I don't like unfinished business. When my life is done, I will 100% be the kind of person who comes back as a ghost because I've forgotten to take the bins out or I've missed a delivery. This dislike for things undone extends to pub visits too. There have been times when, upon visiting a specific destination, that I've ended up having to miss out a pub. There are numerous reasons why that might be the case. I may have chosen to visit on a day, or at a time, when a particular pub is closed. The pub might be randomly shut due to unforeseen circumstances on the occasion that I happen to swing by. Alternatively, and this is important, new venues may have opened since I was last in the area. This triumvirate of reasons brings me to the crux of what this blog is about. Over the past few years, a number of micropubs have opened up, all in various locations and in varying degrees of proximity. For one reason or another, I hadn't had the opportunity to visit them. It made sense to rectify that and, more so, to make it my mission, over the course of a few weeks, to finally tick off these venues that had thus far eluded me. Given their respective locations, along with their opening times, I thought it best to attempt this task in two stages. The first stage would send me north, out of the city centre, to one specific pub. The second part would see me crossing county boundaries, into Derbyshire and back, to cast my eye over a number of venues, before finishing off in the city centre, hoping to finally cross off a pub that resisted my last attempt to visit. Come with me now as I dive deep into this crop of fine establishments, all very different but all very much worth a visit from a beery traveller.
The first stage of my project began on a Thursday, a few weeks back. I had a few hours to kill before I attended a regular pub quiz in the evening. The gap gave me the perfect opportunity to investigate a pub that I had failed to visit before. My plan was simple: board a bus to said location, visit the pub, enjoy a pint and then return to town in plenty of time for said quiz. Conveniently, the location at which I'd chosen to begin is served by a direct bus from round the corner from home. So, late afternoon, I jumped aboard the number 53, bound for the suburb of Arnold. The bus took a while, although this was primarily due to traffic congestion brought about by diversions due to roadworks. After around an hour, I disembarked. I had made it to Daybrook, a suburb north of the centre, abutting Arnold. On the main Mansfield Road through the area, there is a micropub. The longest established of the ones that will feature here, this is The Abdication.
Located in the shadow of the imposing building that once housed Home Ales Brewery, the Abdication is Arnold's first micropub. It occupies part of an Art Deco listed building, constructed in 1936/37 as part of the brewery's celebrations for the coronation of Edward VIII. His subsequent decision to abdicate the throne gives the pub its name. Prior to its current use, the building was previously a shop and had also been a barber's. It was empty for two years before it was resurrected and given a new lease of life. Such is its reputation, that it is listed in the 2025 edition of the Good Beer Guide and has featured several times in previous years. Long time readers may remember that I visited Daybrook/Arnold many years ago for the blog. On that day, The Abdication was closed. I've longed to go back and finally visit it. The thought of it sitting there, filled with beer, knowing that I had to yet to step through its doors, had niggled at the back of my brain ever since. Thankfully, I was about to scratch the itch. Entering through the front door brings you into an open space in front of the bar. The overall layout is that of a reversed letter 'L'. The short arm houses the bar and low tables inside the front windows. The longer arm leads to a more secluded area with a couple of scrubbed wooden tables and chairs. Several stools are scattered throughout, and there are drinking ledges along the wall. Lighting is bright but not intrusive and the large front windows make the most of any natural light. A single toilet is to the rear, up a small step. There is also a separate accessible toilet that avoids the step up. The decor is a mix of bric-a-brac, old posters and adverts, drawings and photos, as well as artefacts reflecting the history of the area, including an abundance of old Home Ales merchandise. The floors throughout are bare wood and there is even a real fire to keep out the Autumn chill. The small bar, opposite the door, features 4 handpulls, alongside a range of keg beers and some real ciders. I was ready to get stuck in, especially after my longer than expected bus journey. Luckily, I had some interesting choices to pick through. On the day, my cask options were North Riding Cascade Pale, Thornbridge Jaipur, Buxton Right to Roam, and Three Acre Skylark Stout. For a second I was tempted by the Right to Roam. I don't see Buxton on cask very often down this way. In the end though, I went for a pint of the North Riding, paying a frankly astonishingly reasonable £3.80 for the privilege. There was only one other customer in at the time, a regular who was on good terms with the landlord. Not wanting to intrude on their conversation, I made my way to a table down the long part of the room, where I could enjoy my beer and assess my surroundings. First things first, the beer was excellent. At 4%, the Cascade Pale is exactly what it sounds like: a pale ale hopped with US Cascade. This makes it punchy, with unique citrus qualities and a surprisingly clean finish. It seemed that my long awaited visit to The Abdication had been well and truly worth the wait. As well as the beer, the pub is lovely. It's light, friendly and welcoming, and a true oasis of calm on what is a very busy main road. It would be quite easy to while away an hour or two, or even a whole evening, here. In the current hellscape that is the hospitality climate, you don't last long if you don't make the effort. The Abdication's longevity is testament to a job well done. I can't believe it took me so long to visit but I certainly feel like I've made up for it now. I spent a few long minutes absorbing the atmosphere and enjoying my delicious pint. Phase one of my micro mission was turning out wonderfully.
Following my dalliance in Daybrook, it would be a full 3 weeks until I was able to head out for part 2 of this particular excursion. The second part would be longer, feature more pubs and be slightly more of a logistical challenge, although not by much. I had a strong itinerary in mind, the majority of which would again see me returning to the scene of a previous blog, but this time would incorporate venues that didn't exist when I was last there. All in all, I would visit 5 pubs on the day, 4 of them new to me and another that previously existed under a different name. Given that some of the pubs didn't open until the evening, I was in no rush to get anywhere. I left the house around 12.30, got the bus to the city centre and then waited a few minutes for an additional bus that would convey me on my way. My first destination would be Long Eaton, just over the border into Derbyshire, a place I have previously lived and which also featured in a very early blog in these fine pages. I eventually arrived in Long Eaton shortly after 2pm, disembarking at the Market Place. Mere yards away, I would find my first stop of the day: York Chambers.
This rather imposing building was formerly a branch of Midland Counties Bank, built in 1903, in an Art Nouveau style. Now Grade II listed, the facade has remained relatively unchanged. The ground floor is now a micropub and has retained several of the features from its former life. Entering through the door, you first come to a small entrance lobby, still in situ from the banking days. The floors are bare boarded and the walls are of a light oak, also original. Hanging globe lights create a subtle ambience. The small bar occupies one corner. Furniture is spread throughout, in the form of traditional wooden tables and chairs. The original chimney breast sits at one end of the room. The conversion to pub use has been done sensitively and to a high standard. A temperature controlled cool room sits adjacent to the bar. This houses the beers, which are served by gravity dispense. This would become a theme throughout the day. The toilets are located in the far corner of the room. The day of my trip was October 30th, the day before Halloween. As a result, almost all of the pubs I visited had thoroughly embraced the festivities and were decorated accordingly. It also meant that several spooky seasonal beers would be found during my visits. Speaking of beers, let's get to it. At the time of my stop-off, 5 were available, all served direct from the cask, as mentioned previously. The options were Frome Funky Monkey, Froth Blowers Sporting Times, Titanic Iceberg, Frome Space Taxi, and Little Critters Shire Horse. The Space Taxi (4.5%) immediately jumped out at me. I paid £4.40 for a pint and retreated to a table in a corner of the room. I was instantly impressed by the comfort and warmth of the place. The amalgamation of the old bank building and the newer pub features is seamless. It's really good to see the history of the original building being included. It adds character and sets it apart from some venues that may strip out the older historical elements. I have to say, the beer is cracking too. Space Taxi is billed as a West Coast pale, which can be a divisive style due to the pronounced bitterness. In this case, the use of El Dorado hops gives pear, mango and melon on the nose and a palate of more pear and mango but also white peach and apricot. The finish is biscuity, dry and lingering. In short, it's very good indeed. Frome have a great portfolio of beers and they're always worth a go if you ever see one in the wild.
My time at York Chambers was over far too quickly but I'd enjoyed myself. It strikes me as one of those venues that could easily be overlooked. From the outside, you wouldn't necessarily know that it was a pub. Still, with a unique ambience and excellent beer, you could definitely (and I have) do a lot worse. I was staying in Long Eaton for my next stop, and this would be something different entirely. Making my way down towards the high street, I turned left and then turned right. This took me onto Waverley Street, which then becomes Cross Street and then Main Street. Shortly afterwards I turned right, onto High Street. A few yards further on is my next stop: Rowell's Drinking Emporium.
I know what you're thinking. This doesn't look like a pub at all. Worry not. This is a very cool and interesting place indeed. The Good Beer Guide 2025 listed Rowell's is an absolute gem, for reasons that will soon become abundantly clear. This former draper's shop once sold everything from curtains to underwear and was run by three generations of the same family for more than a century. It is now a micropub, although the word 'micro' is doing a lot of heavy lifting as the interior is quite spacious. Many of the shop's original features are still in place. Wooden shelving and cabinets still remain and the bar counter is one of the original shop counter tops. The rest of the decor is all made from recycled and reclaimed materials, including the floor and cupboards. The overall effect is quirky and nostalgic, enhanced by the myriad items on display, including a wooden washing mangle, a hobby horse, old furniture, woodwork, a stained glass panel featuring a peacock, and even a Victorian era street lamp repurposed as a table centrepiece. The room is long, with furniture along its length, including poser tables, traditional wooden items and even a long, wooden storage cabinet that has found a new life as a long table. The toilets are located to the rear. The bar is to the right as you enter, with a temperature controlled cool room beyond, from which beer is once again dispensed via gravity. The aforementioned stained glass is the frontispiece to this area, and the 'cellar' can be viewed through it if you're close enough. This is a very novel take on the micropub model. Indeed, throughout the day, and on my Daybrook jaunt, it was really interesting to see how different micropubs still stick to the core values of the idea and find their own original niche. I was spoilt for choice for beer here too, with 5 options available. My choices were Northern Monkey Steady As She Goes, Acorn Barnsley Gold, Elgood's Poltergeist, Woodforde's Once Bitten and Woodforde's Nog. I fancied something seasonal so opted for the Poltergeist (4.2%), from Cambridgeshire's Elgood's Brewery. A pint set me back £4.40. I took my pint to a high stool at a poser table next to the cellar window. I was thoroughly impressed with this place. It's no surprise that the pub has won plaudits for the conversion that has been done here. You'd struggle to find a pub with an aesthetic like this. Was the praise for its beer warranted too? Oh my, yes! The Poltergeist is a rye ale, dark red in colour, with a good malty balance and an underlying sweetness. It's perfect for the darker evenings of Autumn. Everyone involved with this place should be commended. What a gem this is! The fact that the pub was fairly busy at 3pm on a Thursday should be taken as a very good sign indeed.
So far, so good. My day was turning out to be even better than expected. I was nowhere near done yet though. Leaving Rowell's, admittedly with a heavy heart, I set about making my way to my next destination. My knowledge of the area meant that I knew exactly where I needed to go and I'd decided to walk the next stretch of the journey. I made my way back down the high street and then out to the main Tamworth Road, where I turned left. My next stop was directly down this road, a walking distance of around 20-25 minutes. I set off along the route taking the time to wander briefly along the nearby canal. After a short while, I went up and over a road bridge. I was travelling in the direction of Sawley, the neighbouring settlement and another place that featured in a previous blog. Before too long, Long Eaton railway station hove into view and, opposite that, my third stop of the day, Sawley Junction.
Don't let the non-descript and slightly worse for wear facade fool you. This is a Good Beer Guide 2025 listed micropub, named after the former moniker of the nearby railway station. The building has had a mixed history. It started life as a three-storey bank building, a branch of Midland Bank. In the 1940s, the top floor, then a flat, was removed. An armed robbery took place in the 1960s, which made the local news and then in the 1970s, the walls were rendered and painted, resulting in the current appearance. The building ceased to be a bank and became a sandwich shop and then an off-licence before several years of closure and disuse. Nowadays, it is a very well-appointed micropub, renovated to a high standard and with prominent railway theming. Inside, you will find a single room, arranged around a central pillar, with a bar in one corner. Banquette seating and benches trace the perimeter of the room, with high stools around the pillar in the middle. As well as various railway paraphernalia, a cabinet filled with motorbike themed books is mounted on the wall. The single toilet is in the far corner and operates a traffic light system to avoid any unintentional intrusion. Once again, beer here is served via gravity from a cool room behind the bar. The beers are listed on the wall above the bar, separated by dark and light styles. Keg beers and real ciders are also available. I was faced with an impressive beer choice, with 8 to choose from. The options were Theakston Portergeist, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Bang the Elephant Junction Ale, Bang the Elephant Graveyard Sun, Bentley Brook Hard Graft, Fownd Labyrinth of Lost Souls, Birch Cottage benchdonkees, and Triple Point Zephyr. With so much choice, it took me a moment before I eventually settled on Labyrinth of Lost Souls (4.6%), a pale ale from Kidderminster based Fownd Brewery. £4.20 later and I was perched on a high stool, with a very delicious beer indeed. Archer and Cascade hops give the beer a floral flavour with hints of apricot, and an aroma of delicate citrus. Despite the pub's small size, Sawley Junction boasts a lot of character and charm. The general feel is that of an old-school railway pub or a tea room. It's a world away from the busy traffic island outside. Entering it almost feels like a magical veil has lifted. A low-key exterior manifests into something magical once you cross the threshold. I'd been past this pub numerous times since it opened. My first visit was more than justified. I'd been missing out.
With my tasty beer down the hatch again, it was on to the next part of the journey. I would be back on the bus this time. Handily, there is a bus stop on the main road, a few yards from Sawley Junction. I would be travelling back the way I had come, through Long Eaton and Chilwell and getting off at Attenborough, a small village that borders Chilwell on the outskirts of Beeston. Attenborough is primarily known for its excellent nature reserve but the village itself has an attractive church, some lovely houses and, most importantly for my needs, a micropub, known as The Bird Hide.
Opened in 2021, The Bird Hide sits within a row of small businesses as you enter the village from the Beeston end. The interior is bright with strings of fairy lights and subdued wall lighting illuminating the place. Pump clips adorn the wall throughout. Furniture is simple and wooden and the flooring is bare tiles. A small, wooden bar sits at the end of a relatively long room, beyond which is the cool room. This is another pub that utilises gravity dispense. The decoration is very bird heavy, which is to be expected in a venue named after a lookout used by bird watchers. And it's in the decoration that the pub's personality truly comes to the fore. There is a genuine, working, accurate cuckoo clock mounted on the wall, a miniature bar, with chicken barman, in a small display that, when fed 20p, does something, although I don't know what. Bird themed imagery is on the walls, including in the toilets where helpful posters help you identify different hooters (owls) and cocks (chickens). It's always nice when a pub has a sense of humour, more of which is evidenced by a sign on the beer fridge, accompanied by Timmy Mallett's face (younger readers, ask your dad), that refers to the fridge as a 'itsy bitsy teenie weenie, beer cooling fridge machinie'. Brilliant. I'd heard many a good thing about The Bird Hide before arriving here so I was eager to put their beer to the test. 6 gravity dispensed goodies were awaiting me. I had the choice between RedWillow Textile, Full Mash Summit She Brewed, Lenton Lane 600, Red Dog Shires' Reserve, Castle Rock Space Junk and the house beer, Murmuration, originally brewed by Old Sawley but now under the remit of Full Mash since that brewery sadly closed. It was to this beer, named after the mesmeric movements of a group of starlings, that I was drawn. With time getting on, I opted for a half on this occasion, which set me back £2.25. This is a 4.2% pale ale and very nice it is too! Equal parts fruity and floral, it has a sweetness in the backbone, complimented by a dry, refreshing finish. However brief my time at The Bird Hide was, I very much enjoyed it. I felt really at home here. For some reason, something about the place feels both welcoming and calming. The theming is a nice touch and creates an identity that allows the pub to stand out. I could have stayed here for much, much longer. In the end though, I was driven to move on.
I had one stop left. Once again, I was on a bus and this time I would ride it all the way back to Nottingham, getting off in the city centre, at the terminus. My last stop would be one that had evaded me previously. I headed in the direction of Derby Road, with a singular location in mind. Those of you who read my Derby Road blog from earlier in the year will remember that I attempted to visit the Mist Rolling Inn as my last stop of the day. For whatever reason, it had been closed after it's scheduled opening time on that particular occasion. Now it was time to try again.
Of all the pubs I visited for this blog, this is the only one I'd been to before. Back then it was known as Room With a Brew when it was operated by the now defunct Scribblers Ales, who opened it in 2016. It was taken over as an independent venue in 2020 and then again in 2022 when it took on the current name and was rebranded. The name is taken from the lyrics to Mull of Kintyre, a favourite song of Nottingham Forest fans, reflecting the football allegiance of the owner. This name change has led to the pub being avoided by Notts County supporters. Inside, the pub is long and narrow with the bar at the end. Seating is located either side of the space between the door and the bar. Toilets are outside, accessed through the back of the building, past the bar, where there is also a smoking area. A downstairs room hosts live bands on a regular basis. The flooring is bare wood with the furniture consisting of wooden tables, high stools and soft furnishings. Faux-brick wallpaper covers the walls, which are decorated with old brewery adverts, music posters and other memorabilia. The bar features 4 handpulls, 3 of which were available when I wandered in from the chilly October evening. I was faced with the choice of Little Critters Chocodile, Hollow Stone The Devils Punchbowl and Woodforde's Once Bitten. Attracted by the name if nothing else, I went for a half of the Chocodile (4.5%), a chocolate milk stout. This cost me £2.75. I took a seat just opposite the bar but facing the door, listening to the sounds of a metal band soundchecking in the downstairs room. My beer was nice enough. It was smooth and creamy and had notes of caramel and coffee. It didn't blow me away though. It was drinkable and tasted fine. It just wasn't exceptional. If I'm honest, I think I'd been spoiled by so much good beer throughout the day. I think the same can be said for the pub itself. Amongst the handful I'd been to across the afternoon, this is the one that stuck with me the least. That's not to say that there's anything inherently bad about it. The decor is cool and the beer was OK. It just didn't immediately strike me in the way that the others had. Still, I had finally been able to visit it in its current incarnation so I was pleased in that respect.
And with that, my mission was complete. Over the course of two separate trips, I'd ticked off half a dozen micropubs that I'd been itching to get to. And, if I'm honest, as well as being a fun time, it was also educational. The scope and range of micropubs is impressive. Whilst each one fit the basic model of what a micropub is, each one also showed what a micropub 'can' be. Each was unique and focused on their own way of doing things. A lot of people turn their noses up at micropubs. 'Not proper pubs'. 'No atmosphere'. 'Too small'. These are some of the reductionist comments I've heard against them. I, for one, love a good micro. Yes, they might be small. They might not serve food. They might not have music, although some of them do and most of the ones on this trip did. It's not about that. It's about the experience. It's about finding new ways to keep pubs going, supporting communities and industries, and making sure that there are still places for people to escape to, even just for an hour or so. Micropubs should be embraced. They offer something different, but also something achingly familiar. The pub, with all its comforts, but in a smaller footprint. Welcoming, homely and comfortable. In a world where even big pubs face an existential threat, maybe the little guys deserve more credit. If micropubs are the future, then sign me up.
Best pub: The Bird Hide. A wonderful bird-themed boozer.
Honourable mention: Rowell's Drinking Emporium. A wonderful conversion that serves excellent beer.
Biggest surprise: Sawley Junction. Don't be fooled by the outside. Wonders await within!
Best beer: Frome, Space Taxi. Unexpectedly brilliant.
