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Much shorter, because the boxing day floods in the Calder valley meant that Cygnet was trapped in a 10 mile stretch of the Rochdale and Calder & Hebble until early July, thus cutting my usual 6 month cruise in half. However, I made my escape on July 9 and made up for lost time, managing to visit 61 different pubs before returning to Sowerby Bridge on October 1st. I've included a couple of trips up the Rochdale before and after this for completeness - and because it added a few more pubs! Where I visited a pub during my 2014 and/or 2015 Pub Cruises, I've added my comments from then for comparison. A new experience this year was micropubs. I visited five, but wasn't on the whole impressed - amateurish is the word that springs to mind. Once again, I must warn pub diners that FOOD IS NOT INCLUDED. I haven't eaten out in a pub while cruising for at least 3 years. My wants are simple - an excellent pint of real ale and a packet of crisps. In fact my 'price' criterion when scoring is based on these two items together. This year it varied from £2.10 (!) to £4.50, so cheaper than last year, amazingly. To remind of my scoring system: There are 20 points: 10 for beer and 10 for everything else. Up to 5 for beer choice to include one non-national brand or unusual beer type (certain mediocre 'cooking beers' such as Doom Bar and Bombardier are not counted!), and 0 to 5 for quality: 0 and 1 would be sent back - (didn't happen this year) - 2 means wouldn't have another - 3 is acceptable - 4 very good - up to 5 absolutely superb. To make it clear, I'm talking about real ales (cask beers) here. I'm a beer fanatic. So a score is in three parts: Beer choice+beer quality+everything else. e.g 1+5+7=13 has the same total score as 4+2+7=13, but the first pub has 1 superb beer, but the second 4 rubbish ones. So you can tell quite a bit from the scores as opposed to the comments, some of which may seem a bit downbeat, but often explain why the score isn't higher. Everything else includes service, staff, clientele, general atmosphere, situation, decor, interesting pictures, special features (eg library!), quirkiness, cleanliness, price, and the presence of live or other music, juke box or fruit machine (all minus) and whether there is a place for drinkers as opposed to diners. And beermats. I had visited many of these pubs before over the past 30 years, and most were as I remembered, but this time there were a few disappointments - pubs I had looked forward to just didn't have it anymore. But a few newly-discovered gems made up for this. You may already know some of these pubs, but remember my conclusions are just a snapshot, as I visited most only once this trip. Although many are canalside, some involve quite a trek - I'm prepared to put in a bit of effort for a promising pub! Advance research on whatpub.com was useful, but sometimes there just wasn't any choice. GBG means the pub is in the latest (2017) Good Beer Guide. So here we go. Rochdale Canal HOGSHEAD, Sowerby Bridge 5+4+5 = 14 Large, dim and noisy. SHOULDER OF MUTTON, Mytholmroyd 5+4+7=16 Refurbished after flooding. ROBIN HOOD, Cragg Vale 4+4+8=16 Very pleasant inexpensive village local. GBG FOX & GOOSE, Hebden Bridge 5+4+8=17 Much improved. Can be infested with folkies. GBG (2015 entry: 5+5+8=18 Now a community pub, back to its former glory GBG) CALAN'S, Hebden Bridge 5+4+7=16 Tiny micropub. No spirits. Closes at 10PM GBG DRINK?, Hebden Bridge 2+4+6=12 The other micropub. Limited opening. Rather stark. Huddersfield Broad & Narrow Canals WHITE CROSS, Bradley 4+5+8=17 A real local's local, despite the main road. GBG SPORTSMAN, Huddersfield 5+5+8=18 Weirdly assorted clientele. Can be very busy. GBG COMMERCIAL, Slaithwaite 5+5+8=18 Very cheap beer from canalside Empire brewery. (2014 entry: 5+4+7=16 A comfortable makeover. GBG) RIVERHEAD, Marsden 5+5+8=18 Still as good as ever. GBG (2014 entry: 5+5+9=19 Ten great beers, mostly brewed in-house GBG 2015 entry: 5+5+8=18 Standards maintained in this great brew pub GBG) NAVIGATION, Dobcross 4+5+7=16 Food oriented. Too busy at weekends. GBG (2014 entry: 4+5+7=16 Four excellent beers. Friendly staff. GBG) WELLINGTON, Greenfield 4+5+8=17 Worth the walk. GBG STATION BUFFET, Stalybridge 5+5+8=18 The high point of the town in several ways. GBG (2015 entry: 5+4+8=17 A bright spot in an awful town. Full of interest. GBG) Peak Forest Canal DUKE OF YORK, Romiley 2+3+7=12 Disappointing - beer standards slipping. (2014 entry: 3+4+7=14 Basic and friendly. GBG) PLATFORM ONE, Romiley 3+4+6=13 A bit of a trek and rather noisy. GBG Macclesfield Canal BOAR'S HEAD, Higher Poynton. 2+3+7=12 Pleasant enough, but unimaginative. (2015 entry: 2+4+8=14 A good local with pleasant atmosphere and staff.) CHURCH HOUSE, Sutton Lane Ends 4+5+8=17 Difficult to find, but worth it. QUEEN'S HEAD, Congleton 4+4+7=15 Good atmosphere but slow service. GBG (2015 entry: 5+5+8=18 Just climb the steps and stumble down! GBG) RISING SUN, Scholar Green 4+4+8=16 A very pleasant Marston's pub. (2014 entry: 4+4+8=16 But I can't remember! Must have been good.) Trent and Mersey Canal BULL'S HEAD, Burslem 5+5+8=18 A trek from Westport Lake, but a classic. GBG ROYAL EXCHANGE, Stone 5+5+8=18 A second night with Titanic beers. Great! GBG (2014 entry: 5+4+8=17 Possibly the best pub in Stone now. GBG) SWAN, Fradley Junction 5+5+8=18 New management not changed much, fortunately. (2014 entry: 5+5+9=19 Justly famous, and keeping a very high standard. GBG) WILLIAM IV, Alrewas 3+5+8= 16 A good unpretentious Marston's local. DRAGON, Willington. 5+5+7=17 Avoid Saturday evenings! VERY loud music. CREWE & HARPUR ARMS, Swarkstone 3+3+6=12 Nothing to write home about. NEW INN, Shardlow 4+3+6=13 Expected a lot but found little. Erewash Canal HORSE & JOCKEY, Stapleford 5+5+8=18 Long walk from Sandiacre, but bus back! GBG GREAT NORTHERN, Langley Mill 4+3+4=11 No atmosphere or interest. BUNNY HOP, Langley Mill 4+5+7=16 Simple micropub, not overpriced. River Trent NAG'S HEAD, Sawley 2+4+5=11 Absolutely no atmosphere. GBG WHITE LION, Sawley 5+5+7=17 Backyard brewery. Outside tatty, inside interesting. CROWN INN, Beeston 5+5+8=18 A long walk. Large, rambling, old-fashioned. GBG VAT & FIDDLE, Nottingham 5+5+7=17 Adjoining Castle Rock brewery. Rather stark. GBG BROMLEY, Fiskerton 4+3+5= 12 Trendy makeover, Staff in silly uniforms. WAGGON & HORSES, Bleasby 5+5+7=17 Simple village pub. Blue Monkey brewery GBG JUST BEER, Newark 5+4+6=15 Micropub down an alley. Nothing special. GBG MUSKHAM FERRY, Muskham. 3+4+7=14 OK, but great situation. Small pontoon moorings. WHITE SWAN, Torksey. 2+4+7=13 Unassuming, but made very welcome. WHITE HART, West Stockwith. 5+3+7=15 Own brewery, beer just OK. Now very busy. GBG WATERSIDE, West Stockwith 1+4+5=10 Dim and empty. Horrible music. Stainforth & Keadby and S&SY WINDMILL, Thorne 2+4+5=11 Giant tellys pumping out awful music. GBG OLD VAULT, Thorne 5+3+6=14 An uninteresting micropub. WHITE HART, Barnby Dun 1+4+7=12 Only just worth the walk, but not much choice. Aire & Calder Navigation and River Aire KING'S HEAD, Pollington 4+5+8=17 A friendly, quiet village local. GBG BAY HORSE, Great Heck 2+3+6= 11 A disappointment. Used to be excellent. GBG GEORGE & DRAGON, West Haddlesey 3+5+8=16 Friendly quiet local with good service. GBG JUG, Chapel Haddlesey 3+4+9=16 Went out of their way to help me. STEAM PACKET, Knottingley 3+4+5=12. Not what it was. Rather run down. BROKEN BRIDGE, Pontefract 2+3+4=9 Below average Wetherspoons in an awful town. JUNCTION, Castleford. 4+5+9=18 Beers from the wood and all a pub should be. GBG GRAZIERS, Wakefield 3+4+7=14 Acceptable. A trek from Stanley Ferry's awful 'pub'. Calder & Hebble Navigation BREWER'S PRIDE, Healy 5+4+8=17 Great community pub with excellent staff. GBG OLD COLONIAL, Mirfield 4+4+9=17 Fantastic interior, full of interest and comfort. GBG FLOWERPOT, Mirfield 4+5+8=17 Typical good Osset brewery pub. GBG NAVIGATION, Mirfield 5+4+8=17 Comfortable and friendly. 25 beers! (Beer festival) GBG RAILWAY, Mirfield 3+3+5=11 Undistinguished, with annoying music. PEAR TREE, Battyeford 3+3+6=12 Armchairs in front of huge telly screens. RICHARD OASTLER, Brighouse 5+4+6=15 Wetherspoons. Magnificent interior. Understaffed. GBG (2015 entry: 5+5+8=18 Very good Wetherspoons with magnificent interior. GBG) RED ROOSTER, Brookfoot 5+5+7=17 Dedicated to beer with tasting notes. Much brighter. GBG (2014 entry: 5+4+7=16 A rather gloomy barn. GBG) BARGE & BARREL, Elland 5+5+6=16 Surprisingly busy, considering its recent isolation. GBG (2014 entry: 5+5+7=17 Ten excellent beers, but a bit dull. GBG) SHEPHERD'S REST, Sowerby Bridge. 5+5+8=18 Now my pub of choice near my home moorings, since the very sad demise of the Puzzle Hall, much missed. GBG (2015 entry: 5+4+8=17 Surprisingly cosmopolitan decor. GBG) So there we are, back home after a race anticlockwise around the big circle (I actually set off to go clockwise, but thought better of it after the Calder went into flood with me on it - I thought I might not get up the Trent). At least I got onto a new canal (Erewash). My favourite pub this year? Well, I think it has to be my new 'home' pub, the Shepherd's Rest. I'm getting known there now, and there is one table with enough light for my ageing eyes, and it's very relaxing zzzzzz.......... Cheers! Mac