The Royal Hotel, Pilgrims Rest

The Royal Hotel, Pilgrims Rest, Mpumalanga, South Africa



During November, on a mountain bike trip in South Africa, we were guided to the Royal Hotel in the 1800's historical mining town of Pilgrims Rest, proudly noted for holding the World Goldpanning Championships in 2012.
The only beer on draught was Castle Lager, a pleasant brew which was very welcome after bike ride in temperatures of 30+ degrees.
There was a good selection of bottled beers and the bowler hatted staff were cheerful and friendly.

The food offered, all being locally sourced, was rather unusual.  In particular, wild boar stew, Impala steak, oxtail casserole and ostrich neck. Presumably the ostrich leg was available for a large group.
The tavern is a bit off the beaten track but I would certainly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

The Crown Inn, Matlock

This is a town centre pub and behaves like one. It attracts a wide cross-section of the local populace, sometimes to the point of entertainment and seeing how the other half live and sometimes to the point of conflict. It's a Derbyshire version of Yates'. However, on the plus side, Wetherspoon's buy 'remaindered' beer and sell it far more cheaply than almost any other pub around. They also offer a good range of beers, as well as the usual array of fizzy rubbish. The downside of Wetherspoon's everywhere is that they are understaffed so it's nearly always a wait to get served and the staff are not knowledgeable about the beers on offer. If you want a decent drink at a very reasonable price and are prepared to put up with a 'lively' atmosphere, it's one place to go.

The Peacock, Rowsley

Grander it doesn't get (or, at least, it hasn't for club members before). It's a rather upmarket hotel and restaurant and far too fussy and full of its own importance to be a place to enjoy a drink. It's a shame because the bar area is cosy (open fire, stone walls, rafters etc) and the beer is OK, of itself, but not worth the asking price of £4.80! Go there to eat, if you like good food (one member recommends it) but not conducive for people who just want a pint.

The Red Lion, Bakewell

This place was a godsend in the pub desert that is Bakewell. A quirky entrance led to (authentically) wood-panelled interiors and the choice of tables was vast, given that we were the only drinkers in, on a Tuesday night. A pint of Pedigree loosened one member's silver tongue but the barmaid was having none of his blarney. She acquitted herself with composure and charm and offered up some other quite palatable beer for the rest of us. I forget what it was. Worth popping into, if you're in Bakewell, but don't make a special effort. Better to venture onwards towards Monsal.

The Queen's Arms, Bakewell

No Bakewell pubs appear in the Good Beer Guide and our recent reccy of them showed why. A rather dismal collection of hostelries (The Red Lion excepted) offering uninspiring beer in a range of odd settings. The Peacock next door is really a restaurant and the Craven Arms is a children's play area.
As to the Queen's Arms, we enjoyed quite a nice pint of Sunbeam, sat on comfortable leather-look sofas and examined the ceilings for signs of authenticity. There were none.

The Gate Inn, Tansley

For long-standing locals to the area, the newly swanked-up interior of the Gate might come as a bit of a surprise. Like many other local pubs, it has gone down the food line but is obviously equally keen to maintain its role as a boozer. The, by now, usual array of beers ('Doombar', 'Landlord') were augmented by a light hoppy 'Ay Up' from the Dancing Duck Brewery in Derby, which went down very well. There was a fourth choice but I've forgotten what it was. Tansley's a village now with three pubs, all quite similar in their offerings (well, the Royal Oak is less of a boozer), so a good spot for an evening's drinking.

The Steam Packet Inn, Swanwick

This was a bit of a disappointment in beer terms. We'd gone there on the strength of its offering a discount to CAMRA members (and, indeed, it did - 15p a pint, as I remember) but the beer itself was non-descript at best. I forget what was on offer but it was completely self-effacing and we left after one pint. Shame.