PUBlic Transport

A new Demand Responsive bus service has launched in North East Derbyshire called Travel Derbyshire On Demand, funded by the county council’s bus service improvement plan.

This is a minibus service operated by Derbyshire Community Transport that is open to all and is designed to cater for journeys not served by regular scheduled buses. The fare is a flat £4 per ride for adults (Derbyshire Wayfarer tickets also accepted) and you need to book your journey in advance either on their app or on the phone. The system then designs a bus route around all the passengers wanting to travel around that time.

This bus is available for pretty much any journey within North East Derbyshire and operates on weekdays between 7am and 7pm and on Saturdays between 8am and 5pm.

The area of operation stretches from Dronfield, Ridgeway and Eckington in the north down as far south as Alfreton. There’s some good rural pubs in that area this bus could be useful for getting to in an afternoon!

For more information, including a link to download the app, visit their website roadxs.com/travel-derbyshire-on-demand/ or phone 01773 317173.

In other news, the Sheffield City Centre “Sheffield Connect” bus service sees improvements from 8 April. The existing service will be numbered SC1 and operate longer hours – 7am to 7pm – and a second route, SC2 will be introduced running from Sheffield Interchange to the Moor then along Arundel Gate, down to Millsands (for Kelham Island) and back to the Interchange via Castlegate and Flat Street. At the same time the existing minibuses are due to be replaced with electric single deckers too.

A beery day out in..

Barnsley, a town I had not visited for decades, in fact not since racing my cycle through its streets and precincts in the ’80s races held their. So, after hearing good things about its transformation, I decided to make the trip on my NR £2 return.

I started my day with a couple of swift drinks in the Bankers Draft. The first pint was a very nice Salamander Juicy Lucy, a pale of 4% with banana overtones. As the train was departing at 11:35, I followed this with a half of JHB bitter of 4.2% before the walk to Midland Station. 

As always, or so it seems, the announcer stated the train would depart from 4a, rather than the 1a we were all sat on. The mass exodus over the bridge was quite chaotic. The short hop to Barnsley quickly passed, and before I knew it we arrived in the town. 

As usual, I had a little exploration before hitting the bars. I must say that they have regenerated the town centre with great success. It is nice and bright, with a mix of old, new and very few vacant units. The market in particular is worth a mention, busy and vibrant with a variety of stalls to suit everyone, and a very busy food hall with Artisan food vendors. There was a Deli that sold tapas style dishes, now I love pitted olives with chilli, but be aware these were dynamite and good value at £2 for around a dozen or so. 

With my mouth tingling, it as time for a drink. I made my way up Market Street to The Kestrel. A little like a Wetherspoon, but with music, TVs and a very good darts set-up. There was 2 beers on from the 6 wickets on the bar. As one was Landlord, I plumped for Ringwood’s Razor Back, a 3.8% session bitter at a reasonable £3.60 and served by a friendly girl. 

A customer recommended my next port of call should be the Old No 7, so off I went up Market Hill. As I approached, ready to take my photograph, there was a chap about to have a cigarette who kindly stepped back in while I did so. This turned out to be Matty, a customer and part-time custodian of the bar. I was immediately impressed with the 8 pumps, only 1 of which had run out. I plumped for the Acorn CF299 IPA, a full-bodied 5% of English heritage. I also put a SALT Suede stout in the pump and a very tasty 4.1% with notes of chocolate and coffee, nicely roasted it was.

Manager Adam certainly knows his stuff and after moving from Skipton’s Blackhorse, he is certainly making this establishment a success. Beers regularly come from Acorn, Thornbridge, Little Critters and Ossett, as well as further afield.  

Matty had said that my next visit should be Bar Ruelle on Regent Street S, as it was another that carried an impressive array of cask. A little awkward to find, but close to the Interchange on a little side street. The bar nestles in-between small shops. Stepping in, you are faced with a bright and modern interior with the normal sight of regulars sat at the bar. As stated the pumps were varied between dark and light beers including Acorn, Theakston’s and Titanic. My first drink was Fixed Wheels Chain Reaction, 4.2% APA with Ossett’s White Rat 4% EPA closely following on. I still had over a hour to go, so 2 more beers were consumed here, those being Acorn Barnsley Bitter 3.8% and a rather nice Old Moor Porter 4.4% from the same brewery.   

I left to make the short journey across the road to the Interchange for my train home. Faced with a short delay, the train arrived 10 minute late for the short journey home. As it was still fairly early, I popped in the Old Queens Head for one last drink. The pumps on the bar have changed slightly with 4 of them being dedicated to Thwaites beers, so I plumped for a pint of Vocation Bread & Butter 3.9% APA and very nice it was too. 

All in all, a very pleasant and successful reconnaissance for a summer social to the town with the branch. As Arnie said “I’ll be back.”

CAMRA Members’ Weekend

CAMRA’s Members’ Weekend, AGM & Conference is held annually in April and is open to all CAMRA members. Not only is it a chance to discuss motions at Conference, it also gives members the opportunity to socialise in the onsite bar, attend information sessions and explore the beer scene of different cities around the UK.

After hosting the event here in Sheffield last year, this year sees it held in Dundee, celebrating the 50th anniversary of CAMRA in Scotland. It is being held over the weekend of 26-28 April. You can register to attend on the CAMRA website and receive details in advance via email, alternatively you can just turn up and register on the door if capacity is available.

Many members make a longer break of the Members’ Weekend rather than just travelling up for the conference. As well as checking out the pubs of Dundee it is a base for day trips to other nearby Scottish towns and cities. There are also other things to do aside from drink, for example Dundee is home to the V&A Design museum and the opportunity to experience life in the Antarctic with Captain Scott and his crew on the RRS Discovery at Discovery Point!

The CAMRA event is being hosted at Caird Hall, located in the City Square. As well as the AGM & Conference this features a Members’ Bar which is a small beer & cider festival open exclusively to members and will principally showcase real ale brewed in Scotland.

Whilst it is a long way to travel from Sheffield it is easy enough to get to on the train with just one change – catch a Cross Country service up to Edinburgh and connect with Scotrail services to Dundee. The cheapest train tickets are available in limited numbers if you book a specific time in advance, they are also most likely to be available at the less busy times/days. See the Cross Country Trains website for availability and to book. Alternative LNER run a daily service between York and Dundee with connections available to/from Sheffield. Various third party agencies also sell train tickets such as Uber or Trainline.

If you need cheaper but slower options it is possible by coach – some direct coaches operate, otherwise it requires a connection in Edinburgh – check out Megabus.com, Flixbus and National Express.

Dundee fairly recently hosted a previous Members’ Weekend, in 2019. Read about that here.

Manchester Pub Stroll

Northern Rail had their first sale of the year, and I thought it rude not to travel to Manchester for the princely sum of £3 return. 

After two small delays, one at Sheffield Station, the other at Edale due to point issues. I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly around 15 minutes late.

Turning right, I strolled along the main road finally finding a small record shop for a browse and chat. He pointed me round the corner to the Northern Monk Refectory, tucked on the backstreet of Tariff Street. A good range of beers in a dark, wooden interior. There was mainly 5% plus beers on offer, but with it being the first of the day, I went for a pint of Verdant People, Money, Space, Time, a sessional New England hazy 3.4% pale. 

I then went off for a stroll, taking photos of people and buildings including the Cathedral. Just round the corner sits the Old Wellington, a Tudor style pub with timber beams and three floors. Again, a decent range of beers where I went for a Dark Star Hophead 3.8% Blonde/Golden. Next stop was Wetherspoons Seven Stars in the Printworks. Reasonably priced, but unusually not a lot of choice. Out of the three “proper ales” on offer, Peerless’s Triple Blond was the best option at 4%. 

Having had a little Google search, I set out to find the Port Street Beer House, rated highly it sits on a small backstreet, and definitely needs Google Maps to find. An eclectic choice, both on cask and keg, I sampled Mallisons Nippy 4.1% Pale and Dark North Oatmeal Stout 5.5%. People were easy to talk to and a chap from the Wirral recommended a Whip It Real Good imperial stout from Black Iris. Tasting like a Walnut Whip, but unlike the chocolate it weighed in at 12% and cost £6 for a half. 

I still had a couple of hours, so I strolled back to be near Piccadilly, landing at the Crown & Kettle and a Brew York Tonkoko, a 4.3% milk stout. The pub itself was a high ceilinged, gothic windowed style pub.

Next was a pub I had visited before, the Castle Hotel and resembled the White Lion in Sheffield with small, ornate rooms. Again, great choice with a Titanic Cherry Porter, 4.9% and a Robinsons Dizzy Blonde, 3.8% accompanied with great conversation about music with three older guys. 

Finally before the train home, I popped in the Piccadilly Tavern where out of the various pumps I had a half of Thwaites Gold, a 4.1% blonde/golden. 

Fortunately, the train was on time and the journey swiftly passed with conversation with a chap whose daughter lived in Walkley and had sampled the Walkley Beer Co and the Raven. A great day, good value and cracking beers. Roll on Barnsley next month, and Northern Rail’s next sale. 

Branch social report – Royal Hotel in Dungworth & others

Having done our traditional City Centre pub social the previous weekend, it was unusual to do two such socials in as many weeks but with news that the long established Royal Hotel in Dungworth is likely to be closing down at the beginning of March with the long established owners retiring and selling up we thought it would be timely to pay a visit – and pop in a a couple of other pubs out that way whilst there!

Stagecoach bus 62 from Hillsborough Interchange runs a circular route on an hourly frequency with a stop right outside the Royal Hotel, it also links Bradfield, Loxley and Wisewood too. We met up at the Beer House in Hillsborough, which is conveniently located next to both the tram stop and bus station!

One the bus has gone through Malin Bridge and wandered around the estates in Stannington it hits beautiful countryside as it meanders up hill and down dale and on the way to Dungworth look out for the dairy farm that is the home of Our Cow Molly milk and ice cream! The journey time from Hillsborough to Dungworth is 24 minutes.

The Royal is a pub that still retains a traditional layout where you arrive via a corridor with various small rooms off to the side as well as the main lounge at the front. The bar had two cask ales available – Bradfield Yorkshire Farmer and Clark’s Best Bitter.

The pub also serves a small menu of food including a variety of pot pies, mostly steak or chicken based along with a few other dishes including liver & onion, lasagne and omelettes. Many of our party ordered a pie for lunch!

A nice little feature that has been there for many years is the windowsill in the room at the back of the pub, which affords a breath-taking view over the Loxley Valley, has a pair of binoculars for customer use!

After a couple of hours at the Royal, we just had enough time for a group photograph outside before boarding the bus again!

After Dungworth the bus passes Dam Flask lake which is the home to a sailing club and it also passes the Plough pub along with the cricket and bowling clubs in Low Bradfield before climbing up the hill to High Bradfield where we alighted for the Old Horns Inn.

The Old Horns is a Thwaites pub leased to a local operator, however the real ales on the bar were from Bradfield (Blonde, Brow Cow and Belgian Blue), Black Sheep and Theakstons. Unfortunately every table in the pub was reserved for diners so away from the bar drinkers were confined to a choice of a single bench or the outdoor drinking area, which affords a fantastic view over the valley – it was rather cold though!

We stayed at the Horns for an hour until the next bus, which heads along the main road, past the Nags Head Inn (a tap for Bradfield Brewery) and the Admiral Rodney in Loxley before dropping downhill to Wisewood. We alighted outside the Wisewood Inn where we had another hour between buses in order to enjoy a variety of Loxley Brewery beers, which are brewed on site there.

The bus then returned us to Hillsborough Interchange for onward bus or tram connections and our happy party bid each other farewell after an enjoyable afternoon drinking in rural pubs and went off to enjoy their Saturday evening!

RambAles 2024

Our RambAles combine a gently paced walk in the countryside with a real ale pub or two and CAMRA members are invited to join us. All the walks have start and finish points that are possible to reach from Sheffield by public transport.

The 2024 RambAle programme kicks off in April, our co-ordinator Malcolm is still working on the finer details but the calendar is currently planned as:

  • 13 April: Lodge Moor & Redmires. Meet at the Shiny Sheff at 12:15 (51 bus from Sheffield City Centre, Arundel Gate stop AG11 at 11:46).
  • 11 May (TBC): Eyam, Foolow, Bretton and Grindleford. Catch 65 bus from Sheffield Interchange at 11:30 to Eyam and meet at the Miners Arms.
  • 8 June: Dronfield, Apperknowle and Hundall. Coincides with One Valley Festival. Get 44 bus from Sheffield Arundel Gate stop AG12 at 11:11, meet at Drone Valley Brewery.
  • 13 July (TBC): Stanton in Peak, Birchover, Darley Bridge and Bakewell. Get 218 bus from Sheffield Interchange at 10:40, connecting onto bus 172 to Stanton in Peak, meet at the Flying Childers Inn.
  • 24 August: Bradwell, Brough and Hope. Coincides with Hope Valley Beer festival at the Old Hall Hotel. Get 272 bus from Sheffield Interchange at 12:36, meet at the Bowling Green pub in Bradwell.

A Grand Birthday Day Out

To mark my 65th birthday last November we decided to spend a night in Holmfirth and chose the very centrally located Old Bridge Hotel for our stay. All the pubs and bars on our list are easily accessible from this very smart hotel, which does have a limited free car park and overlooks the River Holme and Holmfirth bus station. It also sells real ale, but more of that later. Fortunately my birthday fell on a Thursday for had we come on a Monday, Tuesday or even a Wednesday some of the pubs and bars were closed. Even on a Thursday opening in some was not until 3pm/4pm.

After an extensive wander around the streets and shops, including morning coffee at Bluebird Bakery we headed to Harvey’s Bar & Kitchen with a view to having something to eat. Unfortunately only one cask beer was available and we didn’t fancy anything from the food menu so moved on to the Tap House. A selection of beers were available from the nearby Nook Brewhouse but on entering we were told that the bar was closing at 1pm and would reopen at about 3:30pm, It was now 12:45, so I just had a half of Nook Session IPA (3.8%). We decided to lunch at Hollowgate Fish & Chip shop but had to eat them outside as the advertised inside seating was closed off. In order to walk off our lunch we went to the furthest pub on the list, the Postcard Hotel on the main Huddersfield Road through Holmfirth. This was a fairly large roadside pub and half of Theakston Best Bitter (3.8%) was enjoyed. This pub was not on the tourist trail around the town and our stay was somewhat spoilt by the sometimes loud and colorful language of some of the local punters. Returning to the centre we sought out the Elephant & Castle with a view to looking at the food menu for a meal later in the day as this was advertised as being available until 6.45pm. My Adnams Ghost Ship (4.5%) was pleasant enough but on enquiring about food we were informed that hot drinks and food was not available as the kitchen was being refurbished, although I must say that there was no sign of any activity in the kitchen at all.

We returned to the hotel to book in and freshen up before setting out again. The first port of call after this was about a two minute walk from the hotel and what a breath of fresh air this place was. The Magic Rock Tap was light, airy and had a fresh feel to it and with pleasant staff and customers. I had a half of the dark and tasty cask Magic Rock Dark Arts Honeycomb Surreal Stout (6.6%). All three handpumps were in operation here which was in total contrast to our next port of call, OBriens Bottle Shop & Beer Cafe just around the corner from here on Huddersfield Road. This had several keg taps on the wall and three handpumps on the bar. On enquiring about cask beer I was told that they had none on as the lines were due to be cleaned. I would have thought that they had plenty of time during their closed hours (3pm opening even on a Thursday) to clean the lines so that they could at least serve cask beer when they actually opened. I was disappointed and underwhelmed by this establishment. Anyway, on to the next bar – Oscar’s Café & Wine Bar. This was brightly lit and looked welcoming, but again no real ale was available so we then sought solace in the very busy Rose & Crown. This is also known as the Nook and is the home of Nook Brewhouse. Many cask Nook beers were available and I sampled both Elder Flower (4.5%) and Choco Orange Stout (5.2%) followed by a half of their guest ale, Wensleydale Angels Touch (4.0%). This pub was bustling with regulars and visitors and we chose to eat in here. There was only one staff member behind the bar but he was doing a sterling job. Next we were hoping to go in Ys Bar & Snap, but it was closed.

After this further disappointment we decided to head back to the Old Bridge Hotel bar which had six handpumps of which five were in operation. I finished with a rather nice half of Recoil White Snake pale ale (4%).

Given the number of closed/late opening pubs/bars it occurred to me that maybe Holmfirth had it’s hey day during the many years of filming for Last of the Summer Wine and is now suffering a little as filming has ceased. Even Sid’s Café was closed on a Wednesday and Thursday.

Another Grand Day (and night) Out but was hoping for a slightly better choice of cask beer in some of the pubs/bars, when they were open that is!

Dronfield socials

We were invited to join our friends in the Dronfield & District CAMRA branch on some of their events recently.

WIRKSWORTH & MATLOCK BUS TRIP

The first joint social was a trip on the Stagecoach X17 bus which runs from Sheffield and Chesterfield through to Wirksworth via Matlock. The service runs half hourly as far as Matlock with one bus an hour continuing to Wirksworth. Currently An all day Derbyshire Wayfarer bus pass costs £8 or single tickets are just £2 a ride thanks to a government subsidised fare cap!

Given that the longest bus ride is much more comfortably done without a bladder full of beer we started at the furthest pub away – the Feather Star in Wirksworth. This quirky pub, which doubled up as a shop selling vinyl records, offered a choice of around 6 cask ales on handpump plus a number of interesting craft beers on keg too.

After a couple of beers we jumped back on an X17 to Cromford for a cheeky half in the Boat Inn. Had it not been raining the beer garden would have been an attractive proposition here but instead we grabbed an inside table not required by diners for our brief visit before heading to the bus stop for a Trent Barton 6.1 bus, unfortunately it didn’t turn up so the opportunity was taken to grab lunch at the chippy by the bus stop and instead catch the next X17 down to Matlock Bath!

The choice pub here was the Fishpond. A limited but attractive beer range here and most tables inside were reserved for diners, however the place to be is the heated and sheltered outside area with a view of the fishpond and waterfall!

The other place to go for the real ale drinker, after walking past various amusement arcades, fish & chip shops and ice cream parlours, is the Old Banknote, a micropub with three handpumps, which on our visit featured a choice of beers from Eyam brewery.

The next move was back on the X17 into Matlock town. We had an ambitious list of good pubs in the town but limited ourselves just to Bod Cafe-bar run by Titanic Brewery along with the award winning Twenty-Ten bar, two venues almost next door to one another, before heading back to Chesterfield and Sheffield (with an easy connection to Dronfield on the 43/44 bus from Chesterfield before the X17 heads up the bypass fast to Sheffield).

MEET & GREET #1 – COACH & HORSES

The Coach & Horses pub is on the edge of Dronfield attached to the Sheffield FC football ground and is run by Thornbridge brewery and the Dronfield CAMRA branch took the pub over on the evening of Friday 6 October to meet & greet local drinkers and hopefully recruit some new members. The evening started with a beer tasting with samples of various Thornbridge beers shared around, this was followed by a beer themed quiz then live music provided by Jamie Mallender’s Swear Box. The branch also hosted a membership stand in the pub with lots of information available.

Later in October saw another Dronfield CAMRA Friday night Meet & Greet event, this time at the Dronfield Arms, which is home to Temper Brewing.

Again the evening featured a beer tasting with everyone in the pub offered tasters from Temper’s cask beer range along with a quiz. Pizza Pi, who serve from a kiosk in the pub beer garden from 4pm-9pm Thursday to Saturday also provided a few free samples which tempted many to order themselves a full pizza!

Since then the branch ran a Sunday social on 19 November starting off with a carvery lunch at the Dronfield Pioneer Club followed by a wander down the hill to the Dronfield Arms and Underdog.

The next Dronfield branch event is a branch meeting at the White Swan on 12 December, 8pm start then:

  • Sunday 7 January – Post Christmas social: Sunday carvery and a pint at the Hyde Park Inn at Hill Top.
  • Tuesday 9 January – branch meeting at the Pioneer Club in Dronfield.
  • Tuesday 13 February – branch meeting at the George & Dragon in Holmesfield.

More information about what Dronfield & District branch are up to can be found on their website – dronfield.camra.org.uk and look out for their “Peel Ale” magazine.

SUMMER PUB OF THE SEASON

The winner was the Cross Daggers in Coal Aston.

India Rail Ale

Having been a regular visitor to India in the decade leading up to the plague, this was my first trip since that forced hiatus. India had never had a big beer culture (or at least not since the days the British were stationed there) but brewpubs were just starting to appear when I first went in 2010. Many more were to spring up over the next few years but very much concentrated in a few cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, and beer quality generally ranged from average to homebrew (with the honourable exception of Arbor in Bengaluru, an offspring of the eponymous brewer in Michigan (and not related to the one in Brizzle!)). However, in the last few years brewpubs have started to spring up all over the place, and with the exception of the dry state of Gujarat I was able to find craft beer in almost every city I stayed. Unsurprisingly, Untappd and Ratebeer are very incomplete for India, but I found simply searching ‘craft beer’ on Google maps came up with the best results.

As with previous trips, I had an ‘open jaw’ flight (in this case out to Mumbai, back from Delhi) and used trains to get between cities, generally paying around a tenner for an overnight journey in air-conditioned sleeper class. Local travel during the day was a mix of local trains costing 20-50p a trip, Uber (half hour ride from the airport costing the princely sum of £3), and autorickshaws costing between 50p and 2 quid a trip. Decent hotels were generally under £20 a room, food is cheap and contrary to stereotype perfectly safe if you follow Rule 1 – watch it being cooked fresh in front of you. In fact the only thing that isn’t cheap is craft beer! As with many cheap countries, craft beer isn’t noticeably cheaper than here, with a 300ml glass being £2 at the cheapest place I went and £4 at the most expensive.

Although I landed in Mumbai I didn’t plan to spend much time there (been before, and it’s humid as hell), so just the one bar before heading north, namely Doolally Taproom, an outlet for the eponymous brewery on the outskirts of Mumbai. A small bar, with lovely air conditioning, six beers were on offer plus a cider and a mead. I opted for the ‘flight’, six 100ml glasses for a bit under a tenner, along with some spicy masala topped chips with dips. The coffee and orange mead was really interesting, the beers were all decent if not exciting, the oat stout probably being the pick. From here we took a train to Anand for the overnight journey to Veraval.

Being as the next two days were in Gujarat there’s not much to report for a beer magazine, so I’ll skip ahead to Rajasthan…

I last visited Jodhpur in 2010, and was only really passing through this time, but had long enough to visit 4 Brothers brewpub. The brewery and restaurant are on the ground floor, but we were directed to the ‘sky bar’, though really it was just an upstairs room with a glass front.

Beers were a bit different from the ‘usual’ Indian brewpub offerings, with mango wheat, a strawberry ale and a rose wheat!

I spent three nights in Ludhiana (carefully planned mid-trip so I’d be able to avail of the hotel laundry service, halving the amount of clothes I needed to carry round), which happens to have three brewpubs all five minutes’ walk apart. First up was Underdoggs, a sports bar (no prize for guessing which sport was on, especially as it was the World Cup!). I tried the surprisingly refreshing Masala Saison and the German Wheat, there were also a lager and a cider.

Just down the road is Brew Estate, part of a small chain of brewpubs, on this occasion offering their ‘house’ lager and a German style Bock. The cricket was on here too.

Finally, round the corner was Brew Haus, which wasn’t showing the cricket but from the rooftop bar one could watch on a huge screen in the square. The beers were Gabru, a pale lager, and dark lager Boxer. Both very German in style, fairly sweet and a slight biscuity finish.

From here I popped over the Haryana state line to Ambala, where I visited Pyramid brewpub. Inside it was much the same as most of the other places, dimly lit and large screens showing the cricket. I picked the Belgian Wheat (well the Scottish Ale was off and the lager was, well, lager).

Back in Punjab the train took me to Bathinda, where I visited The Brewery Club, which has the brewery on the ground floor, a restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs, though food is also served at the latter, and I had an egg curry with jeera rice. Beers were a German Ale, a German Lager, a Belgian wit and a dark lager. These were by far the cheapest beers of the trip, but were as good as any of the other brewpubs I tried in Punjab. The menu somewhat bizarrely referred to both 350ml and 550ml measures as ‘British Pint’!

*Tourism interlude* While in Punjab I decided it would be rude not to visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar, I took an autorickshaw from the station to near the temple then walked the rest of the way, which was slow progress as I got stuck in traffic despite being on foot! The narrow alleys are totally unsuited to motor traffic, but that doesn’t stop people driving autorickshaws down them, completely clogging the way. Once at the temple I checked in my boots, receiving a metal token in return, I then had to buy some loose-fitting trousers as shorts are not allowed inside, and finally was loaned a patka (head covering). I spent a good while exploring the temple, though at the risk of losing my Yorkshire green card I passed up the opportunity of a free meal at the langar as the queue was too long – well they do serve 100,000 meals a day!

Once I finished at the temple, binned the trousers and retrieved my boots I took an autorickshaw across town to a little cluster of craft bars, starting with the most familiar, Brewdog. Obviously I eschewed their own wares in favour of the local guests… inside it was like any Brewdog bar anywhere in the world, and was quite empty at the time I went. I had an excellent mango wheat and a decent IPA from Mobster brewery, and from Brew Nut a stout.

From here it was a short stroll to Beer Story, a small bar with just one craft beer among the Kingfisher etc, Beach Beauty Pilsner from Aquarian brewery.

Round the corner on the second floor of a shopping centre is Egyptian Brewery, another brewpub, offering light and strong versions of lager. At this point my internet connection randomly cut out, thankfully after I’d ordered my Uber back to the station and my final overnight train of the trip.

As with Mumbai I’d given myself little time in Delhi, as it has featured in almost all my Indian trips so far. There are a handful of brewpubs and craft bars in central Delhi, but the district of Gurgaon has loads, however I’m pretty sure not all the brewpubs actually brew – in particular there’s a square which had three brewpubs when I went and grew to at least nine, but all with suspiciously similar beer range! For my trip swansong I opted for Fort City Brewing in New Delhi, a modern brewpub seemingly popular with Indians and westerners alike. I worked my way through most of the beers, ignoring only the lagers, accompanied by a pulled duck burger for a bit of a change from spicy food three times a day (not that I was complaining!). The beers were definitely the best (and most expensive!) of the trip, including a dunkelweizen, a stout, a NEIPA and a berry witbier.

After that it just remained to get a £2.60 Uber for the half hour drive to the airport, exchange my online boarding card for a printed one (the airport procedures have got a lot smoother since that first trip when we queued an hour just to get in the building, but they still like to stamp the boarding card at the check-in desk, at passport control and at security control), fly overnight to Munchen and on to Brum, then a train back to Sheffield that made me wonder if I was still in India, taking 45 minutes to get from Birmingham International to New St and then absolutely crush loaded from there to Sheffield…

Once back at Sheffield station it was just a 15 minute walk home, or would have been had I not gone via Rutland Arms, Head of Steam, Vocation, Brewdog, Crow and Lost in West Bar. By that stage I was too tired to go to Shakespeare so just took a Bolt home and ordered a curry…

Dave Szwejkowski

Penistone line train

An attempt at an Ale Trail on the Penistone Rail Line which runs between Barnsley and Huddersfield. The first part of the line opened in 1850 between Huddersfield and Penistone, with the other part following later. It is designated as a “Community Rail Line” and covers a 27 Mile Route (from Sheffield to Huddersfield).

Dodworth – Dodworth Tap

After changing trains at Barnsley and hopping om board the train to Huddersfield, the first stop on the Penistone Line was Dodworth. The village is known as being a former coal mining village and the memorial stands in the centre of the village with some great history about nearby pits.

The pub I called into here is called “Dodworth Tap”, formerly known as the Station Inn, but opened in July 2020 after the amazing renovation work which makes the pub look so good. A large inside area with a huge stone fireplace along the back wall, alongside a great sized outdoor area.

A great choice of 5 real ales on the bar here to choose from, “White Rat” from Ossett Brewery was my choice, one of my favourite beers which never disappoints. Was great to meet up with the couple being The Great British Pub Crawl aswell here. Check out their adventures HERE.

Can also try Thorneley Arms further down the road if you want more time in Dodworth.

Silkstone Common – The Station Inn

The next station on the line was Silkstone Common. This one is a literal walk off the platform and into the pub, “The Station Inn”. A really warm and welcoming village pub full of locals when I entered. Sunday Lunches are served aswell as other food events during the week.

A choice of 2 real ales on the bar here, Timothy Taylor “Landlord” and Bradfield “Farmers Blonde”. I went with “Farmers Blonde” from Bradfield Brewery. A great easy drinking blonde beer.

A huge outdoor beer garden to the left of the pub (next to the train station entrance), which includes some small wooden cabins so lots of seating for the summer months,

Penistone – Penistone Tap and Brewhouse

Back on the train again, getting off this time at Penistone. Penistone station used to be the junction for the Woodhead Line which was a line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester. The old part of the station can still be seen.

Around an 8 minute uphill walk brings me to the town centre where the pub “Penistone Tap and Brewhouse” is located. This micropub opened in 2021 and also acts as the brewery tap for “Woodland Brewing” which was formerly known as Whitefaced, the brewery being located on the rear of the ground floor.

A choice of 2 cask ales and 8 keg beers here. I started off with “Eternal Summer” from the in house brewery Woodland Brewing. A delicious easy drinking golden ale. Followed by “Catharina Strawberry and Guava Sour”, a tasty and tart sour beer from Triple Point Brewing in Sheffield.

Penistone – Penistone Beer Shop

A few doors up is “Penistone Beer Shop”, a great place to drop into to get a few drinks for the train journey home. Packed full of bottles and cans from local Yorkshire breweries plus ones from further afield.

If you want to jump off at Shepley there are two local pubs The Black Bull and The Farmers Boy that are worth calling into both selling real ale.

Denby Dale – The White Hart

Next stop on the line is Denby Dale, on coming into Denby Dale Station you go over a large viaduct which is Grade II Listed. It was originally built of wood but replaced by the current structure in 1880.

A short 7/8 minute walk downhill from the station and through the small village brings me to “The White Hart”, a pub which looks fantastic on the main road through the village, with lots of outdoor seating to enjoy the sunshine (although it was quite clouded over today).

A choice of 3 real ales on the bar here, 2 from Timothy Taylors Brewery and the other from Theakston Brewery. I went with “Landlord” from Timothy Taylors Brewery in Keighley. An award winning beer.

Stocksmoor – Clothiers Arms

The next stop along the line is Stocksmoor. Its claim to fame being it was the birthplace of Ben Swift Chambers, the church minister who, in Liverpool, founded St Domingo’s parish football team, which became Everton Football Club. A picturesque small country village.

“The Clothiers Arms” is located next to the station, a large country inn style pub, with outdoor seating on decking at the entrance to the pub. It offers food a number of days a week. A very traditional style pub inside.

A choice of 2 cask ales on here, Bradfield Brewery “Farmers Blonde” and Tetleys Cask. I went with the “Farmers Blonde”, a favourite of mine and always tastes great.

Brockholes – Rock Inn

Next call is to Brockholes, another small village along the line. A 7/8 minute walk downhill brings me to “Rock Inn”, a Thwaites pub situated on the banks of the River Holme. It was refurbished in 2014 and is full of character and charm of a village inn.

Really busy local pub, a number of cask beers available here including Wainwrights and Bombardier. I went with a pint of “Wainwrights” a lovely golden beer from Marston’s Brewery. Enjoyed overlooking the river in the rear beer garden.

Berry Brow – The Railway

Last call on the Penistone Line before getting back into Huddersfield. This time its Berry Brow. A short 4 minute walk downhill from the station brings me to “The Railway”, a very popular pub, and a very warm welcome on entering the pub. Lots of outdoor seating here being a front and a side beer garden. Also has food offerings at certain times.

Five cask beers available on the bar today. Bradfield Brewery, Moorhouses Brewery, Abbeydale Brewery, Recoil Brewing and Ossett Brewery. I went with “Upbeat” a special beer from Moorhouses Brewery based in Lancashire.

A walk back up to the station to head to Huddersfield on the train to finish off the Penistone Line Ale Trail.

The Golden Fleece is the opposite way from the railway station if you have longer to spend here.

Huddersfield – Kings Head

Two pubs located on Huddersfield Station. Started with the “Kings Head”. Always a busy place with lots of beer choices (both cask and keg). Huddersfield is covered in more detail as part of the “Transpennine Ale Trail“

Went with “Piccadilly Gold” from Cloudwater Brew Co in Manchester. A great classic beer, easy drinking.

Huddersfield – The Head of Steam

Located on the opposite side of the station is “The Head of Steam”, a 2 roomed pub which also offers food. Huddersfield is covered in more detail as part of the “Transpennine Ale Trail“

A great range of cask and keg beers in here. 14 cask and 8 Keg. Went with “Pork Scratchings – Best Bitter” from Northern Monk. A really interesting beer, a smoky tasting English Bitter. Really enjoyed this.

Scott Spencer – Micropub adventures