Category: Local

Now I’m not personally that into sportsball of any flavour, however being Sheffield born and bred the local culture declares that it is mandatory to be the supporter of a local football team so I follow the family loyalty to Sheffield United. So obviously, one Saturday afternoon at the beginning of the new football season, I found myself persuaded to go and see Rotherham United play Bristol Rovers at the New York Stadium…

The reason for the trip to Rotherham was my friend Kevin wanting to embark on a new project of seeing matches at football grounds of interest he hadn’t been to before, combined with a few pubs before and after the game. He’s just moved to Rotherham hence being first on the list.

I caught the Tram Train from Sheffield’s Castle Square tram stop through to Rotherham Central station then walked up the hill to the Bluecoats Wetherspoons to meet him. On the way I noticed a venue that was declaring itself an officially designated away fans venue with families welcome, yet it appeared to be a lap dancing club. I’m not sure if perhaps Bristol Rovers fans have a reputation? Either way, the ‘Spoons was busy with fans of both the home and away teams all getting on well together, the Welbeck Abbey beer proving popular and on good form, whilst in contrast a Fuggle Bunny beer was served in poor condition and disappointed.

We also stopped off at the Cutlers Arms, a heritage pub fairly close to the ground, which as you’d expect was busy. This is one of two Chantry brewery pubs located close together and the handpumps were going like the clappers. This pub was making a special effort to promote a family atmosphere before the match with hot dogs and sweets available for the kids.

The match itself was enjoyable enough even if it wasn’t the best football you’ll see, ending with a goal less 0-0 score. There was no beer of interest in the stadium, where the choice beverage was Bovril to wash the Pukka pies down!

After the football we headed to Chantry’s other nearby pub, the New York Tavern for a couple of pints and a chat. The range of Chantry cask Beers included regulars such as Full Moon, Steelos, New York Pale and Iron & Steel Bitter plus a couple of specials and their stout.

With a walk up into the town centre we called in the High House which tends to have a lively atmosphere with football on TV in the afternoon and a DJ on at night but no real ale or craft beer available, as expected. We then headed on to the Three Cranes on the High Street, located in a historic building and has the feel of a micropub on the ground floor but has a large games room upstairs. This used to have a couple of real ales on handpump and the odd craft beer on tap alongside the more mainstream industrial beers, however they’ve now been swept away and the handpumps redundant, in favour of Beavertown, I assume the Heineken sales rep must have been and made them a good offer! The drink of choice here was a black cherry flavour cider from Seacider.

A fast food and non-booze stop was made at McDonalds before continuing to the Bridge Inn, located by the river and Central station. Downstairs this is a rock pub and owned by Old Mill brewery with a couple of their ales on the bar including Stirian Wolf. Upstairs is the Hive live music venue and they had an evening programme of several bands with free entry, we ventured up there in time to catch the end of the first to perform. The headline band was called the Death Wheelers and reassuringly there was a rather impressive collection of motorbikes parked outside the pub! Also outside we ran into former Rotherham beer festival stalwart and Wath Tap regular Glyn, on his way home from work!

To finish the evening we returned to the Cutlers, which hosts live music on a Saturday night across two stages. There was a Bon Jovi tribute band playing a ticketed gig on a big stage set up in a marquee behind the pub followed by “Rock of Ages” on a smaller stage inside the pub afterwards. By the time we got there Bon Jovi Forever were about three quarters of the way through their set and we were able to nip in to see them and we can confirm they were good!

First bus X3 (Doncaster to Sheffield) picks up across the road from the Cutlers so the 22:45 bus took me back to Sheffield Interchange and a final beer was enjoyed in town before ordering a taxi home!

The options for good beer in Rotherham town centre are sadly limited these days but aside from Wetherspoons the flag is still being flown for both real ale and live music by Chantry and Old Mill breweries and an enjoyable day was had!

Local history enthusiast Shaun Stevenson and Chesterfield CAMRA’s InnSpire magazine editor Chris Fox, have teamed up to produce a high quality, self-guided Chesterfield pub tour booklet called “Historical Tales & Traditional Ales”.

The guide begins at The Rutland on Stevenson’s Place in the shadow of the Crooked Spire.  The tour meanders through some of Chesterfield’s best pubs and many of its historical locations including the Crooked Spire and the Market place.  With histories and anecdotes from 10 pubs open today and many more that have been lost to time, the booklet finishes at the Chesterfield Arms.

Shaun has been running the Chesterfield Great Historic Pub Tour since 2019 and has built up a wealth of information that he recounts in an engaging and easy to read style. Shaun remarked, “We wanted to create something accessible for anyone who is interested in Chesterfield, its pubs and their history. Something that didn’t cost very much and is entertaining, rather than just dry dates and names”.

The pages contain stories of murder, mystery and dark secrets. Everything from pop stars, a streaker, the Oddfellows and even a former prime minister who opened one of Chesterfield’s pubs.  “Many people will enjoy a trip down memory lane because we also include some of the more recent history and anecdotes”, said Shaun.

In order to get as many booklets sold as possible the price is just £1 and it is available from every pub on the route – The Rutland, Pig & Pump, The Golden Fleece, the Portland, The Sun, The Market, Hidden Knight, Barley Mow, Gasoline and the Chesterfield Arms.

The driving force behind creating this booklet is Chris Fox. Chris says “Working with Shaun has been a pleasure, we are both really proud of the finished product. We just need people to go out and buy it, do the tour and support our local pubs”.

Anyone wanting a copy that can’t visit Chesterfield town centre can obtain a copy by arrangement with Shaun on 07908 183 160. The booklet can also be viewed and downloaded on the Chesterfield CAMRA website.

With our entry of the Old Hall Hotel into the North Derbyshire regional entry round of the national Pub of the Year competition comes an obligation to judge the other entries in our region, from the Matlock, Chesterfield and Dronfield CAMRA branches. This was a fairly easy trip on the bus to do so we made an ad-hoc social of it.

A group of us met on the X17 bus from Sheffield to Matlock Green for our first pub of the day, the Red Lion, which is also home to Moot Ales. A range of their own beers plus guests were on the handpumps with an overall range of six cask ales available (seven were advertised but the Bass was unavailable).

Despite slightly windy conditions the sun was out and it was pleasant enough to take a walk into Matlock town centre and over the river bridge for a couple of bonus extra pubs – bod Matlock, Titanic Brewery’s café bar, where a little light lunch was enjoyed, before a further cheeky half a few doors down in the Twenty Ten bar, the Matlock branch award winner last year!

Back on the X17 next, to Chesterfield, followed by a bit of a walk (some of our party regretted not waiting for a connecting bus!) up to Brampton to visit the Rose & Crown. The main part of the pub was packed and the outdoor drinking areas were fairly busy for the time of year too, however the snug room was empty so we made ourselves comfy in there and enjoyed a couple of well kept ales from a fairly extensive choice served by staff who were friendly and helpful despite being busy.

Lessons were learned and we caught a bus from Brampton back into Chesterfield town centre in order to catch the 44 bus up to Coal Aston to visit the final pub to be judged, the Cross Daggers. This is a traditional community local which only opens in the evening and at around 6pm on Saturday when we arrived was packed with a great atmosphere, we were lucky and managed to squeeze in on an empty table!

The beer range wasn’t as exotic as the other pubs we’d visited – Tetley Bitter, Adnams Broadside, Timothy Taylor Landlord and a Drone Valley beer providing the LocAle representation – however all the beers tried were in immaculate condition and served by efficient staff.

Having visited all three pubs we were required to judge a good number of the party headed home from here, however a couple of us jumped in a taxi for the short trip down the hill into Dronfield and enjoyed an excellent pizza at the Dronfield Arms (which is also home to Temper Brewing) and saw a band performing at the Green Dragon before boarding a 43 bus back to Sheffield.

Bus X17 runs limited stop between Sheffield, Chesterfield and Matlock every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime and hourly on Sundays. Bus 44 runs from Sheffield to Chesterfield via Coal Aston and Dronfield hourly in the daytime and every 2 hours in the evening. A Derbyshire Wayfarer pass for all buses in Derbyshire (including direct buses from Sheffield to/from Derbyshire) costs £8 for the day or single fares are currently capped at just £2 per ride. Check out more details of the pubs at whatpub.com.

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.”

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!

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.

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

Micropub Adventures

Volunteers from the 2022 Steel City Beer Festival had a summer get-together in the city recently. The day began with brewery tours courtesy of Triple Point Brewery and Heist Brew Co. Volunteers then set off from each brewery visiting a variety of pubs before all meeting up in the Kelham Island Tavern. Pubs visited included Rutland Arms, Sheffield Tap, Dorothy Pax, The Crow, Gardeners Rest, Alder Bar, Shakespeares and the Wellington, among others. A very enjoyable day, it gave everyone the chance to renew friendships made at the festival, and at last year’s volunteer’s trip to Halifax.

For anyone interested in volunteering for this year’s festival, the staffing form will be live on our website shortly.

This summer has seen two open top bus services introduced offering scenic rides around the Peak District National Park not far from Sheffield. Your editor had a ride round on the 1 July launch day and started thinking about the pubs and breweries along the route!

The afternoon began by catching the TM Travel bus 218 (Sheffield to Bakewell via Totley) as far as Baslow, where both the open top bus services call at the same stop. Baslow has a number of pubs, although most appear to be hotels with a public bar and restaurant.

Within just a few minutes of arriving at Baslow’s Nether End bus stop, one of the Stagecoach “Peak Sightseer” open top tour buses appeared. This operates on a circular route between Chatsworth House and Bakewell at 30 minutes intervals. Leaving Baslow, it is routed via Curbar to Calver, passing the Eyre Arms then doing a loop manoeuvre around the cross roads to then change direction and climbing up hill a little for the longer, mostly rural run to Bakewell, where I alighted.

In Bakewell I decided to spend half an hour before the next “Peak Sightseer” came through by enjoying a pint in the Joiners Arms. This small bar, which offers a range of craft beers on both cask and keg is under the same ownership as the Dronfield Arms which is home to Temper Brewing and it is one of their beers I chose. The day of my trip coincided with Bakewell Carnival so the town was busy and people had got their spots outside ready for the procession to come through later!

Boarding the other one of the two vehicles on the “Peak Sightseer” service, the bus left Bakewell via the A6 Buxton Road and passed the business park that is home to Thornbridge Brewery, where if I had more time I could have gone to visit their tap room to sample a few beers and order a pizza!

The next location along the route is Ashford in the Water where we passed two pubs across the road from one another, although one was closed with the now familiar pub company sign advertising it as available to lease. The Bulls Head however was open, this is an old coaching Inn owned by Robinsons Brewery.

The next landmark along the route is at Hassop where the bus crosses over the Monsal Trail, this used to be a railway running from London to Manchester via Matlock and Buxton but is now a popular walking and cycling trail and the old Hassop station is now a cafe. The bus continues via Pilsley and stops by the Chatsworth farm shop before turning off the main road and onto the Chatsworth estate, up the drive to the house.

The bus has a short 5 minute break at the Chatsworth House stop before setting off around the circular route again and heading down to Baslow, passing Peak Ales brewery as it heads down the hill!

Having completed the Peak Sightseer route, I wanted to try the other open top bus service, “The Breezer” operated by local independent bus company Hulleys of Baslow. This is a more traditional bus service rather than a circular tour, running from Baslow to Castleton via Calver Sough, Grindleford, Longshaw, Hathersage and Hope then returning the same way. Most people in Sheffield know about Surprise view before heading downhill into Hathersage and this offers the opportunity to enjoy it on an open top bus!

Unfortunately there was a good hour or so until the next “Breezer” leaving Baslow and was keen to get to the Hope Valley to do my Beer Matters magazine deliveries to a couple of pubs there so I joined the regular bus 257 after a wait of less than 10 minutes for a scenic ride on a modern single decker. The departure I joined was the one a day which goes a different route to normal, after Eyam if went via Foolow, Great Hucklow, Bradwell and Hope where it dropped me off.

There are three pubs in Hope. I had a pint and delivered Beer Matters magazines at the Old Hall Hotel which is known for hosting beer festivals most bank holiday weekends as well as the pub having a restaurant, tea room and accommodation. Just across the road is the Woodroffe Arms, owned by Greene King and a short walk down the Edale road will bring you to the Cheshire Cheese Inn, a classic rural pub with a good beer garden!

From Hope I joined “The Breezer” open top bus which had left Castleton a few minutes previous bound for Baslow and enjoyed a short run down the Hope Valley as far as Hathersage.

In Hathersage it was a visit to the Little John Hotel to deliver their Beer Matters magazine as well as enjoy a pint and a bite to eat.

There are a number of other venues in Hathersage including the George and Scotsman’s Pack in the village and the Plough Inn a little bit of a walk down the road to Leadmill Bridge, I could also have joined the final “Breezer” open top bus trip of the day back down to Baslow, however time was running out and I needed to be home to get ready for evening plans so joined a Sheffield bound train back from Hathersage!

BUS TICKETS

The Stagecoach “Peak Sightseer” open top bus tour costs £6 for adults and £4 for concessions with a ticket allowing you to hop on and hop off as much as you like during the day.

All the other normal local buses in the area, including the Hulleys “Breezer” open top service currently cost £2 per ride and also accept English National Concession Senior Citizen and disabled passes. Alternatively you can buy a “Derbyshire Wayfarer” pass for the day offering unlimited travel on most local buses in Derbyshire (including direct links from Sheffield) for £8, or there is an option also including trains for £14. With the Wayfarer pass you can buy the Peak Sightseer ticket at the discounted price of £4.

DAYS OF OPERATION

• The “Peak Sightseer” runs daily until 30 September then weekends only up to Christmas Eve.
• “The Breezer” runs on Saturdays and Sundays, plus weekdays during the school holidays, with the last day of operation 3 September. Please be aware that Hulleys only have one open top vehicle so from time to time this may be substituted with a regular bus.

MORE INFORMATION

• Stagecoach
• Hulleys of Baslow
• Derbyshire County Council