About 5 miles north of Cockermouth, near the River Ellen lies the village of Gilcrux. The village is shown on a map of Cumberland by Christopher Saxon, dated 1567, in which the village was named Gilcrosse.

Landlady Andy and Landlord Hal acquired the Masons Arms in Gilcrux in 2021, prior to which they had run The Barn Bistro just over the road for 10 years.

Following a vote by active members of the West Cumbria Branch of CAMRA, the Masons Arms was selected as 2026 Pub of the Year for the branch area in the face of stiff competition from several other excellent public houses.

The award was presented on Saturday 2nd May by West Cumbria branch secretary Geoff Wilkinson, pictured here with Andy and Hal. Geoff made an excellent speech prior to handing over the framed award.

The Masons Arms is also featured in the current CAMRA Good Beer Guide. The food is first class and the pub has a beer garden at the rear. Food is served Thursday to Sunday.

The Good Beer Guide entry states that the Masons sells Courage Best Bitter, Kelburn Dark Moor plus 2 changing Cumbrian ales