A Trail of Two Sawleys

For the second time in a week, I ventured out to places slightly further afield to investigate the real ale scene and the pubs that support it. This time I journeyed over county lines into neighbouring Derbyshire to visit the village of Sawley and its many drinking dens. Unfortunately, Matt was again absent from festivities this week, due to a combination of uni work and last minute preparations for a stag do he was attending in Sheffield over the weekend. Nevertheless, I felt that Sawley had much to offer a real ale drinker, so I hopped on a bus and made my way there. Whilst the bus took considerably longer than it took to get the train to Beeston earlier in the week, it was also a lot hassle once I arrived. All in all it was a good start to the day and I was confident of an exciting and interesting afternoon.

Sawley is both a village and a civil parish in the borough of Erewash. Located in southeast Derbyshire, it lies very close to the boundary with northwest Leicestershire and is technically the amalgamation of two settlements; the more residential and commuter-heavy New Sawley and the original village with its wide square and parish church, now referred to as Old Sawley. The parish as a whole has a population of around 6,500 people with a higher than average number of people over the age of 65. Sawkey Marina is one of the most prominent features of the village, with access to the region's many waterways. The old name for Sawley was Salle. Between Sawley and Church Wilne and Great Wilne lies the junction at which the rivers Trent and Derwent meet and it is to this that Sawley owes its position. The Church of All Saints is 13th Century and contains Norman and Saxon work and commands a position on a small rise near the river. Up until the 19th Century, Sawley was the most important village in the area, commanding the first river crossing, Harrington Bridge, above Nottingham.

 
For my first locations on this trip, I had settled onto an area slightly outside the village centre but still classified as part of it despite being very close to the neighbouring town of Long Eaton. Trent Lock is an area where 3 waterways, and three counties, meet making it an interesting place to start, not least because of the two public houses in the vicinity. Trent Lock is south of Long Eaton, on the borders of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. It is a major canal navigation  junction where the River Trent and River Soar meet each other and both meet the Erewash Canal. The name Trent Lock refers to the system of canal locks that form the passage through the area where the River Soar flowing northwards meets the eastward flowing Trent. Travelling as I was from Nottingham, the easiest way for me to get here was to get off the bus at Draycott Road on the edge of Old Sawley and walk down Lock Lane, a winding country lane that is longer than it looks, especially when you need the toilet, like I did at the time. 

Eventually, after some mild confusion and a brief pause to figure out my bearings, I arrived at my first pub of the afternoon, The Steamboat Inn.

 

Originally known as the Erewash Navigation due to its prominent location on a purpose built brick rise on the canalside, The Steamboat is a pub that I hold close to my heart as it was here that I filled in my application form to join CAMRA. Upon becoming known as The Steamboat, it had an artificial funnel as part of its façade, although this sadly no longer stands. The interior is cosy, comfortable and traditional with exposed beams, whitewashed walls and an original flagstone fireplace which, at colder times of year, contains a roaring log fire. The seating is minimal inside with plush furnishings and small tables. There is a large outside area to the front consisting of a number of picnic tables spread out over two levels. The pub is very dog friendly, both inside and out and contains a pool table, a couple of games machines and televisions. It also has the unusual distinction of having its beer delivered by boat as there is no road access to the pub! The bar is rectangular and sits roughly in the centre of the pub, which is divided into two separate rooms by a partition wall, and includes 5 hand pumps. On offer are a variety of interesting things including 2 beers from Titanic (Capt. Smith and Stout), Shardlow Brewing Co. Golden Hop, ECH Brewery East Street and Fireside from Black Country Ales. I went for the Golden Hop (4.1%), golden in colour with a citrus nose, a hoppy taste with undertones of fruit zest and a smooth, sweet finish. Coupled with a generous CAMRA discount of 20p, it was certainly a good way to start the day!

Walking to Trent Lock in what were quite warm temperatures had certainly summoned a thirst in me and it wasn't long before my pint was gone and I was ready to move on. My next destination lay back over the canal near to the bank of the adjacent River Trent and sharing a name with its geographical location: Trent Lock.

 

 

The pub has been known in previous times as both The Navigation and the Trent Navigation but now goes by the name of Trent Lock, marketing itself as a venue for country pub dining and run by Vintage Inns. The garden to the front, the only area on which dogs are allowed, was formerly part of the river, where boaters would  moor up whilst taking a well-earned refreshment break. The interior is all wooden and very rustic in appearance with exposed beams and brick fireplace that bears miniature coats of arms. The main room is broken up nicely into smaller sections by wooden pillars and partition panels. The bar is opposite the main entrance and includes 5 hand pulls. One of these is not in use but the others feature Batemans XXXB, Lancaster Brewery Lemon Grass, Butcombe Great Grey Owl IPA and Wold Top Golden Summer. The Lemon Grass instantly drew my attention and I'm glad I chose to partake of a pint as it was delicious. 4.0% in strength, golden in colour and very hoppy with a citrus aroma, an expected lemon flavour and a nice softness on the palate. The pub was busy with lunch time diners during my visit and the food smelled amazing but I thought it best to relinquish my seat to those who might need it and dragged myself away from Trent Lock with regret in my heart and a promise to return.

My next stop involved a walk back up Lock Lane and a right turn that eventually brought me out on Tamworth Road, the main thoroughfare through both Long Eaton and Sawley. On the edge of New Sawley, before the residential areas open out into countryside between Old Sawley and Sawley Marina, lies The Bell Inn.



This squarish brick building is very much a 'locals' pub but the presence of a Cask Marque plaque on the wall by the front door had drawn my attention and so I deemed that it couldn't hurt to give it a visit. Inside, the bar is central to the room with lots of seating situated around the edge and in the bay windows. This is mostly standard wooden tables and chairs although the pub benefits from an unusual stained glass feature above the centre of the bar. There are 3 hand pulls, 1 of which is not currently being used, although the others feature Landlord and Harvest Pale. I opted for the Harvest Pale which was in perfect condition and pulled up a seat at a round table under one of the large windows, where a framed photo of an army regiment had pride of place, along with a close-up of one particular soldier, who I assumed to be a relative or regular of the pub's owners or staff. The Bell isn't an unfriendly pub but I got the sense that it is one of those places that thrives more on evening trade from people who live nearby. Whilst I was in there, there were only 3 other people present, excluding the barmaid and they were all middle aged blokes.

The next step of my tour was to venture into Old Sawley and visit the quartet of pubs that serve the village. The first of these is The Nag's Head, the first of two Marston's pub in close proximity to each other.

 

I don't have an issue with Marston's pubs to the extent that I have a problem with Greene King and this stems from the fact that, more often than not, you're more likely to find guest beers in a Marston's pub and the interior has usually been left relatively unchanged. This is the case for The Nag's Head which boasts a nice interior with cream swirled wallpaper and wooden beams with lots of seating arranged around a roughly pentagonal bar that serves both sides of a room that is divided into a bar and lounge area. There are 6 hand pulls on the bar, 3 on each side, and these feature Pedigree and Marston's Burton Bitter but also have Hook Norton Old Hooky available with Navigation Golden due to come on soon on the one unused pump. Having sampled Old Hooky in bottle before, I was eager to try the draught version. At 4.6% and copper coloured it has a malty aroma and a strong bitter taste but is very delicious all the same! Whilst here, I also made impromptu friends with a border collie that belonged to one of the regulars who, no doubt could smell my dog all over my jeans.

At this stage, with the afternoon in full swing, I decided to visit the 2nd Marston's pub in the village. Sister pub to the Nag's Head, I headed over to the Railway Inn, which is just around the corner.

 

Behind the slightly more traditional Marston's-style brick exterior, The Railway Inn is a pleasant enough pub. Lots of rooms are separated from the main room by wood and glass partitions and the overall feel is one of lounge bar comfort, with the seating arranged around the edge of the side rooms, to open up the central space more. This layout is perhaps explained by the building's original use as a cottage. There are also pool tables and games machines in this pub, something which was either missing or not noticed by me in The Nag's Head. The square, central bar includes 6 hand pumps, again 3 on either side and the beer on offer is a slight variation on that in the other Marston's premises. Pedigree and Navigation Golden were currently available with Hobgoblin joining them on the pumps in the near future. Being a big fan of Navigation beers, Golden was my choice. This is 4.0%, hoppy with a subtle malt undertone and, disappointingly, a noticeable though slight vinegar flavour which suggested that the beer may have been on its last legs. The only low point of the day so far.

Following this, I had 2 venues left to go and the first of these is a pub that I've extolled the many virtues of in the past after visiting their excellent Bank Holiday beer festival back in May. I am of course talking about the White Lion.



In addition to its previous assets, the pub is now home to its own microbrewery, the Old Sawley Brewery which has been rising in prominence since it arrived earlier in the year. It has also added an impressive array of real cider and perry to the bar and this is available on my visit. Ale wise, 2 of their own concoctions, Toll Bridge Porter and Victory Bell are in evidence, along with Bass and Adnam's Fat Sprat with Blue Monkey BG Sips arriving soon. I thought it stood to reason that, as I was back at a pub that I love, it would be doing them a disservice if I didn't sample the fruits of their own brewing labour and so, after some hard thought deliberation, I decided on a pint of Victory Bell (4.1%). This is a traditional session ale, amber in colour, malty in taste and with a spicy, roasted aroma on the nose. Whilst this beautiful brew went down, I did have a slightly special moment when, with roughly a quarter of my pint left, my flailing elbow knocked if flying. Some of it was salvaged, most of it was not but, thankfully, the barmaid saw the funny side. I was sad to leave the White Lion but I'm safe in the knowledge that business appears to be thriving and I will certainly be making my way there again!

The final destination of this particular tour was The Harrington Arms on Harrington Bridge, just around the corner on the very edge of the village.

 

The pub began its life as a turnaround for coaches using the Sawley to Lenton turnpike road but now occupies an ideal position on the bank of the River Trent. The grey pebble dash exterior gives way to a comfy gastro pub style interior with small areas of exposed brick work and features such as glass wine cabinets free standing in the pump which give it a modernist feel. The pub held a beer festival over August Bank Holiday weekend which appeared to be successful as the barmaid at the White Lion informed us that the beer had run out by the last day! Whilst this shows that the festival was popular, it isn't an ideal situation to be in. It also appears there weren't that many cider drinkers in attendance as there were at least 8-10 boxes of real cider and perry stacked on the back bar at the time of our visit! Thankfully, there was beer available on the bar, spread across 4 hand pumps. This included Abbot Ale, Morland's Original, Mouldon Brewery Golden Adder and Greene King IPA Gold. With a limited choice, I went for the lesser of the evils and opted for Golden Adder, a guest ale with a strength of 4.0%, a very smooth, zesty aroma and a fruity finish with clean, dry tastes across the palate. Whilst drinking my pint and with Jade sipping the half of perry she'd bought, I thought food was probably a good idea so ordered some chips and garlic bread. The food was tasty though and filled a hole until I got home and ate a proper meal.

I was very pleased with my foray into Sawley, especially in the wake of my equally successful trip to Beeston earlier in the week. There really are some great pubs out this way with the White Lion and The Steamboat being particular favourites of mine. It also proves that sometimes heading further afield from your immediate surroundings can take you to some places that you never expected and, in a world where pub trade is dropping dramatically, this can certainly help to reinvigorate the whole scene. Sawley is one of those little known places where the real ale scene has certainly found a niche and deserves to be celebrated as haven all by itself.