Go West!

Being a teacher puts me in the enviable position of having a holiday every 6 weeks or so and it just so happened that the weekend after my birthday Buxton adventure was the start of February half term. With this in mind, I had long ago arranged with Matt and Jess to visit them at their new home in Bristol where Matt originates from. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore the sites (read pubs) of Bristol and have a thorough look at what the city has to offer for the ale tourist and the tourist in general. I'd never been to Bristol so I didn't really know what to expect but Matt assured me that it would be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. What followed more than lived up to this claim.


Bristol is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city, one of the Core Cities Group and the most populous city in South West England.
Historically in Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.
Bristol is the largest centre of culture, employment and education in the region. Its prosperity has been linked with the sea since its earliest days. The commercial Port of Bristol was originally in the city centre before being moved to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth; Royal Portbury Dock is on the western edge of the city boundary. In more recent years the economy has depended on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries, and the city centre docks have been regenerated as a centre of heritage and culture. There are 34 other populated places named Bristol, most in the United States, but also in Peru, Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, and Costa Rica, all presumably commemorating the original. People from Bristol are termed Bristolians.
Archaeological finds believed to be 60,000 years old, discovered at Shirehampton and St Annes, provide "evidence of human activity" in the Bristol area from the Palaeolithic era. Iron Age hill forts near the city are at Leigh Woods and Clifton Down on the side of the Avon Gorge, and on Kingsweston Hill, near Henbury. During the Roman era there was a settlement, Abona, at what is now Sea Mills, connected to Bath by a Roman road, and another at the present-day Inns Court. There were also isolated Roman villas and small Roman forts and settlements throughout the area.
The town of Brycgstow (Old English, "the place at the bridge") appears to have been founded in c.1000 and by c.1020 was an important enough trading centre to possess its own mint, producing silver pennies bearing the town's name. By 1067 the town was clearly a well fortified burh that proved capable of resisting an invasion force sent from Ireland by Harold's sons. Under Norman rule the town acquired one of the strongest castles in southern England.

 

The area around the original junction of the River Frome with the River Avon, adjacent to the original Bristol Bridge and just outside the town walls, was where the port began to develop in the 11th century. By the 12th century Bristol was an important port, handling much of England's trade with Ireland, including slaves. In 1247 a new stone bridge was built, which was replaced by the current Bristol Bridge in the 1760s, and the town was extended to incorporate neighbouring suburbs, becoming in 1373 a county in its own right. During this period Bristol also became a centre of shipbuilding and manufacturing. By the 14th century Bristol was one of England's three largest medieval towns after London, along with York and Norwich, and it has been suggested that between a third and half of the population were lost during the Black Death of 1348–49. The plague resulted in a prolonged pause in the growth of Bristol's population, with numbers remaining at 10,000–12,000 through most of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Diocese of Bristol was founded in 1542, with the former Abbey of St. Augustine, founded by Robert Fitzharding in 1140, becoming Bristol Cathedral. Traditionally this is equivalent to the town being granted city status. During the English Civil War the city was occupied by Royalist military, and they built the Royal Fort House on the site of an earlier Parliamentarian stronghold.
Renewed growth came with the 17th century rise of England's American colonies and the rapid 18th century expansion of England's part in the Atlantic trade in Africans taken for slavery in the Americas. Bristol, along with Liverpool, became a centre for the Triangular trade. In the first stage of this trade manufactured goods were taken to West Africa and exchanged for Africans who were then, in the second stage or middle passage, transported across the Atlantic in brutal conditions. The third leg of the triangle brought plantation goods such as sugar, tobacco, rum, rice and cotton and also a small number of slaves who were sold to the aristocracy as house servants, some eventually buying their freedom. During the height of the slave trade, from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slaving ships were fitted out at Bristol, carrying a (conservatively) estimated half a million people from Africa to the Americas and slavery.
The Seven Stars public house, where abolitionist Thomas Clarkson collected information on the slave trade, still exists.

 

Fishermen from Bristol had fished the Grand Banks of Newfoundland since the 15th century and began settling Newfoundland permanently in larger numbers in the 17th century establishing colonies at Bristol's Hope and Cuper's Cove. Bristol's strong nautical ties meant that maritime safety was an important issue in the city. During the 19th century Samuel Plimsoll, "the sailor's friend", campaigned to make the seas safer; he was shocked by the overloaded cargoes, and successfully fought for a compulsory load line on ships.
Competition from Liverpool from c. 1760, the disruption of maritime commerce caused by wars with France (1793) and the abolition of the slave trade (1807) contributed to the city's failure to keep pace with the newer manufacturing centres of the North of England and the West Midlands. The passage up the heavily tidal Avon Gorge, which had made the port highly secure during the Middle Ages, had become a liability which the construction of a new "Floating Harbour" (designed by William Jessop) in 1804–9 failed to overcome, as the great cost of the scheme led to excessive harbour dues. Nevertheless, Bristol's population (66,000 in 1801) quintupled during the 19th century, supported by new industries and growing commerce. It was particularly associated with the noted Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who designed the Great Western Railway between Bristol and London Paddington, two pioneering Bristol-built ocean going steamships, the SS Great Britain and SS Great Western, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. John Wesley founded the very first Methodist Chapel, called the New Room, in Bristol in 1739. Riots occurred in 1793 and 1831, the first beginning as a protest at renewal of an act levying tolls on Bristol Bridge, and the latter after the rejection of the second Reform Bill.
By 1901, some 330,000 people were living in Bristol and the city would grow steadily as the 20th century progressed. The city's docklands were enhanced in the early 1900s with the opening of Royal Edward Dock. Another new dock – Royal Portbury Dock – was opened in the 1970s.
Its education system received a major boost in 1909 with the formation of the University of Bristol though it really took off in 1925 when its main building was opened. A polytechnic was opened in 1969 to give the city a second higher education institute, which would become the University of the West of England in 1992. With the advent of air travel, aircraft manufacturers set up base at new factories in the city during the first half of the 20th century.
Bristol suffered badly from Luftwaffe air raids in World War II, claiming some 1,300 lives of people living and working in the city, with nearly 100,000 buildings being damaged, at least 3,000 of them beyond repair. The original central shopping area, near the bridge and castle, is now a park containing two bombed out churches and some fragments of the castle. A third bombed church nearby, St Nicholas, has been restored and has been made into a museum which houses a triptych by William Hogarth, painted for the high altar of St Mary Redcliffe in 1756. The museum also contains statues moved from Arno's Court Triumphal Arch, of King Edward I and King Edward III taken from Lawfords' Gate of the city walls when they were demolished around 1760, and 13th century figures from Bristol's Newgate representing Robert, the builder of Bristol Castle, and Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances, builder of the fortified walls of the city.
The rebuilding of Bristol city centre was characterised by 1960s & 70's Skyscrapers, Mid-Century Modern architecture, and the improvement of road infrastructure. Since the 1980s another trend has emerged with the closure of some main roads, the restoration of the Georgian era Queen Square and Portland Square, the regeneration of the Broadmead shopping area, and the loss of one of the city centre's tallest Mid-Century Modern towers.
Bristol's road infrastructure was altered dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s with the development of the M4 and M5 motorways, which meet at an interchange just north of the city and give the city direct motorway links with London (M4 eastbound), Cardiff (M4 westbound across the Estuary of the River Severn), Exeter (M5 southbound) and Birmingham (M5 northbound).
The removal of the docks to Avonmouth Docks and Royal Portbury Dock, 7 miles (11.3 km) downstream from the city centre during the 20th century has also allowed redevelopment of the old central dock area (the "Floating Harbour") in recent decades, although at one time the continued existence of the docks was in jeopardy as it was viewed as a derelict industrial site rather than an asset. However the holding, in 1996, of the first International Festival of the Sea in and around the docks, affirmed the dockside area in its new leisure role as a key feature of the city.


As can be seen, Bristol is a city with a long and varied history and I was very excited for the chance to explore a place that I'd never visited. After an easy but very blustery drive from Long Eaton, I arrived at Matt and Jess' flat in the suburb of Hanham and the day began. After lunch and cocktails (you read that right) at Turtle Bay, we began our journey around the city centre with Matt as a very useful guide. Our first location was The Crown, a very old traditional pub situated on All Saints Lane at the heart of St. Nicholas Market.

The building is Grade II listed and dates from at least 1741. The traditional appearance continues inside with a split level layout and low-beamed ceilings. There is lots of seating in the form of comfy sofas, low and high tables and wall-mounted shelves for those that prefer to lean. The walls are decorated with old photos of the surrounding area and the curved bar is located to one side of the main room. There are 4 handpulls on offer and these include Crown & Glory, Green Duck Duck Turpin, Stunner and High Voltage from Bragdy Heavy Industry Brewery. I went for the High Voltage (4.5%), which is golden in colour, with fruit on the nose and a very hoppy flavour with zest underneath and a smooth finish. It was certainly a good start to the day and the pub surroundings were very nice too with a distinct alternative atmosphere and a very intense man in camouflage trousers who may have been on the angriest date ever. The Crown regularly hosts gigs in the old cellar and this area of the building is allegedly haunted by the apparition of a 17th century gentleman in a Periwig who only appears to women.

We didn't have a set plan for the day so it was very much a case of wandering around until we saw some places we liked the look of. This did not take long at all, as our walk brought us to the Bristol BrewDog!

This glass fronted building is on a smaller and busier scale than it's Nottingham equivalent and it is very busy for a Saturday afternoon, no doubt helped by a live performance from a very impressive acoustic duo. We decided that popping in for a half wouldn't do any harm (famous last words) so we eased our way to the bar. Jess went for Punk IPA, Matt went for a guest cider called Bifrost and I worked my way through a half of 5am Saint, whilst enjoying the entertainment.

We decided that our next destination would The Old Fish Market, a Fuller's operated premises almost opposite.

As its name suggests, this was formally a fish market and now operates as a pub that also houses a Thai restaurant. The building is large, long and made of old brick. Inside there is lots of seating and separate areas divided by internal walls. One wall is covered by a large mural. The bar is located against the wall directly facing the entrance. The 10 available hand pulls are doubles of Chiswick Bitter, London Pride, ESB, Front Row (a 6 Nations special edition) and Butcombe Bitter. Matt opted for the Front Row which I think he soon regretted and Jess decided on a half of  Frontier craft lager. I decided that ESB was as good a call as any and it was very well kept, which is what you'd expect for a pub in the Good Beer Guide. We managed to find a small vacant booth awayfrom the main area. The reason for it being empty soon became clear as it smelled strongly of damp and mould was apparent inside some nearby picture frames. We soon worked out that we were in close proximity to the toilets which explained the smell, even if it didn't quite explain the damp. This was a down side to an otherwise very nice place.

For our next destination, we turned back on ourselves slightly and headed for a pub that Matt recommended, The Mother's Ruin.

This is a very alternative pub with a distinct grungy feel which I thoroughly liked. It reminded me of a very similar place in Cambridge. The layout is split level, with stairs leading up to the bar and a further level above that includes comfy sofas and is more open plan. The 2 hand pulls present here offered a choice of either Doom Bar or Old Rosie. Not wishing to go blind this early in the evening, I felt that Doom Bar was a wiser option. It was very nice too which is always a plus. After a few minutes lounging about on the sofas, we finished our drinks and decided what we would do next. Matt did then then realise that he meant to take us to the Irish bar next door instead of to Mother's Ruin but I was having a good time so I wasn't that fussed.

Our next experience certainly belongs in the category designated 'Seemed like a good idea at the time'. Matt had been talking about the Bavarian Beerhouse, an authentic German bierkeller in the heart of the Bristol and we were all determined to check it out.

On the way, I popped into a shop for a pasty which I ate outside the beer house before we went in. This did not prevent a very good-natured German lady from good-naturedly accosting me before we even went in. She only came out to have a laugh because she was bored but I was 5 seconds away from surrendering. Inside, things did slightly improve. The general appearance was essentially a series of wooden picnic benches with a bar to one side and a small stage to the back of the room. It's strictly table service only so Matt and I both ordered steins of quality German beer. I went for the Erdinger Dunkel which was very dark but very very tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is just as well considering what happened next. Despite my pasty break, we had decided that we would eat here so we happily perused the food menu, which was essentially various sausages presented in various ways. Jess chose more wisely than Matt and I. Whilst she had a frankfurter with mash, Matt and I had ordered what was essentially 2 white sausages served in a bowl of chive water. The sausages were nice enough but we were very confused. The arrival of Matt's friends Pete, probably the most Bristolian man ever, was very timely in the context of what happened next. The only other people in the venue by now were a group of very drunk guys who may have been on a stag do. They enjoyed the following event much more than we did. A large German man (think a lighter, sober Mickey Rourke), took to the stage in short trousers and pedal pushers and began using an electronic keyboard to perform his own renditions of songs such as 'County Roads', 'Is This The Way to Amarillo' and, as we were leaving 'A Little Respect'. I realise that this isn't ale-related but it needed to be shared, as the image is now seared into the back of my eyelids every time I blink.

To detract from the horror we had just witnessed, we visited the fabled Apple, a bar located on a boat.

This is no ordinary bar, this is a cider bar which, amongst a vast range of real ciders, also offers cider cocktails. I'm not generally a cider drinker but, when in Rome and all that. I went for a pint of Wilkins which is one of Matt's favourites. As ciders go, it wasn't bad and I was able to drink the whole thing which I'm claiming as a small victory. The Apple is certainly worth a visit for any fans of real ciders and, although there isn't much on offer for ale drinkers, it has a fantastic and friendly atmosphere that a lot of places would struggle to replicate. And it's on a boat!

What happened at this point becomes quite hazy I must admit. We ventured back on ourselves again and placed ourselves in an outdoor seating area between 2 pubs, The Old Duke and The Llandogr Trow, a Welsh bar. I'll be honest that I don't remember much about either venue, other than that The Old Duke was hosting a very good swing band and that there was Hobgoblin, which wasn't bad. I don't think we went into the Llandoger Trow but subsequent research has revealed that the pub is haunted by a ghostly sailor with a severely injured leg. A TV crew and psychic that visited the site claimed that as many as 14 entities haunt the premises, one of which may be a young boy.

Bristol is certainly a very interesting place, for its history and its sites alone, and it also has a myriad of great pubs that cater for those with an appetite for good beer. I plan on making a return visit later in the year, during which I will endeavour to place more of a focus on some of the other pubs, including some that appear in the Good Beer Guide. Hopefully, this will allow me to amass even more information on the ale scene in this fabulous city. For now though, I feel that this brief visit is a good start and certainly gives me somewhere to jump off from in future. That's all for now though folks. Keep drinking!

Birthday Beer in Buxton

For my birthday this year (I'm 25 again), I decided that it was about time that I made the trip north to the Peak District market town of Buxton, which has become something of a haven for real ale drinkers. A last minute change of plan meant that I would be solo for the Friday night before being joined by George on the Saturday morning. This gave me plenty of time to explore the various pubs on the town's ale trail, as outlined by a very helpful leaflet that Matt had procured for me when he had last visited. Whilst I never made it to all of the pubs on the trail, we certainly attempted most of them and found some others along the way!

Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, close to the borders of Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south. Described as the 'gateway to the Peak District', Buxton has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Buxton is home to Poole's Cavern, an extensive limestone cavern, named after a notorious local highwayman and open to the public, and St. Ann's Well, fed by the local geothermal spring bottled and sold internationally by the Buxton Mineral Water Company. The town also houses Buxton Opera House, which hosts several music events and festivals each year. The Devonshire Campus of the University of Derby is located within one of the town's historic buildings. Buxton is twinned with two other towns, namely Oignies in France and Bad Nauheim in Germany.
The town developed from a Roman settlement known as Aquae Arnemetiae (or the spa of the goddess of the grove). The discovery of coins has suggested that the Romans were in Buxton throughout their occupation. The origins of the town's name are uncertain, although it is thought to derive from the Old English for 'Buck Stone' or 'Rocking Stone'. The town grew in importance in the 18th century when it was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire, with a resurgence a century later as the Victorians were drawn to the reputed healing properties of the waters.

 
Built on the River Wye, and overlooked by Axe Edge Moor, Buxton has a history as a spa town due to its geothermal spring which rises at a constant temperature of 28 °C. The spring waters are piped to St Ann's Well (a shrine to St. Anne since medieval times) opposite the Crescent near the town centre.
The Dukes of Devonshire have been closely involved with Buxton since 1780, when the 5th Duke used the profits from his copper mines to develop the town as a spa in the style of Bath. Their ancestor Bess of Hardwick had taken one of her four husbands, the Earl of Shrewsbury, to "take the waters" at Buxton shortly after he became the gaoler of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1569, and they took Mary there in 1573. She called Buxton "La Fontagne de Bogsby", and stayed at the site of the Old Hall Hotel. The area features in the poetry of W. H. Auden and the novels of Jane Austen and Emily Brontë.
Instrumental in the popularity of Buxton was the recommendation by Dr Erasmus Darwin of the waters at Buxton and Matlock to Josiah Wedgwood I. The Wedgwood family often went to Buxton on holiday and recommended the area to their friends. Two of Charles Darwin's half-cousins, Edward Levett Darwin and Reginald Darwin, settled there. The arrival of the railway in 1863 stimulated the town's growth: the population of 1,800 in 1861 had grown to over 6,000 by 1881.
Each summer the wells are decorated according to the local tradition of well dressing. The well dressing weekend has developed into a town carnival with live music and funfair. In 2013, the Academy of Urbanism named Buxton as one of the three most attractive towns in Britain.
After battling my way through the Friday evening traffic clogging the town centre, I found my B&B, checked in and enjoyed a welcome shower before deciding my plan of action for the evening. I decided that on my first night, I would try out approximately half a dozen of the pubs on the trail before making a more concerted attempt once George was present.

Handily, the ale trail leaflet included a map so I knew exactly where I needed to go to begin my journey. Admittedly, the map isn't the best and I did change direction several times before I located my first port of call for the evening: Ramsay's Bar at the Buckingham Hotel.

Ramsay's Real Ale Bar is a public bar situated inside the Buckingham Hotel and much loved by guests and general public alike. Named after local artist George Ramsay, the interior is L shaped and relatively open plan with the U shaped bar central to the wall and an area of low, round tables to one side, suitable for dining. The overall appearance throughout is more bar-like. As an added bonus, at the time of my visit, the bar is crewed by 2 bar staff. Of the 8 available handpulls, 3 are in use, providing Thornbridge Kipling, Whim Ales Hartington Bitter and Yankie Driver from Sheffield's Tool Maker brewery. My first pint in Buxton was the Yankie Driver and it was a wise choice. At 4.2%, this is pale in colour with a zesty aroma, top notes of peach and a fruity flavour with a smooth, citrusy finish and a soft, hoppy aftertaste. Given the quality of the beer and, if I'm honest, the view, I felt it was only fair to stay on for a second. This time I opted for the Kipling (5.2%). This is a pacific pale ale with a grapefruit flavour accompanied by aromas of mango and peach. The smooth, creamy flavour and zesty aftertaste are backed up by a citrus kick. Both of these beers are of excellent quality and it's easy to see how this bar made it into the 2014 Good Beer Guide. I decided that it was time to move on to a second venue, mainly through fear of embarrassing myself.

My next destination was back the way I had come and not too far from my B&B. This was The Old Clubhouse.

The Old Clubhouse is a former gentleman's club the sits alongside the Opera House. The layout is very traditional with a central bar and a raised seating area around the edge and a mix of high and low seating. Of the 5 handpulls, 2 are in use providing Old Peculier and Abbot Ale. As I reach the bar, the Old Peculier has run out so I'm limited to Abbot Ale, which is thankfully in very good condition. I took the opportunity to grab some food whilst I was here and thoroughly worthwhile it was too. A chicken and bacon burger with home cooked chips went down very well indeed!

My next stop was just down the road at the Old Hall Hotel.

This smart hotel was originally known as the New Hall and was built by the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury with the sanction of Elizabeth I, in order to provide accommodation for the captive Mary Queen of Scots. Ghostly activity has been reported from the hotel, in the form of footsteps and indistinct apparitions and these phenomena have been attributed to Mary herself although this has not been substantiated. The interior is very traditional and the bar is open to the public as well as guests. When I arrive, there is some kind of party happening so I felt slightly out of place as I was by myself amongst 30+ other people. Ale-wise there is a choice of Doom Bar, Buxton Moor Top and Thornbridge Lord Marples. I went for the latter and it was very well kept. Whilst I sat perusing recent events and slowly enjoying this delicious beer, I was gradually aware of the fact that the party was now into the buffet stage. An older lady who was sat next to me asked me if I was by myself. Expecting this to lead to a conversation, I said that I was. It turned out that she just wanted the extra chairs around my table............

My next stop involved an uphill walk towards the market place, where the next pub sits on a corner. The King's Head was originally built in 1725 as a Presbyterian Chapel and is a large, comfortable pub with a friendly welcome.

The interior is expansive and open plan with mullioned windows and lots of seating. There are 4 handpulls on the central bar offering Marston's Bitter, Ringwood Scuttle Butt, Marston's Pedigree and Brakspear Oxford Gold. Being a big fan of Ringwood beers, it didn't take long for me to make my choice. Scuttle Butt is golden in colour, very hoppy and with hop flavours underneath an initial citrus aroma. The finish is zesty with a hint of malt on the tongue. All this at only 4.0%.

By now, following a long day at work, a long drive to Buxton and a general heap of stress, I was rather tired, so I decided that one more pub would be enough for tonight. This was literally a stone's throw away.

The Eagle Hotel dates back at least 2 centuries and is thought to be the oldest pub in Buxton. Operated by Hyde's, the atmosphere is decidedly local and I was a bit apprehensive upon entry as I wasn't quite sure what to expect, especially as the pub was so quiet for a Friday night. Hyde's Bitter was available on hand pull and it was well kept, which lessened my fear a little. A small group of lads who were playing pool were very welcoming and friendly so I guess you shouldn't judge a pub by it's exterior and/or décor. I was done in by this stage so I wandered carefully off to the B&B for a nice sleep.


The following day was Saturday so, following a full English, another shower and a chance to wake up and clear my head, I decided that a little recon was in order to prepare for George's arrival and make a plan for the evening. I had a wander around the town identifying the location of pubs that formed the basis of the trail and any others that I thought could be worth a look. This proved to be a fruitful exercise and I formed a coherent plan in my head for later that day. With time to kill before George arrived, I decided that I would pay a visit to couple of pubs that were at the other end of the trail, away from the area we would be visiting. The first of these was the local Wetherspoons, the Wye Bridge House.

This former Midland Railway hotel is on a slightly raised grassy area near the bank of the River Wye which flows nearby. The building boasts a slate brick exterior and is relatively square in layout with bay windows to the side, French windows to the front and an extensive outdoor patio area. The bar is L shaped and off centre and the overall layout is the standard Spoons open plan with a mixture of high and low seating. The bar includes 10 hand pulls. 1 is not in use but the others feature Abbot Ale, Hobgoblin, Ruddles Bitter (2 of each), Old Rosie cider, Ein Stein from Lymestone brewery, Life of Riley from the Wincle Beer Co., and a California Session IPA, brewed as part of the current UK/US collaboration. After a period of thinking, I decided that Life of Riley would be a good call. This is 4.2%, very pale in colour and with a fruity aroma tinged with a touch of hops. On the tongue, there is lemon and peach and a citrus finish. Overall, it was a very nice way to start the day!

I next ventured to a pub that lies just around the corner, underneath the railway arches. Imaginatively named The Railway, this is a Greene King operated stone and brick building that extends back beneath the imposing arches above.

There is a small, central bar with seating and dining areas off to either side. 3 of the 4 handpulls are in use, offering a choice of Greene King IPA, Olde Trip and Railway Bitter, brewed especially for the premises. I went for the Olde Trip, which was in very good condition.
Following a brief detour back to the B&B, I made a swift return to The King's Head for another pint of Scuttle Butt, in hope that they were showing the Liverpool v Arsenal game.

They weren't but the Queen's Head Hotel, further down the street, were.

I wandered down to this pub, which also features on the trail, with the decision in my head not to drink more beer until George arrived. The Queen's Head has been in the same family for half a century and has a well stocked bar that offered Old Speckled Hen and a couple of beers from Buxton Brewery. I stuck to my initial decision though and lost man points by ordering a coke, whilst I watched Liverpool pull Arsenal to pieces.

Shortly after leaving the Queens Head, George informed me that he had arrived! After a quick snack, the day began properly. Retracing my steps from the Queen's, we headed to our first planned destination, The Swan.

Regularly featuring in the Good Beer Guide, The Swan is renowned as a proper drinkers pub. This square, stone building is just off of the main market place. There are 3 rooms served from a central bar. 5 hand pulls are present, providing Doom Bar, Tetley's and Hurricane Hubert from Macclesfield's Storm Brewery. I instantly opted for the Hubert, whilst George ordered a coke to help with his hangover (which made me feel better). The beer was very good, 4.5%, chestnut coloured, with a nutty aroma, creamy head and a soft, malty taste with a smooth finish and hints of chocolate malt.

Helpfully, the first few pubs I'd pencilled in for the day were in close proximity which meant that whilst lots of walking would be required later, at least we could ease ourselves into it. The next place on our list was almost opposite The Swan. The Cheshire Cheese is owned and operated by Titanic Brewery, operating almost as an unofficial brewery tap.

The bar is diagonal and located at the back of the room and there is a mix of high and low seating throughout. 7 of the 10 handpulls include offerings from Titanic Brewery, in the form of Anchor, Plum Porter, Capt. Smith's, Iceberg, Steerage, White Star and Compass. Chocolate Stout is available on draught from wall-mounted taps. The remaining 3 handpulls feature Everard's Tiger, Ilkley Black and Cumberland Cumbria Bitter. I went for the White Star at 4.8%. This beer is pale golden in colour, honey flavoured and fruity on the nose with a zesty taste and a smooth finish. George decided on a pint of the Anchor. We thoroughly enjoyed this pub, which features on the trail but had changed hands since the guide was written. During our time here, we heard the barmaid make a joke as bad as one of mine after smashing a glass and I somehow accidentally flirted with George's girlfriend Shellie over the phone. I don't think he minded that much and to be honest, I don't really know how I managed it.

Sadly, we realised we had to move on and ventured 2 doors down to the Old Sun Inn.

This is an old, traditional building with low beams, flagged floors and open fires. Lots of rooms are arranged around the central entrance. The small bar has 5 handpulls, 3 of which are currently in use and offering Pedigree, Marston's Bitter and Sun Inn Ale, brewed for the pub. We both decided on a pint of the Sun Inn Ale which, despite only having an ABV of 3.6%, was very nice with a good hop/bitter balance, a pale appearance and a smooth finish with a hoppy kick. It being a Saturday in February, the Six Nations was in full swing. Our next task became finding a venue in which we could watch the England v Scotland game.

To that end, we were directed back down the hill to the London Road Inn, which would definitely be showing it.

This is a one roomed traditional street corner boozer with a small amount of furniture an open dance floor space and an L shaped central bar. 4 hand pulls were present, with 3 in use that included Tetley's, Courage Director's and Manchester Pale Ale. George and I both went for the MPA at 3.7%. This was pale and hoppy with a fruity aftertaste. We settled down to watch the rugby, which had already started and which England went on to comfortably win. The atmosphere in the pub was very friendly with lots of chat, conversation and banter. George's beard was a subject of discussion and he was asked jokingly (I think) if he was a Muslim. Apparently that's the only reason he would have a beard.......

Following the rugby, the walking properly began and we made our way back up the hill to a pub I'd spotted just off of the Market Place, The New Inn.

This brands itself as a cask ale house and is small inside, consisting of a single room with seating around the room and the bar against the back wall and a coal fire making the place nice and warm. The 8 hand pulls contain a variety of different brews including Titanic Cherry Stout, Stout and Full Steam Ahead, Robinson's Unicorn, Trooper, Blonde and Old Tom and Hartley's Cumbria Way. It's this last option that I eventually went for, copper coloured, malty in aroma and zesty in flavour with a hoppy finish. The general feel of this pub was a disappointment as it seemed to be full of mainly older people keeping to themselves. Of all the pubs over the weekend, we enjoyed this one the least.

Our next location was further downhill, and tucked off the main streets.

The Buxton Tap House is the brewery tap for Buxton Brewery and very nice it is too! Modern and shiny inside with a small rectangular bar and 8 handpulls, most of which (obviously) feature Buxton products. On offer are Buxton Bitter, Moor Top, Rednik Stout, Axe Edge and a couple of others. The Rednik Stout was very nice, with a deep browny-black appearance and a creamy latte head, at a strength of 4.1%. It was getting to the stage of the evening where serious conversation began to take place, which should have been a sign that it was time to go home. However, I was determined to drag George to Ramsay's Bar. Whilst here, supping our final pints, we sampled the cuisine, in the form of the steak and ale pie, which was fantastic! With our appetites sated and our blood safely diluted by alcohol we wound out weary way back to the B&B.

 
It had been a very good day, to top off an excellent weekend. Buxton certainly has a lot to offer the seasoned drinker and even those who are new to the ale scene. If you don't mind walking and lots of wind, a trip to Buxton is something that everyone should try at least once. I do intend on a return visit in the future, to visit the pubs that we missed out but also to go caving as George assures me that it's brilliant. All in all, this was a successful trip and certainly one of the most interesting that I've done since this blog was conceived. A happy birthday indeed!
  

Drinking the 'Spoons!

The arrival of this year's bunch of Wetherspoons money off vouchers from CAMRA coincided nicely with my next planned excursion which was to visit all of Nottingham's 5 Wetherspoons venues on one rather cold and rainy Saturday afternoon. My decision to brave the weather may have been foolhardy but I was in the mood to see the state of the ale scene across the Nottingham Wetherspoons franchise.

 
My first stop on this trip was The Company Inn, which has been a previously visited location in this blog.

This pub is situated on the canal side, in a building that was once a warehouse owned and built by the Trent Navigation Company, hence the name. The bar, located at the back of the room contains 10 hand pulls. As well as the Spoons regulars of Abbot Ale and Ruddles, beers on offer were varied. One hand pull was not in use but the others contained Hobgoblin (twice), Adnams Broadside, Purity Mad Goose, Grafton Framboise, Stone Double IPA and Nottingham Centurion ND. I almost went for the Stone IPA until I saw the ABV (a whopping 8.5%) but instead opted for a significantly milder brew, the Grafton Framboise at 4.0%. This was an interesting beer that tasted different to what I expected, but only in a good way. It was pale and fruity with top notes of hops, a zesty aroma and a smooth finish. It went down very quickly indeed and soon it was time to move on to my next Spoons venue.

Situated on St. James' Street, just off of Market Square in the centre of town, sits The Roebuck Inn.

 

The Roebuck lies opposite the Malt Cross, formerly a music hall and yet another previous visitor to these pages. The Malt Cross sits on the site of a public house that was known as The Roebuck and the name has been continued on at the Wetherspoons venue. This is one of Nottingham's largest and probably the best Wetherspoons venue in the city. This is a large 2 storey building with a very long, curved central bar and lots of seating throughout a spacious interior. The 15 hand pulls include 2 each of Abbot Ale and Ruddles and a good mix of other beers. The selection includes Kelham Island Pale Rider, Milestone Rich Ruby, Mr. Grundy's Big Willie, Grafton Coco Loco and Framboise, Funfair Twister, Loddon Hullaballoo, Medieval Courtly Love, Conwy Infusion, Nottingham EPA, Flipside Random Toss and Magpie Flyer. I instantly went for Twister from Funfair brewery. This beer stacks up at 4.1%, is dark ruby in colour with a malty aroma and a slightly bitter taste. There are top notes of roasted malt and an overall chocolaty flavour with a bitter aftertaste.

Next, after walking to Victoria Centre, I decided to make my way to a Werherspoons that is a little tucked away, namely The Gooseberry Bush on Peel Street.

 Formerly the Varsity student bar, the original site was the location of the Nottingham Women's Hospital which itself had replaced a Victorian mansion called Smithfield House. The first patients arrived at the hospital in 1930, with the last baby being delivered here in November 1981. The site was then partly cleared for the building of a licensed premises. The Gooseberry Bush is named after this past and harks back to the place where babies were said to arrive in old wives' tales. The main entrance is elevated above the pavement and accessible up a set of steps. The bar is U shaped and located to the left of the entrance, with the seating being a mix of high and low tables. 10 hand pulls grace the bar here, namely Abbot Ale (twice), Ruddles (twice), Bombardier, Deuchars IPA, Brains SA Bitter, Kelham Island Pale Rider, Doom Bar and Exmoor Beast. This time I decided to have a go with the Pale Rider. This pale beer carries a strong hop aroma, a very fruity flavour and a smooth, creamy aftertaste, all at a strength of 5.2%. I tend to be a big fan of Kelham Island beers and it had been a while since I'd had one so this made a nice change.

For my next location, I wandered back into the town centre to a large premises that sits facing across Market Square, The Joseph Else.

 

Names after a locally born sculptor, this large square building contains a bar that is roughly halfway down the main room. The seating is low throughout and arranged over a roughly split level layout. The bar includes 10 hand pulls: 2 each of Ruddles and Abbot Ale, Nottingham Legend, Burton Bridge Bitter, Oakleaf India Pale Ale, Stone Double IPA, Milestone Colonial and Gadds No. 3. Oakleaf Brewery is based in Gosport in Hampshire where my parents live so it would have been rude not too try it. Pale in colour with a fruity aroma and a nice balance of malt and hops, a smooth creamy flavour and a malty finish. With a strength of 5.5%, it packs a punch too.

I had one place left to go and I was uncertain whether it was a good idea. I eventually convinced myself to give it a try, on the grounds that otherwise I would never know. That destination, situated on the edge of Hockley was Lloyds Bar.

This art deco looking building boasts a roughly square internal layout with stairs to a smaller upstairs area and a roughly circular central bar. The 5 hand pulls include Ruddles, Abbot Ale, Nottingham EPA, Falstaff The Good, The Bad and The Drunk and a strawberry flavoured real cider. Limited on options, I selected EPA, only to be told that it had run out. I had no choice but to go for Ruddles which was at least in good condition. Other than that, Lloyds Bar was a disappointment, which isn't a surprise in as much that it is more a bar than a pub and isn't exactly designed to cater for ale connoisseurs.

 
Despite the disappointment of the last venue, overall I was impressed with the effort that Wetherspoons goes to too look after real ale drinkers. This is obviously reason that they have teamed up with CAMRA to provide the money off vouchers. In a world where big companies and corporate heavyweights have been responsible for the demise of many a small (and not so small) brewery, Wetherspoons really do have the drinkers in mind. They, at least, are amongst the few doing it right.

Ale's Well in Chilwell

My most recent ale-based adventure saw me visiting somewhere a bit closer to home as I headed out, solo on a Saturday evening, to visit the pubs in the Nottingham suburb of Chilwell.
Chilwell was originally a hamlet on the road from Nottingham to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but along with Toton it became part of the parish of Attenborough. Suburban development spread gradually from Beeston along Chilwell High Road.

The area's population grew substantially during World War I when most of the area of level ground between Chilwell and Toton was occupied by the National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 and the original direct route between Chilwell and Toton became a gated military road, now known as Chetwynd Road.
On 1 July 1918, 134 people were killed in an explosion at the factory, with over 250 people injured in the explosion. This tragedy remains the largest number of deaths caused by a single explosion in Britain. The memorial to the dead can be found in nearby church yard of St Mary's, Attenborough.
The army continued to dominate the area with the factory becoming a major depot site for the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, and more recently for the Royal Engineers. The Chilwell Bypass Road was constructed in the 1930s to take army traffic out of the village centre.
Chilwell has three pubs in its centre on Chilwell High Road. The Original Chequers Inn is on the border with Beeston and is a turn of the century pub that was once a coaching house, The Charlton Arms is named after a local landowning family who formerly lived in the now demolished Chilwell Hall. The Cadland is named after a locally trained racehorse that won The Derby in 1828. There is also a modern pub, The Cornmill, on Nottingham Road. There is a large retail park and hotel (The Village) on the Attenborough border.
Chilwell has had a long-standing non-conformist population. The Chilwell Methodist Church was founded in 1798 as the Methodist First Connection Chapel at Hallams Lane. Its Sunday School (provided jointly with local Baptists) provided the first free education for the poor of the area. The chapel moved to land provided by Squire Charlton in 1857. Christ Church, Chilwell was built in 1903 to provide an Anglican church to serve the growing population, although it did not become a separate ecclesiastical parish from Attenborough until 1975.
The Inham Nook estate was built by Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council on land to the west of Bramcote Lane from the 1950s and St Barnabas's Church was constructed in 1957 as a "mission church" to serve the new population. For many years, Inham Nook's council housing was in sharp contrast to the surrounding areas of middle class suburban owner-occupation. Since the 1980s right to buy legislation, tenure has been more mixed, but Inham Nook remains relatively deprived compared to other areas in the southern part of Broxtowe borough.
Chilwell Manor Golf Club was established in 1906 on land formerly belonging to the Manor. The Manor House and nearby Chilwell Green remained intact until 1965 when the bland Clarkes Lane development of large detached houses started construction.
Chilwell School is located off Queens Road West adjacent to the golf course. It shares a site and facilities with the Chilwell Olympia Sports Centre. Prior to construction of the school in the 1970s, this area was Kirk's Farm. It had remained undeveloped as the land has a high water table and poor drainage. A hectare of the school grounds was not drained for playing fields and is now the Chilwell Meadow nature reserve managed by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust as a rare example of a "wet meadow" of unimproved grassland.
Parts of the golf course are also sites of importance for nature conservation, and there has been some work in recent years to remove non-native species in the golf-course planting to improve bio-diversity.

The obvious advantage of visiting this particular suburb is that, not only are all of the pubs relatively close together but they are close enough to home to enable to walk once my exploration is done. This made the idea all the more attractive on this particular weekend. Not entirely sure what to expect from the establishments on this itinerary, my journey began at The Charlton Arms.

 

This John Barras-operated venue is named after a local 19th century farming family and the family crest is displayed on a sign at the roadside. The standard, manor house like exterior is complimented internally by a spacious arrangement with lots of seating, made up primarily of round tables and leather sofas. The main room is essentially split level with a small raised area containing a pool table and a lower section towards the back that is reserved for dining and accessible down a small flight of stairs. There is a dart board in one corner of the pub and the walls are decorated with photographs of local landmarks, both from Chilwell and the neighbouring settlements of Attenborough and Toton. The reverse J-shaped bar includes 3 hand pumps, one of which (supplying Black Sheep Bitter), is off. The other 2 options are Adnams Broadside and a beer from Hook Norton which, due to this particular area of the bar being busy I was unable to get close enough to identify in either name or ABV. I went for a pint of the Hook Norton beer anyway and it was a wise choice with which to begin the evening. Bronze in colour, the beer had a nutty aroma and a spicy hop flavour, supported by a rich, malty bitterness. It certainly went down nice and easily.

 

My next location stood conveniently close by, being literally across the road. Named after a locally trained racehorse that won the Derby back in 1828, and operated by Ember Inns, I next visited The Cadland.

 

I'm generally a big fan of Ember Inns and was a regular visitor to The Punchbowl in Mapperley when I lived that way. I did have one bad experience whilst dining there but I've taken that to be a one off. Anyway, The Cadland has a decidedly similar layout, despite the interesting blue and white exterior décor. Inside, the interior is large and plush with a U shaped central bar and lots of seating of both the velvet and leather variety and of varying heights. The main area is nicely divided into smaller individual alcoves by careful placement of pillars and one of these areas has a roaring coal fire which really keeps out the winter chill. The bar is stocked with 9 hand pulls, 6 of which are doubled up with Abbot Ale, Broadside again and Everard's Tiger. The remaining 3 include Frosted Jack from the Devon Brewing Company, 41 Degrees South from Roosters Brewery and an empty pump that is in the process of being cleaned an flushed. I decided that the Frosted Jack was worth a try and I was proven correct. At a refreshing 4.3%, this chestnut coloured beer packs a hoppy aroma with top notes of fruit zest. The flavour is smooth with a hoppy finish accompanied by undertones of malt. A winter warmer indeed.

 

The longest part of my journey, apart from the walk home, was next to come, a I ventured out of Chilwell proper and wandered back towards the main Nottingham road. My next destination sits by the roadside, although set back slightly from the pavement.

 

With the familiar orange and black frontage overlaying the grey and cream façade, it's no surprise to learn that The Bluebell is a Flaming Grill venue. Inside, the bar is central and has a large amount of plush seating arranged nicely around it. Only 2 hand pumps are present and they feature the kind of beers you would expect for such a food-oriented venue, namely Doom Bar and Harvest Pale. This is no bad thing as the pub boasts Cask Marque accreditation and the Harvest Pale is very well kept and in excellent condition. I sat and drank my pint at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the warmth and the comfort of the furnishings, spoiled only slightly when one of the Year 8 kids I teach realised he knew me and pointed in my direction. I did my best to be polite.

 

Chilwell is not a big place by any stretch of the imagination and I only had one place left on my list for the day. Making my way further down Nottingham Road and back in the direction of home brought me to The Corn Mill.

 

Run by Greene King under its Eating Inn brand, The Corn Mill lies directly opposite the local retail park and is named after a structure that is believed to have once stood nearby. The building is roughly square in layout and cream in colour with an oddly rectangular interior that makes it look narrower on the inside than it appears from without, like a reverse TARDIS. The black and white styled bar is central to the room which has separate designated entrances for drinkers and diners. There are 10 hand pulls on the bar, all of which are doubled up and the selection consists of Abbot Ale, GK IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Nottingham Brewery Centurion ND and Rock Bitter. The Rock Bitter was in excellent condition and thoroughly enjoyable. It wasn't enough to make me stay for a second though and soon it was time to wend my way back home, which from this point, is literally just down the road. My search and explore around Chilwell had been a mild success and I can honestly say that no pub disappointed me. They all had ale for one thing and that ale was in good condition al all venues. This, to me, just goes to show that places don't necessarily need any kind of preceding reputation in order to offer good things to the perceptive drinker.

 

During my travels around Chilwell, I came across a story that I had heard snippets of in the past and I decided that this particular tale needed further investigation. The story in question is that of the Chilwell ghost. As the story goes, back in the 19th century, a pedlar disappeared after telling one of his customers that he would be spending the night at a farmhouse in the Chilwell area. This house was a particularly lonely cottage and the family that lived there were regarded with suspicion by those that lived locally. Upon the pedlar's disappearance, this particular family suddenly experienced an inexplicable bout of prosperity, which led to rumours and theories amongst the folk of what was at the time a small village. After a few years, as one of the family lay dying, they confessed to the murder of the pedlar and rumours began to circulate the ghost of the unfortunate haunted the cottage in which he met his premature demise. It certainly seemed that many people had reported knocking sounds, screaming, thumping and dragging noises from what, by this point was a derelict property. The story of the Chilwell Ghost became so well known that people would regularly travel to the area in the hope of glimpsing the fearsome apparition of the murdered man. Over the years, as those who knew the truth died off, the story became somewhat garbled and twisted into the tale of a murdered wife beheaded by her husband. Eventually though, a thorough investigation was launched into the case and, in the 1990s, the story was finally uncovered in full and linked back to the pedlar through local records and folklore. Whether the story is true or not is up to you to decide but it is certainly known that a pedlar disappeared, a murder was confessed too and strange things were witnessed in the house where these events allegedly occurred. Events like this can leave an indelible mark on the community and the same is true in this case. The events in question are commemorated in a plaque on the outside wall of The Charlton Arms and, even more tellingly in the name of Ghost House Lane, a road in the area which apparently is very near the site that the story talks about. It seems that there is more afoot in Chilwell than decent beer! Although the original house no longer stands, a newer building stands on the site. Whether anything still lurks there remains to be seen but, legend or not, the Chilwell Ghost has certainly made its presence felt in this particular corner of Nottinghamshire. No wonder, when there are so many good pubs nearby!

 

 

Best Bridgford

Last weekend, safely ensconced back in the East Midlands, I recruited George to accompany me on an ale trip that I'd had planned for literally months, to one of the more upmarket areas of Nottingham, namely West Bridgford. West Bridgford is a town in its own right, situated in the borough of Rushcliffe, immediately south of the city of Nottingham, with the River Trent as a natural boundary between both settlements. It forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively making it a suburb of the city and meaning it was chosen as the administrative centre for Nottinghamshire County Council. The headquarters of the County Council moved to the town in 1959 from Nottingham, the traditional county town. West Bridgford is enclosed by the A52 and the A6011, which itself is the former A52.

Most of the main roads in central West Bridgford are named after wealthy families that dominated the town's early history. There are also, however, new developments that are, in effect, suburbs of the suburb named after different things. For example, the Gamston development has roads named after the Lake District, and Compton Acres has roads named after Dorset and the Purbeck Coast.
There are no 'Streets' in West Bridgford. When the town was planned in the Victorian period the roads were originally named as streets: for example, Musters Street and South Street. However, the planners eventually decided that the term 'Street' was too urban, so today the town has Musters Road and South Road.
West Bridgford is notably different from the other suburbs of Nottingham in a variety of ways. During the Victorian period, Nottingham was growing rapidly, but development in West Bridgford was restricted, as much of the land was owned by the Musters family.
At the end of the First World War the Musters family sold the Trent Bridge Inn and the Trent Bridge Cricket ground to the cricket club. The club only briefly owned the inn as they resold it to a brewery for a sum in excess of the money they had paid to the Musters. After much pressure, the Musters sold land for building, but they applied strict planning regulations to the area then known as the West Bridgford Estate. This estate was planned over a grid of tree-lined streets. The main roads such as Musters Road had restrictions on the density of housing and house size. All houses were specified to contain a certain number of bedrooms. Smaller houses were permitted on side streets, and terraces were erected on roads such as Exchange Road for the servants of the wealthy Nottingham merchants who bought up property in West Bridgford.

What has resulted from these strict plans is a community that is still very separate from Nottingham. The town has no formal ties with Nottingham. In Nottingham itself, West Bridgford is often called "Bread and Lard Island" in the belief that its inhabitants spend most of their money on big houses and fur coats so they could only afford to eat bread and lard behind closed doors.
The northern boundary of West Bridgford is the River Trent, spanned by two road bridges, Trent Bridge and Lady Bay Bridge, and two pedestrianised bridges consisting of a suspension bridge and a toll bridge near the Ferry Inn linking nearby Wilford village with the Meadows area of Nottingham city. The pedestrianised bridges link particularly well with cycling routes to Nottingham, the railway station and the university areas, making several rapid, safe, car-free routes available.
Two spans of the original mediaeval bridge still remain, surrounded by a traffic island on the south side of the river, adjacent to Trent Bridge.

On a showery and chilly Saturday afternoon, George and I made a quick bus journey into West Bridgford from Nottingham city centre, the trip helped somewhat by decent traffic as both local football teams were playing away and the following day respectively. Our first destination was the local Wetherspoons, the legendary Trent Bridge Inn, which has featured in these pages before.

 

On the day of our visit, the pub was busy but not rammed so getting to the bar for beer was relatively simple and quick. The choice, as usual for a Wetherspoons, was wide, with beers available from Purity, Funfair, Goddard's, Brewster's and a number of others. George and I were torn between both of the Funfair options, Teacups and Ski Jump, until we noticed that there was a beer on offer from Goddard's on the Isle of Wight, down in our neck of the woods! We obviously had to try some! Fuggle Dee Dum, as it was called, is 4.8% and dark chestnut in colour, with a creamy head, a slightly nutty flavour, malty top notes and a faint chocolaty aroma. It was certainly a very nice place to start and we took a seat by the side windows in a very large and encompassing booth. George was still hungover from the night before so was in need of food, opting for a bowl of pasta with garlic bread. I stuck to beer for the time being and was ready for a 2nd pint before George had finished his first. On the second run, I swung for one of the 3 Brewster's beers on offer. After much deliberation, I chose Molly Pitcher, part of their Wicked Women range of brews. Also at 4.8%, this was a pale, very hoppy affair with a fruity and zesty flavour and a crisp, dry finish. It also came in a glass that I wasn't expecting, a veritable carafe-sized chalice-shaped creation branded with the Brewster's name. It suited the beer very well and added a nice extra touch. It was also a reminder of the area that we were in for the afternoon. I don't think I would have got that in Nottingham, no offence meant!

 

Our next destination lay just around the corner, on the other side of Trent Bridge cricket ground. Larwood & Voce is an upmarket restaurant/bar that essentially makes up part of the cricket stand.

 

The pub is named after 1930s cricket legends Harold Larwood and Bill Voce and is owned by Moleface Pub Co., who also run The Wollaton in, er, Wollaton. The general feel is one of comfort and subtle style with a smart leather interior and a green and brown bar situated opposite the door. The lighting is low, dimmed for effect and the bar includes 5 handpulls, 1 of which is not in use. Of the other 4, 2 feature Harvest Pale, 1 features Tim Taylor Landlord and the other is the pub's own ale, Proper Moleface Ale, brewed especially for this venue by Magpie Brewery. One of the handpulls is stylishly designed in the form of a cricket stump. Whilst George went for the Landlord, I was feeling adventurous and opted for the Proper Moleface, which has a strength of 3.9%. I expected better things from this brew if I'm honest. Although pale, with a citrusy aroma and an underlying hop kick and bubbly finish, it was a touch too bland and watery for my taste. Whether this was an errant pint or simply my personal taste I'm unsure but the beer was unimpressive, even in the comfy surroundings.

Next on our list was a place that I knew would erase the bad taste from my mouth. One of 2 Castle Rock pubs on this trip, we next made our way to the Stratford Haven.

 

Opened in 1999 in the renovated shell of an old pet shop, this was the first new on-licence premises in the town for many years. Located on Stratford Road, the pub's name is a variation on the name of Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon, and there are many references to the Bard throughout. The bar is long and central and there is seating around the edge of the room. The 14 hand pumps display a variety of ales from locally and further afield. Amongst the selection are Mr. Grundy's Pip, Squeak and Wilfrid; Oldershaw Traleblazer; Rudgate Traditionale; Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Red Hart and Elsie Mo; Everard's Tiger; Bateman's XB; Adnams Broadside; Doctor Morton's Four Yorkshiremen from Abbeydale Brewery and Gwatkin Silly Ewe real cider. A couple of the handpulls were unused at the time of our visit. I made the unusual (for me) decision of choosing a mild, the Castle Rock Red Hart (5.0%), a chocolate and oatmeal stout, very dark and very chocolaty worth malty undertones. It was a tad heavier than I'd normally cope with but the interesting flavours made it more than drinkable and soon it was time to venture onwards.

Back onto the main high street now, our journey took us, via the Co-Op for a pasty, to the Monkey Tree.



Named after the Monkey Puzzle Tree (actually a species of pine), one of which takes up the front of the property, this is an upmarket bar renowned for high quality food and drink. The interior is relatively open plan with leather sofas and low seating and a bar to the right hand side of the room. 2 of the 5 handpulls are not in use but the 3 that are in use feature Flipside Franc In Stein, Navigation Golden and Bateman's XXXB. George bought the next round as I was outside eating a pasty, and he chose my beer for me, wisely selecting Franc In Stein. With a strength of 4.3%, this is a golden yellow beer with a nice fruit and malt balance and a hoppy aroma and a zesty flavour. The aftertaste is pleasantly crisp and refreshing. We unwisely decided to sit in view of a television meaning that it was hard to prevent my eyes drifting upwards now and again to keep an eye on the football scores. Thankfully, the beer was enough to distract me for the most part.

Our next location was slightly further away but worth it for the walk as it was the 2nd Castle Rock pub on the itinerary: the Poppy and Pint.

Having had a £600,000 makeover in recent years, this former British Legion building is now one of West Bridgford's best drinking establishments. The bar is roughly central, long and L-shaped and the interior is filled with lots of seating and a number of raised areas around the edge. The pub is probably one of the largest of those in Castle Rock's portfolio and the welcome is a good one, as you'd expect from this renowned brewery. There are 12 hand pumps here, featuring a wide variety of things such as, Oldershaw Traleblazer (again!); Flipside Russian Rouble; Navigation Stout; Mr. Grundy's 1914; Nutbrook Wreck the Halls; Funfair Ski Jump and lots from Castle Rock (obviously), including Blunder Buss, Black Gold, Harvest Pale, Walrus, Snowhite and Elsie Mo. I was flagging slightly by now so went for something slightly weaker in the form of Walrus (4.0%), a Movember ale that is still available in a few outlets. This is chestnut coloured with a fruity aroma and is very hoppy and tasty with nice bottom notes of leftover hops. The initial plan was to stay here for one but George was determined to the Russian Rouble, Flipside's 7.3% stout so we managed to force ourselves to stick around, although I was drinking slowly by now and could only manage a half of this beautiful but very heady concoction. Russian Rouble is a chocolate stout which is very tasty as well as being very strong. Despite the strength, the flavours still come through and it is certainly delicious.

 
Time was getting on by now, and we still had one more venue to visit, so we wandered back into the town centre proper to visit the Test Match.

 

This huge art deco building is now Grade II listed after starting its life as a coaching inn back in the day. Now operated by Greene King, this estate pub is very expansive throughout with hotel room above the central area which contains lots of low tables spread out across the interior. The bar occupies one side of the room and features amongst its selection Abbot Ale, Landlord, Nottingham Brewery Extra Pale Ale, Old Speckled Hen  and Ruddles. I decided that my last pint for the day would be the EPA, which was in excellent condition. By now, I was very tired and starting to noticeably flag. I was also, again, in visual range of a TV which admittedly got on George's nerves, as I kept drifting back to the football, completely accidentally though! Halfway through my pint, the time had come to call it a day and and we eagerly awaited a lift home.

Our day in the suburb of West Bridgford had certainly been worth it as we had explored the ale scene as thoroughly as we could with the time we had. The nature of the area does mean that prices are slightly higher but, more often than not, the extra few pennies are certainly worth shelling out for what is generally decent beer. One or two nearby venues didn't make the agenda but there's always an opportunity for a further visit, especially as one of those we missed out has the only known ghost story I've located in relation to the area. None of the venues we made it too have fessed up too any ghostly goings on so further investigation may be necessary. All in all now, West Bridgford is one of those rare real ale havens, especially now that craft beer shop Hopology has opened in the area. This is another place I've still yet to visit but I will certainly be making the effort to see what this shop has to offer at a later date. West Bridgford overall though, has earned a big thumbs up worthy of its upmarket reputation.



Home Town Comfort

Following my successful journey into Fareham (see previous entry) on the previous day, Christmas Eve seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a bit of ale exploration in part of my home city of Portsmouth that I'm very fond of, due largely to the historical nature of it and the welcoming feel of the place in general. I decided to investigate the are known as Old Portsmouth which, as the name suggests, is the oldest and original part of the city of Portsmouth, encompassing areas in and around the harbour that served as the basis of the city itself. The name Portsmouth reflects the city's location at a harbour mouth looking out into The Solent, the mile wide section of water between the mainland and the Isle of Wight. Portsmouth is a contraction of 'Mouth of the Portus Harbour'. Old Portsmouth is covered by the area originally made up of the old town of Portsmouth as designed by Jean de Gisors. The area includes several parts of the original fortifications designed to protect the naval headquarters within the harbour. These fortifications include the Round Tower, Square Tower, Point Barracks, Portsmouth Point and the entrance to the harbour itself. Other notable landmarks nearby include Portsmouth Cathedral, the John Pounds Memorial Church and the famous Garrison Church, site of the marriage of Richard I and without a roof since being hit by a German bomb during the Second World War.

Into this wealth of history, much visited by both locals and tourists, I set out on a bright and sunny day much different to the torrential downpours of the previous 24 hours, with a clear itinerary in mind. However, for reasons that will soon become clear, that itinerary soon went out of the window. My first destination was in a suitably picturesque location overlooking the harbour entrance from a spot nicely enclosed behind a sea wall. My first stop on this journey was the Fuller's operated Still & West.

 

This traditional pub is spread over 2 floors in a cobbled square that lies in the shadow of Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower. The beer garden and windows on one side look out across the harbour entrance in the direction of Gosport. The pub features are traditional inside and out with mullioned windows at the front and exposed beams and authentic wooden features internally. The pub prides itself on homemade fish and chips and the smell of this is delicious as it permeates the building. It was a bit early for lunch so instead I opted for the ale menu. The 4 hand pumps are mostly supplied by Fuller's in the form of Bengal Lancer, London Pride and Chiswick Bitter but Gale's HSB is available too. To break myself in gently, I opted for Chiswick Bitter at 3.5%. This was golden, clear and refreshingly bitter tasting with underlying flavours of malt and a smooth, dry finish. I sipped this leisurely whilst looking out of the windows at the front facing the harbour. The last time I came here was for my late nan's wake last year, so I had lots to reminisce about as I sat there enjoying the warmth and the atmosphere.

My next stop was literally next door across the square at The Spice Island Inn.

 

This 2 storey square building faces directly into the mouth of the harbour and takes its name from the local nickname for the area during the time of smugglers. The pub was actually known as The Smugglers Inn for a time and is currently run by Greene King. Inside, the bar is slightly off-centre against the back wall with a nice abundance of seating around the room, mostly by the windows. IPA is available on smooth flow and there are also 4 hand pumps. Available for consumption are Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen, Hardy & Hanson's Rocking Rudolph and Mole Brewery Mole Catcher. Intrigued by the name, I went for the Mole Catcher only for this to run out as it was being poured. I then went for the Rocking Rudolph, which I'd had before but this ran out as well! With little choice left, I reluctantly went for the Abbot Ale. Thankfully, this was in very good condition and went down quickly.

My next stop was a place I'd been past on numerous occasions but actually never been too. The Bridge Tavern is located right at the centre of Camber Docks.

 Another Fuller's property, this is the last remaining public house of 9 that used to stand in this relatively small area. The Bridge is named after a bridge that used to span the expanse of the dock on which it now sits. Like a number of Fullers sites in the city, the pub has a traditional country feel with original features around a central L-shaped bar. The bar includes 5 hand pulls, 2 of which contain HSB. The others offer London Pride, Gale's Seafarers and Bengal Lancer. I chose the Seafarers on this occasion, a 3.4% bronze coloured beer with hoppy top notes, undertones of bitter malt and a smooth, crisp and refreshing finish. The pub was nice and warm, which helped keep the chill out, as I located myself in a corner and admired a memorial plaque nearby that is dedicated to the crew of a fishing vessel that was sunk by a Cypriot freighter in the English Channel back in 1991. The list of ages and names of the crew was displayed on the plaque and it was poignant for me that 5 of the 6 who perished were my age and younger. This was certainly a grim and moving reminder of the fragility of life, especially at this time of year. The beer went down very well indeed and I soon ventured out again with the intention of visiting a couple of pubs further down the street. My plans were altered a couple of times on the way however. Of my next 2 destinations, The Wellington and the Sally Port Hotel, I managed not to visit either. The first sold no ale and had unusual opening hours and the second was closed and up for sale. I'm disappointed about the Sally Port being closed as I've not been there in many a year and it is the only location on route with a certified ghost. The spirit of Buster Krabbe, a renowned diver and alleged naval spy is believed to reside here after he disappeared whilst allegedly attempting to spy on German ships that were moored in the harbour.

 
The next place I ended up going too was unexpected. I hadn't known about it at all until I saw it and then I had to go in. This was Monk's or, to give it it's full name, Monk's House of Ale and Wine.

 

This turned out to be a pleasant surprise, with its olde worlde interior, bar along one side of the room and a general long and narrow layout that made it seem very traditional and otherworldly. The ceiling above the bar was decorated with interesting mosaic style tiles and the bar included 5 hand pumps: 2 each of London Pride and Tolchard's Devon Storm and one pump of London Pride. In this case, I went for Devon Storm. At 4.7% and bronze in colour, this was dripping with malt flavour backed up by a bitter finish. The head was smooth and creamy and the whole thing had slight zesty quality detectable underneath. After a while of enjoying my pint, I was joined by my brother, who I'd made the decision (read 'mistake') to invite along for a beer.

Now with Luke in tow, we ventured a little further down the street to what claims to be Portsmouth's oldest pub, The Dolphin.

 

This is another pub carrying on the traditional theme, where its obvious that the general appearance hasn't changed much over time. It's a look I love in pubs and here is no exception. Even for Christmas Eve, it's very busy and seems to contain a surprisingly large number of children. It's very much standing room only, which doesn't bother me too much as it means I can lean on the bar and admire the piano located in the corner of it. Of the 6 available hand pulls, 2 are not in use. The others offer London Pride, Tim Taylor Landlord, and Invincible and Frigate from local Irving brewery. I opted here for the Frigate at 3.8%. This is bronze with a malty flavour, a bitter finish and a slight, fruity undertone. Whilst very much enjoying this particular brew, I took the opportunity to fill Luke in on my blog and the kind of notes that I take in pubs. He seemed decidedly unimpressed, which isn't really a surprise.

I made the mistake of allowing Luke to decide on the next location instead of sticking to my plan. Luke chose The Pembroke around the corner, which I wasn't overly impressed with to begin with but that was because I hadn't been and hadn't really heard of it.

 This traditional street corner pub is actually quite nice, with an overall squarish layout and central bar. The seating is around the edge of the room, and 2 chairs nearby are occupied by 2 very friendly cocker spaniels belonging to one of the regulars. We were also reacquainted with a Christmas jumper wearing Jack Russell called Spartacus, who we'd encountered in Monks. Only 1 of the 3 hand pulls was in use and this held London Pride which was very well kept. 

By this point, I became very conscious of how much beer and how little food I'd had but resolved to at least make it to one more pub. This was a venue that we'd actually been in for a family meal a couple of days before: The Duke of Buckingham.

 

Named after a 17th century aristocrat who was assassinated in a nearby building, this pub continued the theme of olde worlde charm, with a low ceiling, low tables and chairs and a raised section to one side. The bar is L-shaped and too the left hand side of the room. The food here is notably excellent and the beer is rather good too. The 3 hand pulls provide London Pride, Old Speckled and Irving Invincible. The Invincible is excellent: 4.6%, chestnut coloured and full-bodied with an initial malty hop bitterness and a finish of bitter spice and subtle hops. As I contrived to lose Luke money on the ItBox, it was suddenly time to go home. It had been a productive afternoon, even though I had had to cut my journey short with 2 of my planned pubs still to go. There's something quite nice about being able to do this kind of thing in your home town even though, in all honesty, the East Midlands is my home now.

Thankfully, the Christmas Day hangover I was expecting never materialised which makes me wonder whether I could have made those other pubs after all. Oh well! Maybe next time. Still, the older areas of Portsmouth have a lot of charm to go with their extensive maritime history and a lot of good beer to go with it too! Home sweet home? Maybe not anymore but it certainly runs a strong, affectionate second.