The Heights, Delph

While looking for a photo for yesterday’s post, I came across one of this wonderful pub. Sadly it closed just before Covid struck in 2020. It’s out in the countryside, high above the village of Delph in Saddleworth. It was very difficult to find; you’d never come across it by chance; you had to know it existed. The Heights was a nickname that everyone used. Its proper name was The Royal Oak.

My wife and I used to visit it every Sunday afternoon; it was one of our favourites. A highlight of the week.

In the winter it was heated by large open log fires; in the summer you could sit outside and enjoy the views (on those rare summer days when we have good weather). We always went early so we could sit at the bar. My wife drank wine, I drank real ale, which was always excellent (the pub was a regular in the Good Beer Guide).

By the time we started going there, the landlady (Sheila) had stopped doing food, people told us that her food was excellent. When the bar was busy her husband (Michael) was roped in to serve drinks. He used to fix high performance engines. Once he went to River Cottage for a cookery course, were he learnt how to cure bacon, he told us how it was done (it’s actually quite easy).

Opening times were irregular, you needed to keep checking when it was open.

We have lots of fond memories of the pub and the people who drank there.