's, speed-drinking pub-crawls to be honest - with the exception of the occasional foray into Shakey Wakey with the lads for a Friday night revival, I'd rather walk a few miles and get a couple of decent pints.

It probably means I'm approaching old-fartdom, but that's fine by me.

Not called the Wo Sang anymore I don't think, can't remember the new name but think its just about to move into what was part of the Royal, which has been disected into seperate shops by the looks.

I always thought Horbury was more of the place for the decent ale drinkers. The boozer in the middle of the town centre, accross from the Co-Op with the wooden floors that creaked all over them. I forgot its name, thought that was the main one.

Not any more!

You're talking about Henry Boons I think - didn't short-lived Trinity player Paul 'Curly' Brown used to have that?

I think he's at the Cherry now, don't quote me though, McD's used to have Woolpack for a time, Bulls players used to be there quite often. I went in once, staff told me to get out :/

Boons in Horbury is the one Dennis Beecfraft had as well. The place still does a decent pint. The re-born Cricketers on Cluntergate is well worth a visit for those who apprieciate top quality ale. Owned by the same people who have the real ale mecca that is the West Riding refreshment rooms at Dewsbury train station.

Ah - I never knew that; haven't been in the Cricketers for years - I'll have a wander down this weekend - cheers for that!

Think they are having a beer festival in a couple of weeks as well. Might make one in for that!

.... and very wise of them.