On the grapevine

The Good Pub Guide 2010 (14.99 Ebury Press) is an independent guide to 5,000 pubs around the country and the biggest section is reserved for Yorkshire. The Star at Harome is its Yorkshire Dining Pub of the year while The Durham Ox at Crayke is also noted for its food. The General Tarleton at Ferrensby is mentioned for its range of wines by the glass and its local brews while The New Inn at Cropton is noted for its own-brew beers.

The AA Pub Guide (14.99) only manages 2,000 pubs, but has a big section covering our county. The lay-out is terrific, with maps so you can easily navigate to your nearest good pub. Some of the same names crop up, but the Pipe and Glass Inn at South Dalton, The Three Hares at Bilborough; Three Acres at Shelley and Shibden Mill Inn in Halifax also rate good mentions.

With only 350 pub mentions and a 30 price tag The AA Guide to 365 Pub Walks and Cycle Rides offers the least choice, but is by far the best, providing dozens of options for exercise with a good pub en route as a reward for your exertion. I like this book so much that I shall be selecting a walk each week, with the joint aims of getting fit and visiting some of Yorkshire's good hostelries.

To order a copy of any of these books from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call free on 0800 0153232 or go online at www.yorkshirepostbookshop.

co.uk. P&P is 2.75.