The theme of this year’s Chesterfield Great Historic Pub Tour could be described as “The Best of Chesterfield”. Visiting a total of 8 pubs, 6 of which are in the latest edition of CAMRA’s, “The Good Beer Guide”, and 2 more that should make the cut soon.
Your guide is Shaun Stevenson, a local history enthusiast with a passion for supporting the hospitality trade. His knowledge concerning Chesterfield’s pubs is extensive, despite the fact that Shaun is actually legally blind. “I know Chesterfield like the back of my hand”, remarked Shaun. “If you join me on one of my tours, I’ll tell you all about these fabulous places, including stories about famous people, local heroes, tragic events and even murders”.
Chesterfield has managed to retain its historic town centre with its recently revamped open air market attracting many new visitors. Shaun is keen to show off his home town and promises to indulge in some history telling as the tour passes through landmarks like the Crooked Spire churchyard, The Shambles and the 800 year old market square, with its cobblestones and narrow alleyways.
The day begins at 12 noon in the Pig & Pump on St Mary’s Gate, in the shadow of the Crooked Spire. This walking tour allows around 30 minutes at each venue to purchase the drink of your choice. The group will then move on to the next pub with interesting anecdotes along the way. An optional pre-arranged lunch is available around 3pm and the tour finishes at The Neptune Beer Emporium around 5pm/6pm.
Dates for 2026 are limited to Saturdays – 9th May, 6th June, 4th July, 1st August, 5th September. Booking in advance is recommended.
Shaun has been operating the Chesterfield Great Historic Pub Tour since 2019 and has noticed a trend towards real ale tourism. “Organisations like CAMRA and some enterprising individuals have created an entire industry around ‘making a day of it’. Structured pub tours based around locations and transport links are becoming very popular and I would like to think that my tour offers something different, within this genre”. Shaun added, “I’m looking forward to welcoming friends old and new. Regulars return every year, knowing that I always tell new stories and visit new places.”
Shaun also provides pub tours of Bakewell on selected Saturdays throughout the summer and a popular local drinking challenge, the Brampton Mile, on bank holiday Sundays.
For more details, visit www.greathistoricpubtours.co.uk Facebook – search @CGHPT and YouTube – Great Historic Pub Tours.
The Hope Valley train is the popular local train service operated by Northern between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly that stops at stations in villages down the Hope Valley including Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope and Edale within our branch area. Also within Sheffield it calls at Dore & Totley station. The service is generally hourly and runs all day every day except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The 272 bus, operated jointly by First bus and High Peak, runs on a roughly hourly frequency in the daytime with a couple of evening journeys provided too. It sets off from Sheffield Interchange and heads out the city via Ecclesall Road and Whirlow to Fox House and Surprise Corner before dropping down into the valley at Hathersage and then parrallels the railway though Bamford and Hope before continuing up to Castleton with some journeys branching off to do a double run down to Bradwell, where it does a loop around the village via the infamous “Bradwell Gap”.
As well as the country pubs featured below the 272 bus passes Intrepid Brewery in Brough (keep an eye on their social media for occasional open days held over the summer with a pop up bar and food truck) and the High Peak Wine & Beer shop in Castleton if you want cans or bottles to take home.
On bus 272 and other local buses the maximum single fare is still £3 per ride or a Derbyshire wayfarer pass offers all day unlimited travel for £9. There is also a train inclusive Wayfarer option for £17. A return train ticket from Sheffield to Edale currently costs £11.50 after 9am and allows break of journey on route (prices correct at time of going to press).
The pubs in Castleton were previously featured in our guide to bus route 173 (Castleton to Bakewell) so descriptions aren’t repeated here.
In the summer a “Peak Sightseer” open top bus service usually operates in the area as well, a separate tour ticket is required for this, look out for an announcement from Stagecoach regarding their plans for the 2026 season.
The Fox House is something of a landmark at the Sheffield boundary on the edge of the Peak District and is part of the Mitchell & Butler owned “Vintage Inns” chain offering beer, dining, rooms and a beer garden with views over the moors!
A venue run by the Longbow group, a small local chain. This is primarily a hotel and regularly hosts weddings – however the bar and restaurant is normally open to the public. It is located at the end of the station drive, a short distance outside the village.
Restaurant & Bar. Formerly a historic bank, now an award winning contemporary restaurant and cocktail bar nestling in the heart of the Peak District National Park. Bank House offers fresh locally sourced seasonal produce and the finest tipples from Europe including 1 cask ale, usually from Abbeydale.
A smart bar, restaurant and hotel with patio area at rear operated by Longbow Venues Group who also have venues in Grindleford, Owler Bar, Ashford in the Water, Rowsley and Bakewell. The cask ale choice includes a house badged beer from Thornbridge.
A long, thin, L-shaped pub with food and hotel rooms, this has recently seen a change of management and a refurbishment that has given it a much smarter feel. All moods are catered for, whether it’s a pint and game of pool or a spot of lunch! 3 cask ales are available.
The only pub left in the village and is community owned but leased out to a local company to operate. A recent refurbishment has cleverly divided the pub into sections to give the feel of tap room, games room, lounge and restaurant. The cask ale range features local beers, usually from Intrepid and Eyam, alongside a well known brand. The pub shares the building with a post office and tea room and there is an outdoor drinking area alongside the car park. The pub is a 1 mile uphill walk from the railway station and 272 bus, the 257 bus will take you there.
Large roadside pub, open plan but with distinct areas around the island bar. There is a big screen showing sporting events and pool table. Dogs and walkers welcome.
Welcoming village inn traditionally decorated with multiple drinking areas including a pool room and area laid out for good value food. French windows overlook the large beer garden. Walkers and dogs welcome.
Imposing roadside pub opposite the village church. A spacious interior includes two large open plan areas either side of the bar, one area a comfortable lounge, and the other a tap room including traditional pub games.
Exposed low beams and stone walls lend a rustic feel to this quiet relaxed village local, dating from 1676 and just uphill from the village green. A popular community pub offering a very diverse range of entertainments, complemented by a choice of cask ales from Bradfield Brewery.
Historical pub with bar, restaurant, hotel rooms and an attached tea room. The pub bit is spread across two rooms, both with a fire lit in winter! A range of traditional cask ales can be found on the bar along with an extensive Scotch whisky collection. Beer festivals are held most bank holiday weekends in a marquee on the car park.
A cosy country inn dating from 1578 with an open plan bar area and a smaller room at a lower level that was probably originally used to house animals, but now is mainly used as a dining area. Home cooked meals using local produce are served lunchtimes and evenings. 4 cask ales are available and the pub also offers accommodation.
A pub and hotel located next to the railway station surrounded by hills! The range of cask ales usually includes choices from Abbeydale and Torrside among others and a food menu of pub classics is offered.
Located in the part of the village up the hill from the railway station and at the start of the Pennine Way footpath, this classic old pub offers beer, food and accommodation with outdoor seating at the rear.
A number of our members like to make the effort to deliver copies of Beer Matters magazines to bars in other countries they visit, here is Martyn Stevens, a fan of beer and heritage buses, who more regularly drinks in the Chapeltown and Kelham Island areas in Narke kultur Brewery’s tap in Orebro, Sweden. This is one of his favourite breweries and is an hour and a half by train from Stockholm.
The 257 bus, operated by Andrews of Tideswell, is one of the regular but lesser known bus links from Sheffield to the Peak District, leaving Sheffield Interchange hourly in the daytime every day except Sunday, running to Eyam and Bakewell via “the scenic route” taking in Crosspool, Yorkshire Bridge, Bamford, Hathersage, Grindleford, Calver, Stoney Middleton, Eyam, Baslow and Bakewell.
The 65 bus, operated by Stagecoach, runs from Sheffield Interchange a more direct route to Grindleford via Ecclesall and Fox House then follows the same route to Eyam as the 257. It continues beyond Eyam to Foolow and on to Buxton via Great Hucklow, Tideswell, Litton and Millers Dale. This bus is less regular, running about once every 2 hours, although it does operate seven days a week!
Most of both bus routes are within the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch area – our patch stretches to Millers Dale on the 65 whilst on the 257 Baslow and Bakewell is the only part not in our area. The majority of both routes offer some breathtaking Peak District scenery as well as great country pubs!
This pub sits quite close to the junction on the A57 where the road heads on a viaduct over the reservoirs and up onto the Snake Pass. The recently reopened pub is leased from Batemans Brewery (a family business based in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire) by the same people at the Psalter in Sharrow, Sheffield and has a cosy bar and restaurant (full food menu launches in January) plus hotel rooms. Bus 257, 257a or 257b.
This pub is on the road to Bamford just a short distance beyond Derwent dam with a traditional bar, separate restaurant and hotel rooms. Bus 257, 257a or 257b.
The only pub left in the village and is community owned but leased out to a local company to operate. A recent refurbishment has cleverly divided the pub into sections to give the feel of tap room, games room, lounge and restaurant. The cask ale range features local beers, usually from Intrepid and Eyam, alongside a well known brand. The pub shares the building with a post office and tea room and there is an outdoor drinking area alongside the car park. Bus 257, 257a or 257b.
A smart bar, restaurant and hotel with patio area at rear operated by Longbow Venues Group who also have venues in Grindleford, Owler Bar, Ashford in the Water, Rowsley and Bakewell. The cask ale choice includes a house badged beer from Thornbridge. Bus 257, 257a or 272.
A long, thin, L-shaped pub with food and hotel rooms, this has recently seen a change of management and a refurbishment that has given it a much smarter feel. All moods are catered for, whether it’s a pint and game of pool or a spot of lunch! 3 cask ales are available. Bus 257, 257a, 272 or train.
Located a short distance out of Hathersage on the road to Grindleford is this traditional pub, restaurant and hotel that also benefits from a choice of outdoor drinking areas in a rural setting. Bus 257 or 257a.
Another Longbow venue, this is primarily a hotel and regularly hosts weddings, however the bar and restaurant is normally open to the public. It is located at the end of the station drive, a short distance outside the village. Bus 65.
In the centre of the village on Sir Willam Road, this hotel, bar and restaurant sits on the side of the hill that rises out of the village, which is in the bottom of the Hope Valley with the beer garden enjoying an attractive setting! Bus 65, 257 or 257a.
Reopened in August 2025 when the Refined Pub Group took on the lease, this is a cosy pub with food located at the cusp of the river Derwent that manages to be both traditional and modern in style at the same time! It also has a great beer garden. The beer range includes some local choices such as Abbeydale, Peak Ales and Thornbridge alongside the mainstream brands. Bus 66, X66, 257 or 257b (or walk from routes 65 at Calver Sough).
Handpumps on the bar at the Calver Arms. Photo: James Brown.Calver Arms. Photo: Richard Allen
Recently bought by a local businessman, renamed and refurbished. It has a modern, smart feel but with some cosy, traditional touches. There are two rooms, the smaller of which can be used for functions or dining occasions – at other times it adopts the role of a sports bar. Food is a menu of pub classics. Three cask ales available.Buses 65, 66, X66, 257, 257a or 257b.
A freehouse that has been a village pub since 1821 with a changing selection of real ales, extensive gin range, pub classic food menu, beer garden and hotel rooms. Buses 65, 66, X66, 257, 257a or 257b.
Toll Bar Fish & Chips – photo: Richard Allen
A special mention in Stoney Middleton is the Toll Bar fish & chip shop. As well as excellent food they stock bottled beer from Eyam Brewery and the riverside garden has a local history information board that tells you about all the pubs that used to exist in the village!
Village pub, restaurant and hotel rooms. Three cask ales are available, generally from local breweries such as Peak Ales or Eyam. Has a beer garden. Bus 65, 66, 257, 257a or 257b.
Standing in the picturesque, limestone hamlet of Foolow, this pub has several rooms including a cosy bar and restaurant. There are hotel rooms upstairs and a beer garden outside. Their mantra is old skool done well. Bus 65, 66 or 257b.
Hidden off the main road down below by the river Wye, this pub has three rooms including a tap room with pool table, traditional lounge and dining room. Bus 65.
Watch out for a small number of route variations on the 257 around 3/4pm – the 257a uses a different route between Eyam and Bakewell (via Wardlow Mires and Monsal Head) whilst the 257b uses a different route between Eyam and Bamford (via Foolow, Bradwell and Hope)!
Bus timetables and route maps are available from Travel Derbyshire. Fares are currently capped at £3 per ride, however if you are exploring the area then a Derbyshire Wayfarer all day bus pass may be better value costing £9. Those tickets are available from the bus driver or on the Travelmaster app, which also offers live bus departure information.
Saturday November 15th saw the annual Steel City Beer Festival volunteer day out. After a last-minute check on Storm Claudia flood warnings, our coach travelled north taking 46 passengers to the joys of Happy Valley. Here we met several fellow workers who had journeyed from other parts of West Yorkshire before splitting into smaller groups to investigate the 15 outlets listed on our guide. The relatively small size of Hebden Bridge meant that all of us spent the afternoon meeting-up with colleagues as we moved from pub to pub. As one participant said afterwards, ‘my first Sheff CAMRA trip. Got to say how great it was.’
Ten of us commenced with the most outlying pub: Stubbing Wharf with four hand-pumps. Then it was to West Yorkshire’s first community co-operative pub: the Fox and Goose where a single bar served three flagstone floored rooms and a beer garden which seems to stretch as far as Heptonstall.
Other outlets included the Albert (the ‘Duke of Wellington’ in the recent BBC series, ‘Riot Women’), Drink! – a specialist bottle shop and sampling room with bar, Hidden Hebden, the Trades Club, Vocation & Co. and the tap for local brewery, Nightjar.
Also visited was MAMIL*, a recent addition to a small local chain of cycle-themed café-bars: this was felt to be the bar with the most garish facilities.
Beers sampled included several from local brewery, Vocation plus many others. Big Drop, Black Sheep, Deeply Vale, Harrogate, Nightjar, Ossett, Pictish, Pomona Island, Redwillow, Small World, Squark, Theakston and Timothy Taylor were among the many breweries encountered.
Thanks to our driver, Glyn, and for their local knowledge as our map was constructed, Hebden residents, Alice, Josh and their dog, Mars. Also thanks to everyone who was on the coach for their exemplary time-keeping – much appreciated. Also, it was good to see that none of you turned left after using the on-board facilities.
See you next year!
* MAMIL, Middle Aged Men In Lycra, is an acronym which was heavily used in 2014 when the Tour de France visited Hebden Bridge and also saw it’s best-ever Grand Départ.
Bus 173 is a handy little rural bus operated by Andrew’s of Tideswell that shuttles up and down once every two hours between Castleton and Bakewell via a number of villages passing some fantastic country pubs along the way. The route from Castleton as far as Great Longstone is in the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch area. Ashford in the Water and Bakewell is covered by the Chesterfield CAMRA branch.
A number of branch members including your Beer Matters editor have recently enjoyed a few days out visiting some of the pubs on the route and we’ve featured a few of the highlights here, however a full list of pubs along our part of the route is provided!
On our trips we’ve travelled from Sheffield using the 218 bus to Bakewell or the 65 to Tideswell or Litton in order to connect with the 173 and travel up and down between some of the pubs on the route, finishing in one of Bradwell, Hope or Castleton and catching the 272 bus back to Sheffield.
All the buses in the area charge no more than £3 a ride for single fares, however better value is the Derbyshire Wayfarer all day bus pass costing £9, you can buy that from the bus driver or on the Travelmaster app.
A Robinsons pub with a range of their cask ales, including Old Tom strong dark ale on our visit and traditional pub grub. It is a characterful pub with huge displays of tankards and ornaments, pub cat and friendly bar service.
A cosy Thornbridge Brewery pub known for its food. If you can’t get a table in the pub itself head for the beer garden at rear with both indoor and outdoor areas available!
Stables Bar, Monsal Head (also served by bus 257a once a day!)
Run by the same management as the Packhorse Inn, the Stables bar is in an outbuilding behind the Monsal Head Hotel and has a range of cask ales and serves food. Head outside for a breathtaking view over the valley!
Three Stags’ Heads, Wardlow Mires (also served by bus 257a and X66, both once a day! Note two buses a day on the 173 use an alternative route via Cressbrookdale and bypass Wardlow)
An absolutely legendary little pub where time has stood still. Leave your attitude and expectation at the door, buy a pint of ale (cash only), sit down in front of the fire and enjoy beer & conversation whilst taking in some of the eccentricities and history on display. Included in CAMRA’s national inventory of historic pub interiors.
Cosy old multi roomed country pub with a range of mainly local cask ales, home cooked food and hotel rooms. Management and staff are friendly and organise special events from time to time.
Friendly local pub split into three areas. As you walk in there are lounge areas to your left and right with the bar at the far left, then up some steps there is a further area with a pool table. Two cask ales are available.
Recently reopened under the new management of Atlantik Inns, this pub is leased from Greene King Brewery and has a lounge, dining room, games room and courtyard.
Open in November and December 2025 on selected Fridays and Saturdays then every weekend from Easter 2026 as a pop up bar, this is in an empty industrial unit and featuring a range of their beer on cask and keg with merchandise also available to buy. The unit is due to be converted into a proper tap bar and shop soon following a crowdfunding campaign. The conversion will include the addition of a kitchen, until then selected dates will see a street food trader outside – check the brewery’s social media for updates.
Operated by Atlantik Inns who lease the pub from Robinsons Brewery, this is a classic pub that has recently benefited from a huge investment in renovation and refurbishment. It still has a multi room style layout with areas for both drinkers and diners. Cask ale from Robinsons brewery is available. The pub made headlines recently for having a dedicated space in the car park for tractors.
Classic village multi roomed pub with a couple of real ales and food available.
Blind Bull, Little Hucklow (a 7 minute walk from the bus stop, also served by bus 257b once a day)
In a village located down a country lane off the main road the buses use, this 12th century Inn spent a few years derelict before recently being restored and reopened, winning a national CAMRA Pub Design Award in the process. It is independently run, smart and offers ale, good food and hotel rooms.
White Hart, Bradwell (also served by bus 257b and 272)
A traditional stone flag floored local pub, now run by Bradfield Brewery. Note being in Derbyshire the Yorkshire Farmer ale is rebadged as White Hart ale!
Old Hall Hotel, Hope (also served by bus 62, 257b and 272)
This is a popular venue featuring a bar with cask ales (mainly well known brands including Theakstons) and an extensive Scotch Whisky selection, restaurant, tea room and hotel rooms. A beer festival is held in a marquee outside on most bank holiday weekends featuring beers from Derbyshire and Scotland along with live music and food.
Woodroffe Arms, Hope (also served by bus 62, 257b and 272)
Traditional local pub offering ale, food and sport on tv.
Cosy old pub down a country lane towards Edale with two rooms on split levels and a beer garden. Cask ales and food available, also offers accommodation.
SwissTap Tap, Castleton (also served by bus 62 and 272)
A micropub located across two rooms on the ground floor of the Swiss House Bed & Breakfast house. Two cask ales from Abbeydale brewery are available and TV screens show sporting action.
Also on the route but outside the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch area is Thornbridge Brewery tap room near Bakewell and the Ashford Arms at Ashford in the Water. For pubs in Bakewell please see the guide to bus route 218.
This August I revisited Bangkok after several years, catching up with friends and visiting old favourites – and some new venues.
Brewing and alcohol laws in Thailand are complex and have changed (for the better) a fair amount in recent years. I believe until recent law changes only a brewpub and a mass production license were available. This resulted in illegal brewing, or legally brewing in a neighbouring country with brewers then having to import their beer into Thailand to sell it. Duties and taxes are still high, but there are now more legal routes to brew and distribute in-country. There is also a large import market and lots of craft beer venues, but the duties and taxes keep prices very high. The most expensive beer I saw on this visit was about £14 for 350ml – an imported 8.9% Vault City & Overtone collaboration. The cheapest local craft beer was around £4.50 for a similar measure. Local lager can be found for around £2 (or more, or less – depending on where you are).
My first stop after landing on a Saturday afternoon was Hair of the Dog in Phrom Phong. They were founded in 2015, and have 2 locations just off Sukhumvit. Their first bar was my local when I lived in Phloen Chit in 2017. Their Phrom Phong bar opened a year later and is slightly larger with a gin bar mezzanine floor. They offer 13 taps of craft beer at each location – all recently kitted out with Czech side pour taps. Both bars also offer cocktails and a large beer fridge for drink in and takeaway. Canadians Mike and Pete originally worked in Bangkok’s Mikkeller bar, the first international craft beer bar in the city before opening Hair of the Dog.
I also visited Duke of Beerington, a small bottle shop with 3 taps in Thong Lor, opposite a Japanese isakaya which you can order food from. Since my last visit I was pleased to notice that Japanese breweries appear to export and can far more than they did several years ago, and that those cans are making it out of Japan. Duke often has a full fridge of UK beers from breweries like Verdant and Track, alongside a lot of American beers and more recently the legal Thai brews and Japanese imports.
I had a start to my Tuesday evening which turned out to be controversial with at least one friend – visiting a house bar called Om’s Living Room. It turns out it may not be the most licensed of establishments – though as mentioned, Thailand’s beer rules haven’t always been the easiest to work under. Om serves exclusively Thai beer and, as the bar style and name suggest, is literally the ground floor of a residential building.
I moved on to Finger Heart (named for the finger and thumb heart gesture I believe was popularised by K-Pop) – a small bottle shop offering a mix of local and imported beer, including impressively priced (for Thailand) bottles of 3 Fonteinen.
I then visited a Chit Hole for the first time. Chit started out as Thailand’s most infamous home brewer, often being shut down by the authorities for short periods. His original bar is located on the artificial island of Pak Kret in the Khaopraya river which can only be visited by boat. I didn’t get a chance to make that journey on this trip, however there are now a series of bars named the Chit Hole across the city, often cohabiting with a restaurant or other business. These bars serve exclusively Thai beer, and I enjoyed Chit’s own Hipster IPA (7.2%) and Top Hill (6.5% Porter).
On Wednesday I rejoined my former quiz team at an ‘English’ style pub, the Royal Oak on Sukhumvit Soi 33 – where we won the quiz! Beers in here are the often found local lagers, as well as Guinness and Punk IPA.
On the following Saturday I arranged to meet with old friends to visit a couple of bars in Chinatown, after meeting for lunch and visiting a couple of coffee shops along the way we ended up at Tai Soon, a very nice old building full of exposed brick and concrete, with a high entryway adorned with Chinese lanterns. Fully half the taps were Thai beer so I tried an amazing Yuzu mead (Sanghok brewing, 5%) and Humble Flow (Lollihops brewing, 6.4% IPA) among others.
We then took a short walk up the road to a brand new bar in the rear grounds of an old mansion, Two Palms taproom. About half their taps were Two Palms beer, and they offered flights so I made significant inroads into the menu with 2 flights of various Two Palms, Maalstroom and Sunrise brewing beer – all Thai brewers. We then took a long and traffic jam hindered Grab taxi back to Sukhumvit, and a final beer (ok, several final beers) at Hair of the Dog Phrom Phong.
This summer, our Festival Cellar manager Lee Vallett accepted a challenge even more difficult than sorting the cooling for 200 casks of beer. Swimming the English Channel!
At 04:17, 2nd July 2025, I set off from England to swim to France. I’ve been preparing for 3 years to do this.
Lee’s group signing the wall in the White Horse in Dover. A tradition with channel swimmers for over 20 years
The water was 16.5 degrees and it was still dark. It all seemed ok for the first hour, having swum 6 hours at 14 degrees earlier in the year. But then so soon in the swim, I started with shoulder pain and had to slow down a bit which led to me feeling cold. I felt defeated. I wanted to quit. When I stopped to tell my team, they had other ideas! Just do 15 more minutes with some Paracetamol and see how it goes was their response! So I swam on. 15 minutes came and went, the shoulder improved and so did my pace. I also warmed up and felt a glimmer of hope. 15 minutes became 30, which became my next feed, and 45 minutes later the feed after that as well. The 45 minute blocks soon added up and at 6 hours, I was half way and it was then I started to believe I was going to do this! I had a couple of jelly fish stings! I strangely welcomed them, they took my mind off the never ending repetition of left arm right arm!
Lee swimming!
9 hours in and we could see land! Time to push on and make sure the tide didn’t sweep us past the finish at Cap Gris-Nez! For the last hour I was just fighting the tide! Giving it everything against the power of the sea! It was just enough. I landed after 12 hours 24 minutes and hauled myself out of the water! A Channel Swimmer! Then back to the boat for a ride home.
I took some pretty big life lessons out there, in the 21 miles between England and France! 1. You can do anything with the right team behind you. A team who builds you up when you’re in doubt, and who cheers you on when you need it the most. A team who celebrates with you when you achieve your dreams. 2. Sometimes we set ourselves huge goals and targets. It always seems like a great idea at the time. And then you find yourself at the start. Waiting to jump in. This could be a sporting event or a new project at work. And when faced with the whole of the thing right in front of you, it can be overwhelming. All you can do in these situations is get through the next 15 minutes. And then the next. It soon adds up and before you know it! You’ll be home and dry!
I fundraised for Alzheimer’s Society. A terrible condition my Grandma suffered terribly with. Through incredible support, we have raised over £5000. My page is still open if you would like to donate.
Search “lee is off to france” on justgiving.com.
To finish with, lots of people ask me why I wanted to do it. I think a quote from one of my favourite author’s books says it pretty well:
“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying ‘End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH’, the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry.”
(Sir Terry Pratchett – Thief of Time).
Thanks again to everyone who supported – I’m forever Grateful. Lee
The recorded route showing how they have to account for the tide
Our committee member and magazine distribution volunteer Dan says it is better later than never, but has delivered a copy of Beer Matters to a bar in Istanbul that was featured on the cover of that issue!
Has anyone taken copies of Beer Matters to a bar any further away from Sheffield than Istanbul?
Our chairman, Paul Manning, his wife Bev along with Sheffield branch members John Wright and John Turner with their wives Eve and Andrea enjoyed a fantastic 4 day break in Oxford sampling many real ales and the tourist sights.
We arrived mid afternoon on a Tuesday and checked into our bed and breakfast hotel on St Clement’s Rd, a 15 minute walk south of the city centre. Keen to explore the ales on offer we first found the Cape of Good Hope pub which had a very pleasant pale called Anthem from St Austell Brewery. We then walked past Magdalen and University colleges along the High Street and sampled Abingdon Bridge bitter from Loose Cannon brewery in the Wheatsheaf a rock/dive bar with an interesting clientele. Next was a GBG entry, The Bear Inn, a recently refurbished Fullers pub reputed to be the oldest pub in Oxford. The London Pride was excellent but pricey at £6.50 – ouch!
We then had our evening meal at a local Indian tapas bar followed by a few excellent pints of Beechwood bitter from Chiltern brewery in the Port Mahon pub which was its Tuesday £3.50 ‘drink the cask dry’ offering – nice!
On the Wednesday we had a spot of ‘culture’ with a 2 hour walking tour round Oxford with a Morse, Endeavour and Lewis theme exploring many filming locations and a few drinking holes including the famous Turf Tavern where we tried its house Education ale – a Greene King brew.
Bev and I then did a short river cruise down the Thames past numerous University colleges boat houses whilst enjoying a can of Time Better Spent a juicy IPA from Tap Social Oxford brewery who employ guests of His Majesty’s Prisons in both the brewing and can design!
A further pint of London Pride in the Head of the River Fullers pub followed by an excellent Italian meal closed out our second day.
Thursday dawned a little cloudier but dry and this time it was the very touristy hop on/hop off bus which included a live commentary by Andy the Hat a local travel guide with loads of interesting facts about the many famous graduates in the various colleges including American presidents, Australian and British prime ministers and inventors and explorers. We also visited the Morse bar in the very grand Randolph hotel where it was an Irish coffee and cocktail for us.
We then all headed out of Oxford in a six seater Uber to the splendid Oxford brewery in the nearby village of Horspath. We were welcomed as old friends in their taproom where we enjoyed splendid pints of their cask offerings of Trinity, Prospect and Matilda’s Tears named brews. One purchased T shirt and cracked head on a door beam with ‘a mind your head’ sign on it later we returned to Oxford for our evening meal this time in a lovely Thai restaurant next to another grade ll listed GBG pub, the Chequers, where we enjoyed a lovely pint of Adnams brewery favourite Broadside.
Our final day saw more visits to the Ashmolean museum, a look round the splendid New College with its Harry Potter themed dining hall and famous courtyard and tree featured in the film franchise.
The afternoon started with a visit to the fantastic Grapes pub which is Oxford CAMRA branch’s pub of the year for 2025 to deliver some of our festival beermats. It wasn’t hard to see why they won the award and we enjoyed several beers including SUP Golden Ale from Northern Monk brewery, 1950’s Burton Ruby Mild by Heritage brewing, a peach Melba bitter from Thornbridge and my personal favourite, a limited edition brew from Vale brewery named Our Shark to celebrate the 50 years anniversary of the Jaws film. They also served superb reasonably priced food with 3 tapas style plates duly consumed.
After enjoying a pint of Oxford Pale Ale from Chadlington brewery in The Kings Arms, a Youngs pub with more Sheffield beer festival beermats donated we spent the final afternoon doing a ‘Mystery Guide’ book tour round Oxford solving various clues on historic buildings and plaques etc to solve a ‘crime’ where the answer was revealed in a local pub. In our case it was the Bear Inn again which had numerous cricket club ties on display which revealed the culprit. Very enjoyable but tiring 3 hours which at least got our step counts way up. Our final evening was a visit to the city’s number 1 Tripadvisor rated restaurant called the Antep kitchen where we enjoyed splendid Turkish cuisine and Turkish Efee bottled beer.
A final couple of beers again at the Port Mahon pub closed out our stay. A lovely city with some great beers that is well worth a visit.
