Ye Old Sun Inn Colton York

Imagine you’re a Viking, just finished a hard day of pillaging, and you stumble into a pub that’s been slinging ale since before America was a twinkle in a mapmaker’s eye. That’s Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, York. It’s not just old—it’s properly old, dating back to the 17th century, though locals swear the foundations whisper secrets from the 1300s.

The Ghosts Are the Real Bouncers

This place is so ancient, it has a resident ghost named Marjorie who reportedly rearranges the chairs when they’re not to her liking. She’s not scary, mind you—just a bit of a neat freak with an attitude. One regular told me she once tipped his pint because he left his coat on “her” stool. Talk about top-notch customer service.

If you’re not into spectral interior decorators, the food will keep you grounded. Their Sunday roast is legendary—so good that vegetarians have been known to crack and order the beef. The Yorkshire puddings are the size of small frisbees, and I’m fairly certain they’re made with some kind of illegal sorcery.

The Ale That Comes with a History Lesson

Order a pint of their cask ale, and the landlord might tell you how the inn was a stopping point for coach horses back when travel was a two-day ordeal for a twenty-mile trip. That’s slower than my internet, but at least the beer didn’t buffer. They still serve local brews, and the barman’s pour is so precise he could measure raindrops.

Now, here’s a surprising fact: during the English Civil War, soldiers from both sides supposedly drank here—at the same time. Imagine the awkward small talk. “Nice helmet, mate.” “Yeah, yours too. Try the pork scratching.”

Ye Old Sun Inn - Squidbeak

Low Ceilings, High Laughs

You will literally hit your head on the door frame if you’re over six feet tall. I saw a man from Texas walk in and instantly become a permanent hunchback. The beams are so low, they force you to bow as if entering a temple—which, honestly, it sort of is. A temple of pies and porter.

The fireplace is so big you could roast a whole sheep in it. Actually, they did roast a whole sheep there last Christmas, and the entire village smelled like the best barbecue in heaven. There’s no Wi-Fi, but nobody cares because you’re too busy staring at the 300-year-old graffiti carved into the wall by some bloke named “Thomas the Unlucky.”

Ye Old Sun Inn, Colton © Hugh Chappell :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

Why You Must Go (Even If You’re a Ghost Skeptic)

Ye Old Sun Inn is not a fancy gastropub with foams and tweezers. It’s a living museum that serves chips. The staff will call you “love” or “duck,” and they mean it. You can sit by the fire, order a sticky toffee pudding, and pretend you’re in a Dickens novel—but with better teeth and central heating.

Whether you believe in Marjorie or not, this inn is proof that history doesn’t have to be boring. It comes with gravy, ghost stories, and a landlord who will tell you, with a straight face, that the cellar is haunted by a “very opinionated rabbit.” Go for the ale, stay for the lies—I mean, the legends.

Just watch your head on the way in. And if a chair moves by itself, don’t panic. Marjorie just wants you to sit up straight.