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.

Gone but not forgotten

Sadly, the number of pubs in this district which have closed down and failed to re-open get larger every month. Three of the most recent casualties are the Old Yew Tree at South Wingfield, the Derwent at Whatstandwell and the Nelson at Bullbridge.

Previous victims of this plague of pub closures were the Yew Tree in Holloway, Homeford Cottage, The Jovial Dutchman in Crich and the Vaults in Wirksworth. Each pub closed means a loss of variety, choice and local community facilities.

There must be many reasons for the situation: the ridiculously high price of beer, the smoking ban, drink-driving worries and even bad weather. Perhaps fewer landlords are willing to work long hours for shrinking rewards. But all the more reason to patronise the remaining locals and keep them in business.

The Marlpool Brewery, Marlpool

Now this is a gem. It's a watering hole for real drinkers, shoehorned into what was once a shop. It comprises a bar and three small (and I mean small) rooms inside and what could, if the summer ever arrives, be a pleasant outside seating area in a yard. the brewery is out there too. There were several in-house brews on offer as well as selected ales from other small breweries. The landlord was a very nice chap who seemed keen to know our impressions of the place and talk beer. The only downside is the restricted opening hours and the restricted capacity. Otherwise, a wonderful pub.

The Queen's Head, Marlpool

This free house, lying just outside Heanor town centre, has benefited from recent refurbishment and is an attractive pub, on two levels and with several small rooms. The range of beers is quite extensive and, as is now customary, there was a mild also on offer. The staff were friendly and the younger early-Friday-evening crowd departed around 9pm, leaving only the middle-aged to enjoy their pints. A good pub.

The Miner's Arms, Carsington

The Miner's Arms is a pub I have sometimes parked outside - it has its backside to the road - but never visited ( it's a useful starting point for a walk to the pubs at Brassington). I had modest expectations of what might lay inside and those expectations were met. On the night we visited, it offered two real ales - Bass and one from the Wirksworth Brewery, Laura Rose (A pale golden ale with a distinctive citrus floral aroma leading to a strong, but not overpowering bitter hop flavour followed by a fruity, hoppy, clean finish.) Both turned out to be fine. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the 48oz steak challenge. If consumed in 30 minutes, free. If not, £35.

The Bull's Head, Belper Lane End

Another gem, this time uncovered by our cycling correspondent. A free house, under new management, this pub offers 4 real ales, three brewed in-house. We all sampled Shottle Gold - a light ale with a refreshing hoppy flavour (as they say in Camra). The bar staff couldn't have been more helpful and there was the Snug - a haven away from the kids in the carvery side - to enjoy your pint in. Open fires provided that certain woodsmoke ambience which complements a good ale. The pièce-de-résistance was that Thursday night is quiz night and. for a £1 entry fee, you get platefuls of freshly-prepared food to sustain you. Excellent! (We came third, by the way, only beaten by a team of regulars and a cabal of women with mobile phones, allegedly)

The Black Bull's Head, Openwoodgate

The Black Bull's Head is another gem. The exterior appearance belies the excellent interior - several rooms with open fires, quirky elements like a chair wide enough for Henry VIII, set up on a dais, and (on a Friday night) full of locals. There were several beers to choose from, from a number of breweries - a particularly nice flavoursome 'Manchester Bitter' - and, as is now quite popular, a range of ciders. A very convivial evening and probably worth returning for some beer-related event which happens in their 'slaughter room'. A pub that knows what it's doing.

The Hop Inn, Openwoodgate

Under new management, the Hop Inn is clearly still finding a direction. Whilst catering for families with kids who run around the pool table and teenagers who tear up beermats in acts of open defiance, the bar is well-stocked and the manager happy to offer tastes of the various ales on offer. The beer was from a range of breweries, some already known to our gallant band of quaffeurs, others new but the ones chosen were in good order. The place is also slightly overheated with steaming radiators and open fires. An odd pub but one to revisit to see how things go.

The Old Oak Inn, Horsley Woodhouse

An outstanding pub for several reasons. Architecturally interesting, with several semi-distinct seating areas; a good atmosphere, augmented by the live music provided by a quartet (later a sextet) of players of pipes, guitars and violins; more beers than you could sample in an evening and still find your way back home. All unusual, all in excellent condition. The barman (owner/manager?) left it to one of the regulars to provide a warm welcome but he did bring two of our drinks over later on. A little gem and one that could easily be tacked onto a visit to any of the pubs in Belper and surrounds.

The Bell Inn, Smalley

A cosy, friendly pub, situated in the out-of-the-way village of Smalley. They are obviously keen to promote the selling of food (we didn't explore the menu) but they equally had a selection of 6/7 real ales and the Harvest Pale was on good form. There are several sitting areas and an open (albeit artificial) fire to warm proceedings. A nice enough place to drop into although nothing outstandingly good that would make you want to miss The Old Oak Inn at Horsley Woodhouse (about a mile away).

The Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Liverpool

If this blog had a 'Classic' section, this pub would be in it, at No.1. The picture above tells you only part of what you need to know about this place. From the outside, you can see the Liver Building in one direction and the Catholic Cathedral in another but the outside, albeit splendid, is but a mere foretaste of the magnificence of the interior. It was built at the turn of the 20th Century in the style of a gentlemen's club and has retained all the ornamental glass, polished wood and snugs you might expect in such a place. The beer wasn't shabby either and there was a choice of about 4/5 proper beers. Just an absolute delight and no trip to Liverpool should miss out a visit here.

The Old Poets' Corner, Ashover

The Old Poets' Corner became such a favourite of mine, I was forced to make four visits to it over the Christmas period. The bar is a thing of splendour and beauty and features not only beers from the brewery that's outside in the car park (Ashover Brewery) but also ales from other small local brewers. The open fires, dim lighting and odd array of wooden furniture make it a wonderfully unique setting. The food is standard pub fare, reasonably priced. They pride themselves on the range of fine sausagery. Just go there - it's great!