The Duke of York, Elton

The Duke of York fits nicely in a bracket with the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton - pubs run by families with little attention to the fads of the modern world. It doesn't open till 8.30 - there's no need when there's only three regulars. It only offered one beer (Marston's Burton Bitter) which was perfectly palatable without being very flavoursome. There's also an eclectic mixture of other stuff, displayed above the bar in bottles and cans. The open fire was welcoming and the fantastic fireplace quite imposing. The landlady was kindly, although slightly hard of hearing. Worth a visit if you're passing at an appropriate hour.

The Druid Inn, Birchover

Birchover is a place we've been several times previously but always to visit the woodenly atmospheric Red Lion. The Druid had been through some changes of management and we were responding to information that it had, recently, been turned back into a pub that does food (rather than a restaurant with a small bar attached). Fortunately that did turn out to be the case and we found a selection (albeit small) of beers, from Kelham Island, Buxton Brewery and one other. All beers were on the sharp side of 'bitter' and were slightly disappointing, in terms of richness of flavour. The surroundings were conducive, apparently refurbished, but appearing to be traditional in tone. The welcome was warm and the young man behind the bar was very ready with information. A good addition to the Birchover repertoire.