The winner in the Derbyshire part of our Sheffield & District branch area competition, as voted for by our members and validated by our judges, is the Old Hall Hotel in Hope.
The main pub building is a 16th Century coaching inn sited on the main road through the village opposite the church which is split into three areas – the main lounge containing the bar, a smaller side room and a restaurant. Upstairs there are hotel rooms offering bed & breakfast accommodation with the breakfast served in the tea room, located in a newer building that is connected to the main pub.
The pub is traditionally furnished and in the winter gets quite cosy with the fire lit!
A selection of well kept real ales is available on the pub’s bar, generally leaning towards the more traditional styles. The pub is also proud of its scotch whisky selection with some of the stock arriving following road trips to the highlands and islands of Scotland!
On most bank holiday weekends a marquee appears on the pub car park hosting the Hope Valley Beer & Cider Festival with a large range of cask ales served on a mixture of handpump and gravity and the opportunity is usually taken to showcase breweries from or near to Derbyshire including the two most local brewers Intrepid and Eyam. The festival also features live entertainment and a snack bar.
The Old Hall Hotel is leased from Heineken’s Star Pub Company by Atlantik Inns, a local company run hands on by experienced pub landlord Rick Ellison and his team. There is a quiz night every Tuesday and various other events from time to time and attracts tourists staying in the area, hikers and day trippers as well as locals that live in Hope or other nearby villages.
Join us at the Old Hall’s beer festival on Saturday 25 May when we’ll be presenting them with the District Pub of the Year award at around 3pm.
Buses 173 (Bakewell-Castleton) and 271/272 (Sheffield-Castleton) stop close to the pub or Hope railway station (Sheffield-Manchester line) is a 10-15 minute walk away.