Pub review: The Railway Inn, Calverley Bridge, Leeds

Back then, when the Railway was practically in the middle of nowhere, this would have served as a useful helping hand to bring drinkers to its front door. But now, after the towpath and nearby riverbank have been rediscovered as a place of recreation and a small estate of new houses has sprung up around it, the pub seems to do decent business from its own constituency, without this little hint to the passing trade.

It’s slightly awkward to drive to anyway, requiring either a quick dash between the oncoming traffic if you’re approaching from Horsforth, or a nifty hairpin bend doubling back on yourself if you’re coming from Rodley. From here you pass down through a car park used by the walkers and anglers, before turning right along the waterside to reach the pub.

But it’s certainly worth the effort, even before you step inside. Here you find yourself in a quiet haven of wildlife and rippling water. Barges with names like Misty Lady and Onion Bargee are moored up against the bank, swans glide lazily along, walkers and cyclists pass by with a cheery nod, bound for Bramley and Kirkstall in one direction, Apperley Bridge and Saltaire in the other.

The busy ring road may be just a hundred yards away, but it all feels beautifully serene.

The bike rack beside the entrance to the Railway is an obvious invitation to the cyclists to step inside. You pass picnic tables in a flagged south-facing courtyard which is no doubt a sun-trap in the summer, before passing through the entrance, above which is a sign saying “Narrowboats Only”. They may be narrow, but I reckon you’d struggle to squeeze one through the doorway.

From here you enter a homely, cosy room with tables either side of the doorway and a bar dead ahead. It’s a Sunday afternoon when I call in; all the tables are taken and plenty more customers are standing around the bar.