Anyway, moving swiftly on, my first destination was the Trent Navigation situated just round the corner from the home of Notts County and on the bank of the neighbouring canal.
This pub dates from the Victorian period and originally provided refreshment for canal workers and their horses that pulled the canal boats. This is the brewery tap of Navigation Brewery which is situated behind the pub. The pub itself is very nice, with a red brick exterior and inside a long, wooden bar with lots of high tables immediately opposite and plush seating further round. There's even a feature wall decorated purely with stamps. The bar is very well stocked with a total of 12 hand pulls, 10 of which are regularly in use with a nice mix of real ale and real cider. Whilst the cider is from a variety of breweries, the ale tends to be from the neighbouring brewery. This is by no means a bad thing as the beer they produce is excellent. Amongst the offerings on show are Traditional, IPA, Stout and Hercules from their special edition constellation range. This is the beer I eventually opt for and it's worth the wait; golden in colour with a smooth but slightly bitter taste and with a strength of 5% but surprisingly drinkable, which is just what I need after my long walk. This is definitely a place I intend to visit again, as their food menu sounds fabulous, although it's advisable to give it a wide berth on match days as the fans of Nottingham's two football teams tend to pack it out.
After a much earned half an hour of sitting down, my next destination was intended to be The Embankment, on the opposite side of London Road. This mock-Tudor building is devloping a reputation as a live music venue and advertises 2 guest ales on the doors at the front, although I was disappointed to find that it wasn't open at the time of my visit despite it being well past midday. This was made more annoying by the fact that I passed it on my journey home and found it open. I intend to visit again though, just to see what the fuss is about. Not to be deterred, I hastily moved on to my next stop. Situated, as the name applies, on the South side of Nottingham's iconic Trent Bridge, The Southbank Bar is much respected for its status as both a live music venue and a sports bar, sitting as it does, a stone's throw from the City Ground, on the very bank of the River Trent.
This bar regularly holds Q&A nights with legends from the bygone years of Nottingham Forest, with the next event scheduled for October. The bar has undergone a very successful refurbishment not too long ago and I was initially surprised by how expansive the interior is, having never visited the location before. It boasts a large, almost open plan layout with a series of booths down the right hand side of the room, each with an HD television built into the wall above. The bar is U-shaped with a wide choice for those who like their lager. The bar also includes 4 hand pulls, 3 of which are in use, with Navigation Pale, Navigation Traditional and Caledonian Deuchars IPA. I opted for the Navigation Pale, which was excellent. At 3.8%, it is very pale, rather hoppy but very tasty indeed. This pub is one of several owned by the company that also own the Trent Navigation, including Cross Keys and The Approach back in the city centre and it's a sign of the quality of their beers that are gaining a considerable positive reputation.
My final stop, at least today, is another of Nottingham's famous pubs; The Trent Bridge Inn, named after and situated on part of, the world famous cricket ground.
Previously owned by Mitchells and Butler, and known as both The Three Horseshoes and The Crown in the 19th century, the pub is now part of Wetherspoons, who bought it for a substantial sum of money a few years ago and have given it a very successful makeover. CAMRA were so impressed that the Nottingham Branch have voted the TBI (as it is locally known) as its pub of the year for 2013. Ale-wise, Wetherspoons have been doing excellent work with their dedication to promote and sell real ale, both during their beer festivals and overall. I have visited the TBI once in the past but this was during its previous incarnation as part of M&B and I can only say that it has changed for the better. The bar is central to the ground floor, in a rough 3-sided U shape with 12 hand pulls, containing a variety of interesting concotions. The seating areas are located at various points around the room and the walls are decorated with images of cricketing nostalgia and some fairly impressive memorabilia. Unusally for a Wetherspoons, the female bar staff are on the aesthetically-pleasing side, which makes a nice change from some of their other premises. After a few minutes of mulling time, (the pub is fairly busy as I'm visiting at lunchtime), I eventually decided on a pint of Spring Gold from Elgood's Brewery in Wisbech. This is another 3.8% brew, golden to behold with a noticebale hoppy aroma and a distinct fruity taste that I identify as peach. It certainly served as a pleasant end to an enjoyable afternoon.
The age of these venues varies and there are no ghost stories that I am aware of, although Trent Bridge itself is known for a number of strange occurrences. This is not the place for these stories as this blog is solely devoted to pubs and beers unless I decide otherwise. Next week, I'm in Hampshire visiting the family and, all being well, I hope to be making a trip to the county town of Winchester to see what sort of ale scene they have in such a place. Failing that, we shall see where this journey takes us next!
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