Pints of View Summer 2026 - the branch magazine of Mansfield & Ashfield CAMRA.
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Pints of View
The branch magazine of Mansfield and Ashfield CAMRA Issue 11 - Summer 2026 Edition
Pub of the Year | Pubs of the Season
Two blokes, a dog, and 26 letters... | Opinion Favourite pub | Trail and Ale | UnusuAle Social round-up | News | The regulars...
REAL ALE - CRAFT BEER - ARTISAN SPIRITS - FINE WINES LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEK
SUN MAY 3RD - 70S RARE SOUL FRI MAY 8TH - ROCK THE COW SHED
SAT MAY 9TH - THE MIGHTY TRAITORS
SAT MAY 23RD - WHAT'S LEFT
FRI MAY 29TH - TFIF W/ CHRIS HARWOOD SAT JUN 6TH - AXEMINSTER BURNES & THE RUG CUTTERS
FRI JUN 12TH - MOONSHINERS DUO
FRI JUN 19TH - ROCK THE COW SHED
SAT JUL 11TH - THE SUGAR TREE SAT JUL 18TH - THE MIGHTY TRAITORS SAT JUL 25TH - HOUSE NOW BROWN COW
WWW.BROWNCOW-MANSFIELD.CO.UK 33-35 RATCLIFFE GATE, NG18 2JA 01623 571140
View From The Chair(s) Pub and Brewery News Branch News Diary National News Pub of the Year
Pub of the Year Runner-Up Stagecoach 1 Route Pubs of the Season Social Round-Up Out and about inn... Wareham Opinion Two blokes, a dog, and 26 letters... Favourite Pubs UnusuAle
Trail and Ale with Duggie From the Archives Contacts
Unit 9 Finway, Dallow Road, Luton, LU1 1TR
0330 153 9924 www.camra.org.uk
Pints of View, Mansfield and Ashfield CAMRA and CAMRA Ltd accept no responsibility for errors that may occur within this publication, and the views expressed are those of their individual authors and not necessarily endorsed by the editor, Mansfield and Ashfield CAMRA or CAMRA Ltd. Copyright Mansfield and Ashfield CAMRA.
Welcome to the Summer 2026 edition of Pints of View...
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate the Brown Cow on winning the branch Pub of the Year back in March - a very well-deserved award. Also, the very best of luck to them in the Nottinghamshire round of the national Pub of the Year competition, of which the judging will have concluded by the time you read this.
Congratulations also go to the Dixies Arms, who are the branch Pub of the Year runner-up, and FireRock and the Market Tavern, which scooped the Town and Village Pub of the Season awards, respectively.
The process made me think of how many great pubs we have in our branch. Whether you prefer a cosy micropub, a country village inn, or a town centre vibe, you're well catered for across Mansfield and Ashfield. Don't forget to nominate a pub that has impressed you or that you feel is continually excellent via the form on the branch website. I'm looking forward to seeing which pubs make the shortlist and ultimately win awards this year.
Better Transport Week is in June - a campaign supported by CAMRA - so I thought it was a good time to feature one of the branch's 'Real Ale by Bus' routes, and where better to start than the cross-branch Stagecoach 1 service. You can read how my day went on page 12.
Our AGM is in June, and it would be great to see some new faces come along. Last issue, we outlined that eight members are covering roughly thirty roles! We are a small committee, and most members undertake multiple roles; there are also numerous roles we simply cannot fulfil. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it would be great to have a branch beer festival, but the organisation required, on top of regular role tasks, makes this something that could potentially stay out of reach unless we gain more active members. So why not come along, see what we've been up to for the last 12 months, and consider joining an active, enjoyable, but thinly-stretched committee?
Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to wish our branch chair, Karl, a speedy recovery after his surgery in February. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say his attendance at branch meetings, socials, and general presence around the branch has been missed.
As ever, many thanks to our advertisers, who make this magazine possible. Please support them wherever you can, and mention you saw them in Pints of View.
Kirsten Yates - Editor [email protected]
Introduction
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 3
Hello, and welcome to our Summer 2026 edition of Pints of View...
I've had only limited involvement in the branch so far this year due to ill health, and haven't even had a beer since January 25th (when I had to abandon the #31PubsInJanuary challenge), as I then spent the next 8 weeks in hospital. My thanks, therefore, go to fellow committee members for stepping up and taking on extra responsibilities in my absence. I'll therefore leave it to my Vice-Chair to complete the rest of this piece, but I wanted to mention just a few points first.
Firstly, at the time of writing, it's CAMRA's Members' Weekend/AGM, this year in St. Albans, and the outcome of the election for three posts on the National Executive has just been announced. The candidate with the highest number of votes was Dale Harvey, a Nottingham branch member, some of you may have seen on social media as the man behind The Great British Pub Crawl. Congratulations to him and the other two elected candidates, Dennis Brandrick and Steven Spencer.
Secondly, there's been a review of the model constitution for CAMRA branches in 2025/26, so if a new model is adopted, we may need to align our branch constitution with that at our own AGM in June, so watch out for details in our next branch email and the AGM notice to members.
Finally, I want to mention that we'll be looking again at the branch rules for our Pub of the Season and Pub of the Year competitions, as the former actually stopped some pubs from being eligible to compete in the latter. However, I'm pleased to say that we have seen some public engagement in the nominations process introduced from Winter 2025/26 Pub of the Season but I'd like to see more people get involved, so do please nominate deserving venues.
Our Chair, Karl, has asked me to put a few words together for this quarter's magazine and introduce myself as the current Vice Chair. Although I've been a member and supporter of CAMRA for a good few years, it's only for the last few years that I've been actively involved in the Mansfield and Ashfield Branch Committee.
I think that it's been four years since I initially joined the Committee, initially as a 'Minister without portfolio' as I had no specific reference and was more of a willing volunteer! Over the last few years, I have picked up a couple of roles on the committee. - I'm currently the Branch Vice-Chair and also the Social Secretary. We hold a monthly social gathering either within or outside our branch area, and I'm tasked with putting these together. Additionally, as the committee is a small group, I've also temporarily picked up the role as Branch Cider Rep. I admit that I'm far from an expert in this and am currently 'caretaking' the role. We are actively seeking someone with a bit more expertise to take this from me! I think that it's also worth pointing out that I'm far from alone in having more than one role on the committee. In fact, most committee members wear more than one hat at our meetings, and we'd very much like to see a few more faces, so please think if you'd like to be involved - more on that later!
So, in order to introduce myself a bit more - outside of CAMRA, my main hobbies are spending time with the family, travelling, rugby and allotment gardening. I regularly disappear for a while from the committee as I go off on another jaunt - I even find myself organising social events that I can't attend. It's a good job that it's not a prerequisite of being on the committee to get to every meeting or social event! Although my rugby playing days are behind me (I think!) I'm still involved in coaching the Ladies Section at Ashfield Rugby Club. We've had a pretty good season this time around, finishing third in our league and getting to the cup semi-final. If you're starting to think that my life revolves around holidays, rugby and beer - that pretty much sums it up! However, that's probably more than enough about me; now, back to branch matters!
Within the Branch, this magazine continues to be produced quarterly. After not having a printed magazine for a good number of years, we're really pleased with this and hope that we can continue to get these out to pubs and clubs within our area. I'd like to add a thank you to all our magazine contributors, but especially to our Editor, Kirsten, who somehow manages to put all this together! If you do have any thoughts on how we can improve the magazine or what content we should include, please let us know. Constructive criticism is welcome!
4 | Pints of View Summer 2026
As well as getting a printed magazine back into our pubs, the committee would still very much like to bring back a Mansfield and Ashfield Branch Beer Festival. It's our top priority, and there is work going on behind the scenes. However, as I mentioned earlier, we're a small team of volunteers, doing whatever we can along with our work/home/family commitments. Again, if you think you can help us with any of this, including getting a beer festival up and running, please do get in touch.
Looking forward, we have our Annual General Meeting on Sunday 28th June at 2pm at The Brown Cow in Mansfield. We've booked The Cow Shed (the upstairs room) for this. At the meeting, all committee posts will be up for re-election. Again, our AGM is open to all, and we'd love to have the place full of people. If you're interested, do come along - you won't be forced to sign up to anything, and you can just come along to meet us, have a beer, and see what happens. Equally, if you would like to become involved, either formally or informally ('minister without portfolio' is still an option!), we would really appreciate a few more people helping with our committee roles - and if you're interested in real cider, you could even consider taking the Cider Rep role from me!
I think that's all for now. Cheers!
The former owners of the Hop In, lan and Chelsea Butler, took over at the Boat Inn, Pinxton, in March. A variety of ales have been seen on the bar, including Blue Monkey and The Bridges Brewery, a new brewery also located in Pinxton.
The owners of the Regent, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, announced the acquisition of the Dog & Quayle in Underwood via a Facebook post on January 30th. Cask ale is available.
Real ale was reintroduced at the Black Swan in Edwinstowe in early April, with the first two being from local brewery Pheasantry.
The Duke of Sussex, Sutton-in-Ashfield, had a change of managers. Craig Appleby, who runs the kitchen, is also stepping into the overall pub manager role, and Dolly Wyville is taking the bar manager role. Changes took effect on the 13th April.
The George & Dragon in Newton has recently been closed for a refurbishment.
Two new cask ales are available - a pale and bitter after they debuted at the Castle Beer Fest in Nottingham in April.
April's tap-takeover with Langley Mill's Bang The Elephant Brewery also included a collaboration brew, which was an export-strength stout. May's Tap Takeover features Rivington Brewery in Lancashire. Give them a like on Facebook to keep up to date with what's going on.
Ales from The Bridges Brewing Company started appearing around the branch in mid-March, as well as further afield in Derby.
The first to appear was Lady Bay, a 4.3% easy-drinking pale ale with a nice hoppy bitterness. I tried it at the Market Tavern in South Normanton when we visited for the Pub of the Season presentation, but it has also been spotted at several other pubs around the branch and further afield.
THE BRIDGES
The Black Market Brewery is in full swing, preparing for Festival Season, which starts for us May Bank Holiday Weekend, with ValeFest, a local festival in Bolsover, Derbyshire.
Here, we will be serving up one of our festival favourites, Illicit, a 4.3% Headliner Pale Ale, as well as our Double Dry Hopped IPA Anarchy (4.5%), and the newly brewed festival brew, Vale Pale, 4.3%.
You can either join us in the field or at The Black Market Venue for a pint and a bite to eat. Why not join us for one of our quiz nights, open mic nights or even for some live music every Friday?
Siobahn Sorrell
4.3% ABV
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 5
Pub of the Season nominations...
PUB OF T
Pub of nomination form is permanently accessible via the 'Pub Awards' page on our website, so if you would like to highlight somewhere you think has gone above and beyond, or is consistently outstanding, head over to the website or scan the QR code and let us know.
The the Season
SPRING
All the magazines, beer festival flyers, and other branch-related materials kindly lent to us for scanning and uploading to the website are now available for download on the newsletter page. Thanks to Andrew and Carl Brett for making this possible. Below is a list of the magazines that are missing - can you help fill the gaps?
MISSING
Can you help fill the gaps in our magazine archive?
Autumn 1998 Winter 1998 Summer 2003 Autumn 2003 Summer 2004 Winter 2006
Autumn 2007
Autumn 2008 Spring 2009 Autumn 2009 Winter 2010 Summer 2013 Spring 2010 [email protected]
6 | Pints of View Summer 2026
Real Cider pubs in the branch...
We are currently conducting a review of pubs selling real cider throughout the branch, as our information, sourced from the CAMRA database, is outdated. While we're in the process of updating our records, we are working out the details of holding a Cider Pub of the Year, as mentioned to the left. You can help by letting us know what real ciders (bag-in-box) are available wherever you go, and contacting [email protected]
A look ahead to the AGM...
This year, our branch AGM is at the Brown Cow, Mansfield, on Sunday, 28th June at 2:00pm.
A reminder will be sent to all branch members a few days before the meeting, and we encourage everyone to attend if possible.
The chair will summarise the year's activities before committee members review their role for the year past. We will also outline our aims for the year going forward. Voting will then take place to elect each committee role for the following year. All members present can vote, and no one retains their role automatically - all positions are vacant before voting begins.
Roles that have never been filled since the branch re- formed in 2022 include Pub Protection Officer, Media Contact and Cider Representative. Could you fill one of these, or any other role within the branch? Please come along and chat with us. You'll be made very welcome.
If you have any queries regarding the AGM or nominations, please email [email protected]
Are you hearing from us?
Only around half of the branch members opt in to receive our monthly newsletter, meaning they are not getting updates on branch news, activities, meetings and socials, as well as relevant national news.
To opt in, go to your Membership Dashboard on the national CAMRA website, click 'Marketing Preferences', then on the top line alongside 'Branch', make sure the slider under 'Email' is turned on.
CAMRA
Mansfield and Ashfield
Branch Diary
May Branch Meeting Wednesday 20th May, 7:30pm
Stella Taps, Mansfield
May Social-Mallard Beer Festival Station Approach, Worksop Saturday 30th May, from noon
Annual General Meeting (AGM) Brown Cow, Mansfield Sunday 28th June, 2:00pm
June Social
Underwood and Bagthorpe Saturday 13th June
July Social - Nottingham Saturday 4th July Canalhouse @ 12pm
July Branch Meeting Monday 27th July, 7:30pm Railway Inn, Mansfield
Looking forward to our socials this quarter...
Beer Festival Diary
Rail Ale 2026
Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th May 2026 Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Chesterfield
Mallard Spring Beer Festival 2026 Thursday 28th - Sunday 31st May 2026 Station Approach, Worksop
Matlock Beer Festival Friday 29th - Saturday 30th May 2026 Red Lion, Matlock
Garrison Spring Beer Festival Friday 29th Sunday 31st May 2026 Garrison, Mansfield
Ashover Brewery TTO @ The Picture House Friday 29th - Sunday 31st May 2026 Picture House, Sutton-in-Ashfield
One Valley Festival 2026 Saturday 6th June 2026 Various venues, Dronfield
Electric Bear Tap-Takeover Friday 12th June 2026
Nottingham Craft Beer Festival 2026 Friday 19th - Saturday 20th June 2026 Sneinton Market, Nottingham
Steampacket Beer and Cider Festival Friday 24th - Sunday 26th July 2026 Steampacket, Swanwick
Diary
For our May social, we will be at The Mallard ‘25 Years' Beer Festival on Saturday, 30th. We'll be travelling to Worksop on the Robin Hood line, making it convenient for most of the branch, and aiming to arrive around noon. 25 ales will be available.
In June, we'll be back on the buses for 'Better Transport Week', heading to the west of the branch to take in Underwood and Bagthorpe. We'll catch the TrentBarton 33, which services Mansfield, Sutton and Kirkby, and alight in Underwood, where we'll visit The Junction, Ginger Giraffe, Red Lion, Dixies Arms and Shepherds Rest.
We're off to Nottingham on July 4th for our first town centre pub crawl. We'll catch the Robin Hood line from the branch and meet in the Canalhouse before heading to a selection of town-centre pubs we've not visited before. We're not sure where we intend to go yet, but it's sure to be a great day! Full details will go on the website soon.
...More details can be found on the Website's 'Branch Diary'.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 7
Free House Fine Selection of Traditional Ales
Est 1664
Three Guest Real Ales
One Permanent Real Ale Keg Beers Also Available
Monday - Friday: 4pm - 11pm Saturday - Sunday: 12pm - 11pm
Beer Street, an amber rye bitter by London Brewing, won CAMRA'S Champion Winter Beer of Britain title at Liverpool Beer Festival in February. What's Brewing
Cairngorm's session stout, Black Gold, took home silver, and Green Jack's Baltic Trader Export Stout won bronze.
Judges were blown away by the winner, with judging panel coordinator Christine Cryne describing Beer Street as: "A sparkling golden amber bitter, with spicy rye and a roasty nose, sweet biscuit on the flavour, where the spicy rye notes increase and linger in the dry and slightly bitter finish. Very easy drinking.”
Reacting to the win, director of London Brewing Senan Sexton said: “We're absolutely delighted that our best bitter, Beer Street, has been named Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2026 by CAMRA. We've been brewing Beer Street since we founded the brewery in 2011, and it's a real testament to the skill and dedication of our head brewer, Alex, that he has continued to refine and elevate the recipe over the years. "This accolade means a tremendous amount to a brewery of our size. It's not only a proud moment for our team, but also a fantastic boost that celebrates the enduring appeal of high-quality cask ales enjoyed in pubs across the UK."
The category winners now go forward to the final judging in May at CAMRA's Cambridge Beer Festival, where they'll battle it out to take the crown of Supreme Champion 2026.
Champion Winter Beer of Britain, Beer Street
National News
Have you seen the new 1971 collection of CAMRA merchandise?
Celebrating the year the organisation was founded, the range features four designs that can be ordered as a t-shirt, sweater or hoodie, and comes in a range of colours.
Just before our print deadline was the CAMRA Members' Weekend, this year held in St. Albans. Here we'll summarise the highlights from the weekend...
Three National Executive places were up for election, of which the winning candidates were Dale Harvey, Dennis Brandrick and Steven Spencer. Many people will know Dale Harvey as the name behind the successful Great British Pub Crawl, which has a significant number of followers on YouTube and Facebook. Congratulations to all three.
Motions that were up for discussion included the reinstatement of the Great British Beer Festival, which was tabled by ex-Good Beer Guide editor and freelance beer writer, Roger Protz. The motion failed.
The winners of the branch website of the year were Norwich & District, with Shrewsbury & West Shropshire runners up and Kingdom of Fife placing third.
The winners of the branch magazine of the year were Sheffield & District with 'Beer Matters'. Runners-up were Bristol & District with 'Pints West', and third were Nottingham with 'Nottingham Drinker'. Congratulations to all involved.
We'll have more details from the AGM in the next issue of Pints of View.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 9
Branch Pub of the Year 2026
CAMRA
Congratulations to Damann, Jono and Matt and all the staff at the Brown Cow, who are Mansfield and Ashfield's Branch Pub of the Year 2026.
Another issue of Pints of View and another edition celebrating The Brown Cow, who only last season picked up the Pub of the Season award, which entitled them to be judged for Pub of the Year, alongside the other Pub of the Season winners.
The fact that you are reading this, of course, meant that they won the overall Pub of the Year, and in late March, it was time to present them with the award. On the night, there was plenty of beer to choose from, with most in attendance giving Banana In The Tailpipe, a Chocolate Banana Stout by Bang The Elephant a try.
Since the last issue, The Brown Cow have been as busy as ever, with Beth, daughter of landlord/part-owner Jono, heading down to Leicester to Everard's to brew an International Women's Day collaboration beer with several other Everard's-owned pubs, as well as Nottingham-based group, 'No Half Measures Collective'. The resulting beer was Lalahon, a keg-only 5.6% ABV New England IPA (NEIPA), and it is great to see the team taking part in another successful brew day.
Not to mention that on the 17th - 19th April, the Brown Cow hosted their first beer festival of the year, with some members of the branch staffing the upstairs stillage bar. As always, it was a great success, with us selling out of more beer than we have at any previous festival, and we loved getting to chat with so many of you who came along!
LA 10 | Pints of View Summer 2026
Branch Pub
Year 2026
Congratulations to lan and Laura and the staff at the Dixies Arms, who are Mansfield and Ashfield's Branch Pub of the Year Runner-Up 2026.
Located in Bagthorpe, on the western edge of the branch, the pub has a laidback rural feel, while offering a warm welcome and great ale and cider.
If you're a fan of live music, the pub has live music on Saturday nights, as well as open-mic nights and an acoustic folk club. In the summer, the pub hosts the popular Bagfest - a weekend of blues, Americana, country and folk, which also features a beer festival and food vendors.
On the evening of our presentation, the ales were Grainstore Red Kite, a 3.8% a regular feature made using mild malt; Oakham The Final Cut, a strong cask-aged IPA at 6.0%; and perennial favourite, Greene King Abbot. Uttoxeter Brewery and Fixed Wheel also feature regularly, with landlord lan citing the rotation of breweries that he trusts for consistent quality, and are popular among his customers. As well as the three well-kept ales, the pub offers an incredible number of ciders - nearly 20 on our visit!
Judges praised the warm welcome, cosy interior, and relaxed atmosphere, and, of course, the quality of the ale on offer. Whether you're heading down for a sunny summer afternoon on the terrace to the front of the pub, or cosying up by the real fires in the cold of winter, the Dixies Arms is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours with a pint or two.
A packed-out pub congratulated lan and Laura on their well-deserved award, which we presented to them at the end of March. So, if you're looking for somewhere new in the branch to try, why not consider the Dixies Arms and see why it's our Pub of the Year runner-up?
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 11
Ahead of 'Better Transport Week' in June, I thought it was time another guide was added to the website's Bus Routes page. Thinking, 'Where better to start than from my nearest bus stop in Huthwaite', I caught the Stagecoach 1 to Mansfield Woodhouse and worked my way home, with an open ticket costing £7, allowing unlimited travel for the day. My rules for the trip were that the pub must serve real ale and be no more than 30 seconds from the bus stop. This is how it went...
BARREL MICROPUB
DAR EL MICROPL
The first pub that meets my criteria in Mansfield Woodhouse is the Barrel Micropub, where the bus stops right outside. Mark and Bev, who opened the pub in October 2024, have recently extended into what was originally the proposed café area, roughly doubling its space and enabling them to have live music. There are always three changing guests available alongside a house bitter from Lenton Lane. On my visit, the guests were Magpie Nottingham Session, and a duo from Lenton Lane in Pale Moonlight and Sample & Hold; the latter being a porter and my first choice for the day.
GREYHOUND
From the Barrel, I decided it was much easier to walk a couple of hundred yards along Station Street to the Greyhound Inn, rather than catch the bus around town. The pub has been in the Good Beer Guide 27 times since the branch's inception in 1992 - the most out of any pub - all under the stewardship of landlady Lynda Britten, who remains at the helm today. Ales on my visit were Robinson's Dizzy Blonde, Marston's Pedigree, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Bass and Welbeck Abbey Sligo, of which I chose the latter and very much enjoyed.
THE GARRISON
HEALTHC
Hopping back onto the bus, the ten-minute ride into the heart of Mansfield gave me two options within a few seconds of the stop: The Garrison and Stag & Pheasant, of which I chose the former as my first stop. The Garrison is Mansfield's only town centre micropub and has nods to the hit TV show Peaky Blinders. The light, spacious one-roomed pub added an outside decked area fairly recently, giving the option of indoor or outdoor drinking depending on the weather. Up to six real ales are available, and a similar number of craft- keg options. Rat Cheating Rat, Dancing Duck Ay Up and Beermats Hazmat were the cask choices. The pub is also a big champion of real cider.
Back across the road is my first of two JD Wetherspoon pubs I visited - the Stag & Pheasant. As with most Wetherspoon pubs, it was unsurprisingly busy with a mix of drinkers and diners. Cask ales are split between two rows of handpulls here, which isn't unusual for a Wetherspoon pub, but the guest ales tend to be to the rear of the bar here and could be easily missed if you aren't used to the arrangement. Alongside the usual cask options were Beermats Legitimate and Summat Twisted, Zest Heavenly Blonde, Theakston Old Peculier, Welbeck Abbey Henrietta and Titanic White Star.
The Stag & Pheasant
RALL
I questioned the point of catching the bus to my next planned stop, The Railway Inn, so I again opted to stretch my legs and walk the few hundred yards instead. This pub tested my rule that it should be within 30 seconds of the bus stop (or station in this case), but I walk pretty fast (in my opinion), so it got in. The Railway always feels to me like an oasis of calm in the centre of Mansfield, mixing diners enjoying the much-loved home-cooked food or drinkers simply enjoying the ales. There are always four available and often feature Batemans and Full Mash, and on my visit, that was the case, with 12 | Pints of View Summer 2026
The Railway Inn
Woodfordes Nog complementing Batemans Eggs-B and a brace from Full Mash in Shoreline and Illuminati - the latter of which I had to look up, as it was hard to tell from the pump clip. There seemed to be a party of some kind going on, so I retired to one of the front rooms where I could read a CAMRA branch magazine I hadn't seen before while enjoying my ale.
I again mulled over whether to walk to the next pub or take the bus, and in the end decided to walk. Either way, it doesn't take too long to get to the Bold Forester. The Greene King pub, situated on Botany Avenue, operates under the Hungry Horse banner and hosts drinkers and diners alike in a split- roomed arrangement, where one half is over 18's only and features a pool table and numerous large screens to show live sport. Ales on offer were Greene King Abbot, Titanic Plum Porter, Abbeydale Deception and Ossett Excelsius.
Back onto the bus and into Sutton, my first stop was at Speed The Plough. The pub has been in the care of Alby and Mandy since 2007 and is very much community-focused, with most nights of the week featuring activities such as guitar lessons, open mic, karaoke and bingo. The pub has LocAle accreditation, with up to three ales available, usually from Blue Monkey and Shipstone's. On my visit, Blue Monkey BG Sips and Shipstone's Gold Star were available, from which I picked the BG Sips - a lovely session pale, which is one of my favourite Blue Monkey ales.
Speed The Plough
Tel:
Back on the bus for the short ride into Sutton town centre brought me to the 2025 branch Pub of the Year winners, FireRock. The pub is another LocAle champion, with all three sticks regularly featuring local breweries, from Pentrich to Two Matts, and of course, their own ales brewed on-site. There's an embarrassment of riches for craft-keg fans, with over ten always available, including sours and often one or more imperial stouts. On my visit, two of their own were on cask: core stout Kill The Ghosts and Phantom Pigeon Sticker Bomber, and one from Weekend Project called The Circus.
FireRock
וויר
Deciding it would take longer to ride the bus than to walk, the next pub was again reached on foot. The Picture House is a JD Wetherspoon pub and former cinema in the centre of town, which opened at the turn of the century. During my visit, it was as busy as ever, and four out of the six guest pumps featured Magpie Brewery, with Nottingham Mild, Nottingham Session, and Cherry Raven Porter complementing Titanic Plum Porter. I find Cherry Raven is always a good choice, and it was no different in this instance.
One last ride into Huthwaite and my last stop before heading home was at the Market Inn, where the bus drops you off right outside. There's usually one or two ales available, often from Lenton Lane, Shiny or Ossett. The pub picked up branch Pub of the Season awards in both Spring 2024 and Summer 2025 and has featured in the last two Good Beer Guides, which is a testament to the quality of the ale here. On my visit, I had Hazmat from local brewery, Beermats, which was a nice way to round off the day.
Of course, you could jump back on and head out of the branch into Alfreton, but these are my picks for the Stagecoach 1 route within the branch borders. Would you have done it any differently?
Market Inn
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 13
SEASON
The branch 2025 Pub of the Year adds the Winter 2025/26 Pub of Season award to its tally Let's roll off a few of the things the Firerock team have been up to this last quarter... [Deep Breath]
Back in November, they held their ‘Fear of the Dark' festival, showcasing stouts, porters, barley wines and imperial-strength beers. December saw their 7th birthday celebrations, which included a weekend of live music. Structural work in January involved the removal of the dividing wall between the two rooms, opening up the pub into one large space, and the addition of a staircase - the first step in eventually converting the top floor into an extended public space. They announced monthly Tap-Takeovers for 2026, with the first few featuring Warpigs (Denmark) in February, Whiplash Brewery of Dublin in March, and local brewery Bang the Elephant in April...
Phew!
Our presentation evening happened to coincide with the opening night of the Whiplash tap-takeover, where a range of styles from the brewery, from a 3.8% session IPA to an 8.0% export stout, were available to try, which is exactly what branch treasurer, Richard, decided to do, with a taster board comprising a third of each beer. As is often the case, the three hand pulls showcased local breweries, which on the evening were Black Iris The Big Chill and two of their own in Kill The Ghosts and Phantom Pigeon Sticker Bomber...
Phantom what? I hear you say... Well, the ale was named after they noticed an as-of-yet unknown customer had 'bombed' the pub with small pigeon stickers. Name aside, it was a stunning hop-forward hazy pale, which would go down well in the warmer months, so I'm hoping the brew isn't a one-off. Maybe if another flock of pigeons suddenly appear...
So congratulations to Danny, Amy, Neil and Gemma; very worthy winners of the Town Winter Pub of the Season.
14 | Pints of View Summer 2026
SEASON
It's a second Pub of the Season win for Paul and staff at the Market Tavern
The Market Tavern are no strangers to winning awards, with them coming runner-up in last year's Pub of the Year, as well as winning Pub of the Season the previous Autumn, with the previous awards adorning the wall between the bar area and the main lounge, with plenty of room for more!
On the bar during the evening of our presentation was as usual, a good variety of beer, including, Skylight, a pale ale by nearby Welbeck Brewery, Affogato, a coffee stout, from Newcastle upon Tyne's Wylam Brewery, Coley's West, a west coast pale ale by Manchester's Coley's Brewery and Lincoln Green's Greenwood, an Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB).
It was also the first time an ale from The Bridges Brewery - a new brewery based in Pinxton - had been available at the pub. It had clearly piqued everyone's interest, as it sold out while we were there, less than 24 hours after it went on sale, and was swiftly followed by Blue Monkey's Infinity +1.
As always, Paul strikes an interesting selection of pale, bitter, and dark ales, always supporting local breweries while keeping the mix fresh with some from further afield. This was reflected in the nominations received from branch members via our website, such as: "Excellent selection of changing cask ales kept in excellent condition.", and "Always five varied, interesting ales. Best value in the branch."
The photo shows Branch Vice-Chair Dick Dawson presenting the certificate to owner Paul, while a packed pub congratulated him on this latest award.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 15
6 Changing Ales, usually local. 6 Ciders
Our first social event of the year took place at the 2025 Branch Pub of the Year, FireRock.
A good turnout from committee and branch members was bolstered by guests from Amber Valley branch, making for a convivial and cosy winter afternoon.
The pub had reopened the evening before, following a refurbishment that saw the removal of the centre partition wall and the addition of a staircase, which, if all goes to plan, will eventually provide increased capacity on the first floor.
LacAle
LacAle
The three cask ales on the day were Black Iris Blackbeard's Bounty, a chocolate and coconut stout, and a pair from Pentrich in Play the Classics and Fair Weather Friends, a traditional bitter and pale, respectively. Of course, there was also the extensive craft-keg lineup, real cider and two fridges full of cans to choose from.
Fair Weathe
A great start to our social calendar.
The February social was held at Hucknall Beer Festival for the third consecutive year, following a good turnout in the two previous years. After all, what's not to love? Nearly 90 ales, 20 ciders and perries, free entry - how can we resist!
We arrived at noon, and within 15 minutes the hall was packed and in full flow. It quickly became apparent that many of the beers that I had intended to try had been popular on both Thursday and Friday and were already gone, or ran out on Saturday afternoon, before I had a chance to try them.
Beer I Magpie Brewery Without Prejudice
Imperial chocolone pestry out, conditioned and Mick-comprised of chocolate, coro and dark coco nibs. Complex grist, mashed hot for body. Deliciously chocolatey and worming. Contalny dose of flaked outs crystal malts with a healthy d
The afternoon saw the announcement of the winner of the Spike Golding Challenge, where ten ales from Nottinghamshire breweries are judged by punters attending on Thursday and Friday, though only the ABV and tasting notes are available at the time. Festival organiser and Nottingham CAMRA secretary, Andrew Ludlow, announced the winner mid-Saturday afternoon, praising the high quality of the contenders, before revealing this year's winner was Magpie Brewery with their imperial stout, 'Without Prejudice', which weighed in at 11%. I can certainly vouch for the quality, having spent most of my afternoon working my way through the competition beers some before the results (and breweries) had been revealed, and some afterwards. They were all very good indeed and will hopefully make their way onto bars around the branch sooner or later for the wider public to try.
It was another good turnout this year, with some new faces and a strong female representation, which is great to see. A big thanks to the organisers and volunteers for another great festival - I'm sure we'll be back next year.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 17
Social Round-up
Havelock Street S Nearly an hour on the Nines made us ready for a pint, and after dropping us off, we were a minute walk from our first pub of the day, The Talbot Taphouse. We made our selections from North Riding Caramel Porter, Thornbridge Crackendale, Eyam All Fall Down, Brunswick Rocket, Bass, Ossett Trip Hop #3 and Tiny Rebel Cereal Killer, making ourselves comfortable while having a nice chat with the landlord about all things pubs, beer and CAMRA. The Talbot has long been an ale-lover's destination, with a bright, airy interior and plenty of comfortable seating. After the prescribed hour, we headed up the road to our next pub.
Greaves Street Situated on Church Street, Brewed Awakening is a roomy micropub with plenty of comfortable seating to enjoy one of the four ales they have on offer: Black Iris Toxitracy, Bristol Beer Factory Delray Beach, Bottle Brook Rapture and Blue Monkey Guerrilla. As it was a pleasant day, we headed outside to stand in the sunshine and watch the world go by, where we were joined by some familiar faces from Amber Valley branch. After a couple of drinks and a nice catch-up, we took a short walk to our next pub.
March saw us back on public transport for our social - this time heading to Ripley to see what the town had to offer...
Up next was the Red Lion - a JD Wetherspoon pub. As is always the case with Wetherspoons, the pub was busy with both drinkers and people eating. The guest choices on our visit were Falstaff 3 Faze, Thornbridge Jaipur, Gower Gower Power and Woodfordes Voyager. We ordered our drinks and again headed outside to enjoy the spring weather. The Amber Valley troop decided they were going to catch the bus to the newly-opened Pentrich tap at this point, but we had more pubs on our itinerary before we could catch up with them later.
We decided to head to the Pear Tree Hotel next, as they had five ales on offer: Oakham Citra, Kelham Island Pale Rider, Greene King Abbot, Thornbridge Jaipur and Blue Monkey Infinity. The pub was refurbished in 2020ttin and is deceptively large, with several areas, including an outside covered terrace. Sports fans are well catered for, with large-screen TVs, dart boards and a pool table.
Pear Tree Lineup Exiting the Pear Tree, the next pub was in sight, so a minute's walk brought us to Tom Said. The cosy micropub, which opened in 2019 in a former dry cleaners, is the largest champion of craft-keg in Ripley but also serves two cask ales. On our visit, Lady Bay from the new Pinxton brewery, Three Bridges, was on, alongside Pentrich Lifesaving Nerds. We had an enjoyable half hour sampling both and chatting with owner Tom before needing to move on to our next pub.
Just a short walk away, on Oxford Street, is Little Roosevelt - a micropub that takes its name from being on the site of the former Ripley zoo, which had a bear of the same name. Two Blue Monkey ales were available on our visit: Infinity and Cinder Toffee Stout, as well as Cloud Zoo from Beestonia Brewery. Cinder Toffee had eluded me up to this point, so it was good to try it finally, and I'm glad to say it was as good as I'd hoped.
Field TerView Summer 2026
Road
Greaves At this point, we had the choice of catching the next bus to Pentrich Tap, which was minutes away, or trying Ripley Little Ale House, a few doors away. We decided to catch the bus due to the frequency at which they run, and walked the short distance to the Market Place. Soon enough, we were on the bus and a few minutes later being dropped off right outside the tap, thanks to a very cheerful bus driver.
eet th St out Teeth Marks of Time, It was only the second day Pentrich Brewery Tap had been open, but word had clearly got around as the place was buzzing when we arrived. It wasn't on our original itinerary, but it was an easy decision among the attendees to include it in our trip. Inside, the large open space features several long benches, with the bar at the rear end; more seating is provided outdoors. There were four cask and 12 craft-keg options to enjoy, with the cask selection featuring two pales, a traditional bitter and a flavoured sweet stout Fighting for a Sandwich, Hidden Verse and Coconut Radio, respectively; it was agreed the latter was especially good. We caught up with the Amber Valley crew, and thanks to David (the Pentrich brewery liaison officer), we got an impromptu tour of the brewery courtesy of ex-Amber Ales owner, Pete Hounsel, which rounded the day off rather nicely. Thanks to all who attended, and to Amber Valley for making it three socials in a row!
M&A and Amber Valley members at Pentrich Brewery Tap Summer 2026 Pints of View | 19
Road
The Purbeck area of Dorset has been our go-to place for nearly 20 years, and at the 'Gateway to the Purbecks' is the Saxon town of Wareham.
Wareham has been our base from which attractions such as Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, Swanage, and the Studland peninsula are just a short drive away. The pretty walled town sits on the River Frome, and the quay is a hive of activity, whether from its Saturday market, to 'Wareham Wednesday' events on August evenings, or just locals and visitors enjoying the idyllic spot to relax and watch the world go by.
My guide starts at the 'top end' of town, on North Street at the 18th century, Grade II listed King's Arms. The whitewashed thatched cottage, adorned with hanging baskets and planters, oozes kerbside appeal. Inside, there are low, beamed ceilings, flagstone floors, and a real fireplace, making for a cosy place to sit and have a pint. Should the weather be more conducive to outside drinking, the pub has a large west-facing beer garden to the rear. Ales tend to come from larger, well-known breweries across the south, and on my visit, Sharpe's Sea Fury, Butcombe Gold, Bath Gem, and Exmoor Ale were the choices on the bar.
Alighting from the King's Arms and walking down North Street to the crossroads, then left onto East Street brings you to the Duke of Wellington. Much like the King's Arms, the Duke of Wellington is Grade II listed and features flagstone floors, an inglenook fireplace and plenty of charm. To the rear of the pub is an enclosed yard, which is a sun-trap in the summer months. Hopback Summer Lightning, Ringwood Forty Niner, Courage Best Bitter, and Isle of Purbeck Fossil Fuel were on the bar when I visited. Being a long-time fan of Summer Lightning made the choice a pretty simple one here. Meeting House
Heading back to the crossroads, then turning left and left again onto St. John's Hill, you'll find the Horse & Groom. You won't find a warmer welcome anywhere than from Joe and his staff, and the pub is regularly a friendly mix of locals and tourists, where you're highly likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger. The rear courtyard is a sun-trap in the summer, or there is plenty of comfy seating indoors, should the weather not be too good. The list of awards the pub has won includes CAMRA East Dorset Rural Pub of the Year 2024 and overall branch winner in 2019. Salcombe Belgica, St. Austell Proper Job, Fine Tuned Sunshine Reggae and Magic Melody, and Hattie Browns HBA were on the bar for one of my visits.
20 | Pints of View Summer 2026
Typical lineup From here, a one-minute walk down South Street to the quay brings you to our fourth pub, toponymously named The Quay. The pub sits 20 yards or so across from the river edge, where pleasure boats take visitors downstream, and kids jump into the water on a hot day. A line of benches out front are perpetually busy in the summer months, while diners head inside to sample the tasty menu, which on a Tuesday includes steaks you cook yourself on a hot volcanic rock. To the rear of the pub is a canopied courtyard. The static range comprises Timothy Taylor Landlord, Otter Bitter, and Isle of Purbeck Full Steam Ahead. They'll serve your pint in a plastic glass (if you don't mind that), so you can take it over to the riverbank, where you can enjoy it while sitting on the rocks with a view downriver. Bliss!
Quay (left) and view downriver The last pub on this crawl means a half-mile walk across the causeway to Stoborough, where you'll happen across our second King's Arms. As with its namesake at the start of the feature, this is another thatched building, this time with a traditional country inn feel. There is a patioed seating area and beer garden, complete with kids' playground equipment, which catches the late-afternoon and early-evening sunshine. Plain Ales Inndependance was the last beer I had there, and from recollection, ales tend to vary from visit to visit, but are usually from Dorset and the southwest. Annoyingly, I only took a photo of the one handpull, rather than the full lineup. I've heard plenty of good feedback on the food offering, so the last stop on this crawl might be the ideal place to have a bite to eat if you've worked up a hunger along the way - Kirsten
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 21
"There's no room for complacency" - they were the wise words of CAMRA's national chairman Joe Goodwin when he addressed annual meetings in the 1970s. He stressed that while the Campaign could record many successes, the battle to save real ale was far from over.
Today, as we celebrate CAMRA's 55th anniversary, Joe's mantra is as true as ever. We can indeed look back with pride on our undoubted achievements but we face an even more daunting battle to save and promote this country's unique contribution to the world of beer.
From the 1970s to the end of the century, the Campaign's opponents were known as the Big Six. They owned half the country's pubs and dominated 75 per cent of the so-called “free trade”. Their size and power was awesome, accounting for more than 80 per cent of all the beer consumed in Britain.
And they had either axed or sidelined cask beer in favour of keg - beer that was filtered, pasteurised and artificially carbonated.
The Big Six was made up of Allied Breweries (Ansells, Ind Coope and Tetley), Bass Charrington, Courage/John Smiths, Grand Metropolitan (Watney, Mann, Truman and Wilsons), Scottish & Newcastle and Whitbread. They used the power of modern advertising, including commercial TV, to promote at huge cost such truly abysmal beers as Watney's Red, Bass's Worthington E, Whitbread Tankard and S&N Tartan.
But - and it's an important but – they were all British-based companies. They still produced or had the ability to produce cask-conditioned beer and in many cases they were persuaded to return to the path of brewing righteousness.
As a result of the Campaign's vigorous work and the evident success of such cask beer producers as Young's, Ruddles and a clutch of breweries in Manchester and Yorkshire, the Big Six saw the errors of their ways. The likes of Draught Bass and Charrington IPA were promoted once again and the "real ale revolution" was given a massive boost when Allied launched Draught Burton Ale at the end of the 1970s to nationwide acclaim. The opposition is a very different one today. The market is dominated to a greater extent than in the days of the Big Six by global lager brewers.
. Carlsberg, Asahi, Molson C
Is and AB InBev. Asahi of Japan ha
The main players are Heineken, Carlsberg, Asahi, Molson Coors and AB InBev. Asahi of Japan has kept faith with Fuller's ales since it bought the Chiswick brewery but the others have little or no interest in cask.
Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) chief executive Andy Slee puts it well when he says the global brewers want to produce the same liquid in every market where they operate: a filtered and pasteurised beer with a long and profitable shelf life.
If you tell them cask beer has to be consumed within two or three days or it will oxidise, their accountants will I have a fit of the vapours.
As a result, an alarming number of cask breweries have been shuttered. Heineken axed Caledonian in Edinburgh, Molson Coors has closed Sharp's in Cornwall, while Carlsberg has gone on the rampage, closing Jenning's, Banks's, Ringwood and Wychwood.
Jenning's has been rescued by local entrepreneurs but the remainder are on the scrapheap. These acts of vandalism were carried out when the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company was created in 2020. That has since morphed into Carlsberg Britvic and Marston's, once one of the most revered names in British brewing with Pedigree pale ale and the historic Burton union fermentation system, has now been reduced to the status of a pub company.
When the Danish giant says it has to close the breweries as a result of falling demand for real ale it's being - as a politician once remarked – “economical with the actualité”.
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In Yorkshire, Theakston, which will celebrate 200 years of brewing in 2027, says it had its best year ever in 2025. In the same county, Timothy Taylor says it's brewing more cask beer than before the Covid pandemic. It's not exactly a micro - it brews 70,000 barrels a year of which 80 per cent is cask, with Landlord leading the field.
Across the Pennines, Robinsons family brewery in Stockport has built a new plant to supply cask beer to its 300 pubs. In Derbyshire, Thornbridge also reports a strong surge for its cask beers, some of which are brewed in a Burton union fermenter, that was surplus to requirements at Marston's.
Down in Cornwall, St Austell has launched a range of seasonal cask beers that will augment its core brands. In Suffolk, Greene King has similarly unveiled new seasonal beers to stand alongside their IPA, Abbot and Old Speckled Hen on the bar.
Carlsberg should take a long, hard look at Greene King, which clearly sees no sign of the decline in demand for cask reported by the Danes. The Suffolk company is now the biggest producer of cask beer in the country and it's investing a mighty £40m in a new brewery that will supply its formidable estate of 2,700 pubs.
A strong sign that campaigning works comes with the news that AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer, best known for Stella Artois and American Budweiser, has launched a promotion for Draught Bass. This is the result of lovers of the beer staging an annual “Drink Bass Day" and compiling a list of pubs that serve the beer with a National Bass Directory.
Draught Bass once accounted for 800,000 barrels a year but that has fallen to just 30,000. But now AB InBev is promoting it with new pump clips and etched glasses and stressing its history 19th century history, when its Red Triangle was the first registered trademark in Britain.
The other global brewers will turn their backs on this success story and will continue to shutter breweries and axe cask beers.
So as we raise a foaming tankard to celebrate CAMRA's 55th anniversary let us pledge to carry on campaigning. There's no room for complacency.
(Originally published on What's Brewing - https://wb.camra.org.uk/)
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Brook
Two Blokes, a Dog, and 26 Letters - G
We're now getting into the spirit of our alphabet of pub crawls. So far, we've completed the letters A, B, C, D and N. We managed to find a date for our next adventure, and our initial thought was to try to keep it in alphabetical order, exploring options for our letter E. Having thoroughly enjoyed one of our CAMRA monthly Branch Socials in Eastwood, this was our first plan. However, for a couple of reasons - but mainly the opening hours of some of the pubs on our intended route - we decided to go away from alphabetical order and visit Grantham to get our letter G.
Neither of us had spent any time in Grantham previously, so some research was required. Once again, we used the CAMRA website to search the area for likely the pubs had to serve real ale and be dog-friendly.
pubs, setting the criteria that the pubs ha
I would be travelling from Mansfield, and Adam (along with his dog, Toby) would be travelling from Arnold. The easiest option for us was to meet at Nottingham Train Station and then take the Norwich train to Grantham, which only takes about thirty minutes.
The best and cheapest option for me was to was also nice to be able to purchase an River
Street an off-peak return train ticket from Mansfield to Grantham. It return' so that I didn't have to think too much about which train I needed to be back for. The off-peak journey into Nottingham was fairly quiet, and I had a great welcome at the station, as Toby tried his best to drag Adam down the platform in his rush greet me!
George Street
We caught the 10:37 train from Nottingham, and it left exactly on time ebri
Step the er arriving in Grantham at around 11:10. We didn't have far to go for our first port ng of call, it's situated on the station platform! It's a micropub called The Whistle Stop, which opened in 2019, situated inside the former parcels office on Platform 1. You can access the pub from either the platform or from road. There is some outside seating on both sides of the pub, too. As I mentioned previously, we do check beforehand that the pub is dog-friendly, but we also think it's only right to ask when we arrive, just in case there are certain areas they don't allow dogs. On asking, we had to chuckle; they couldn't have been more dog-friendly, making sure that Toby had a drink and a few doggy treats from the bar, b
Whistle Stop
Sefore serving us!
They've got three sticks on the bar and always k: Street eroantham. On the day one permanent beer and two changing. The permanent one is called Whistle Stop and is brewed for the pub by Z Zest Brewery, a local brewery based in we visited, the two guest ales were Newton's also from Zest, and Diplomat from Beermats. It's always nice to see one of our local breweries when we're out and about in different areas. As neither of us had sampled anything from Zest before, Adam went for the Whistle Stop, which is a pale ale, and I went for the Newton's Drop, a best bitter. This wasn't going to be the last reminder we had of Isaac Newton's prominence in the town! They were two very good beers, and we were off to a good start. We then had walk into the town centre to reach our second pub.
Whistle Stop interior about a ten-minute w reet
As we strolled into the town centre, Sir Isaac Newton's influence became apparent. He was born at Woolsthorpe Manor, which is about ten miles from Grantham, and he was educated at The King's School in Grantham. We walked past the Isaac Newton shopping centre and his statue, which is located just outside the guildhall. We also discovered that there's a Primary School named after him and there used to be a pub named after him too. I rawas pleased that I'd in the cultural theme by having an ale called
Angel and Royal
24 | Pints of View Summer 2026
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Two Blokes, a Dog, and 26 Letters - G
We soon arrived at our second pub, The Angel and Royal, and wow, what a place. If you ever find yourself in Grantham, you really need to visit this place. Even if you're not up for a beer, go in for a coffee or some food and just have a look around the place. It's very impressive. It's reputedly England's oldest inn, it's situated on the High Street and was originally called The Angel Inn, it dates back to 1203. The Royal part of the name was added in 1866 after a visit from the Prince of Wales, who went on to become King Edward VII. As well as the bar, there is a restaurant, and it is still being used as a hotel. As you can imagine, there are a lot of original features, and just sitting in the bar, the fireplace and windows are something else! They had two sticks on the bar and, when we visited, there was only one real ale available. However, it was nice to see that it was beer from the local Zest Brewery called Alchemy. A very nice beer, in very nice surroundings.
It was another b
We had a short walk around the corner to our next stop, which was also an old, character-filled pub. This one is a listed building, called the Blue Pig and dates back to the 16th century. In fact, it's one of only two remaining half-re timbered buildings in Grantham. Inside, the pub is divided into a few areas of differing sizes, and it was good to see that there were six choices of real ale. Once again, a very dog-friendly place, with Toby being offered treats before Adam and I could get a pint! Unusually, with such a choice, we went for the same beer, Butcombe Gold from Butcombe Brewery; it's classed as a premium golden ale and set us up for our three-minute walk to our fourth pub. Knightingales Ela Cafe we both r
Blue Pig
Our next stop was a pub called Nobody Inn. It's been known by this ue Road/ name since the 1990s; formerly, it was called The Joiners. The pub was named in the "Top 500 pubs in England" by the Daily Telegraph in 2025. The en sign outside the pub states "6 real ales available" and, although there were six sticks on the bar, there were only four ales available when we visited. Once stepping inside, you can immediately see why it's described as 'eclectic'! There's a great variety of objects and antiquities to look at whilst enjoying a pint, but don't get caught out by the fake toilet door, you need to locate the secret door to find the real loos! Of the four ales available, Adam chose Steelback IPA from Grainstore Brewery, and I went for amber ale.
Saint
Soker from Batemans, which is a light, Street
We then had a short stroll to our fifth pub, The Chequers. This is a more contemporary bar, albeit set in a 17th-century building. The pub proudly supports local breweries and, of the three available on our visit, Adam chose Froglet, a hoppy pale ale from 8 Sail Brewery, based in Sleaford. I went for Stamford Pale from Baker's Dozen Brew Co, which is based in Ketton, just outside Stamford. I have to point out that, not for the first time today, Toby was handed some doggy treats before we got our beer! Chequers was a very friendly place, with a nice choice of local beers, on't forget to check out the great display of pump clips on the ceiling!
Blue Pig interior
We had originally hoped to take the four-minute walk to the Lord Harrowby. This is described as a backstreet pub, with a traditional lounge and a Victorian-style bar. It's won several CAMRA awards, including the Lincolnshire pub of the year in 2022. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, the pub didn't open until later, so we weren't able to visit. However, from our research, if you find yourself in Grantham when it is open, it definitely sounds like one to visit.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 25
Stop
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Two Blokes, a Dog, and 26 Letters - G
OOO
Instead of The Lord Lord Harrowby, we didn't take much persuading to finish our day where we had started, at the Whistle Stop at the railway station. We realised that we could have a leisurely pint whilst waiting for our return train. This time, we both chose the beer that neither of us had tried earlier, Diplomat from Beermats Brewery.
So, all in all, we'd had a very enjoyable day out in n Grantham, and we were pleased with our choice for letter G. Some very friendly pubs, with their own unique style, and only around thirty minutes by train from Nottingham. Now, where shall we head next? Do we try to get back in alphabetical order or look for dates and corresponding opening hours? It's now six letters completed, twenty to go! As always, suggestions for our trips are welcome!
DUKE OF SUSSEX ALFRETON ROAD SUTTON IN ASHFIELD NG17 1JN
LOCALE ALES CAMRA REAL ALES
DUKE OF SUSSEX amm f THE DUKESUTTONINASHFIELD
BLACK SWAN HIGH STREET EDWINSTOWE NG2190R
BLACKSWANEDWINSTOWE
THE DUKERIES LODGE - HIGH STREET EDWINSTOWE. NG12 9HS
WWW.THEDUKERIESLODGE.CO.UK
01623 822553 DUKERIESLODGE
26 | Pints of View Summer 2026
Stop
You may or may not have heard of the ‘Famous Five'. No, not Enid Blyton's band of child sleuths (though there is a connection here), but the five pubs which have been in every edition of the Good Beer Guide...
My favourite pub happens to be one of those, but it is its location and individuality that never fails to put a smile on my face. The pub was introduced to me by my brother-in-law on my first holiday in Dorset - not just as a place to go for a drink, but somewhere to experience - that's quite a thing in an area boasting Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Tyneham and much more.
The Square and Compass faces out to sea, across the lynchet-striated slopes of the Purbecks, in the quiet village of Worth Matravers; part of the landscape that inspired Enid Blyton's much-loved books. My family call it 'Where's-me- trousers' - and thankfully, there's no embarrassing story to be told, it simply sounds similar and amuses us!
Until the recent erection of a phone mast in the village, when you drove into the village and alighted at the nearby car park (complete with 'Wood Henge'), you may have noticed the time on your phone had gone forward an hour; this was likely due to a poor signal, and your phone picking up one from France instead, but was no less strange.
The curiosities don't stop there: at one end of the pub is a fossil museum housing a 60-year collection of the current proprietor, Charlie Newman and his father, Ray, the grandson of the pub's first Newmans, who took on the tenancy in 1907. Most of the fascinating finds are local, and the collection includes great examples of Ichthyosaur and Pliosaur.
Once you've viewed the museum and got a drink, if the weather is nice, retreat to the garden where the 'furniture' is made from Purbeck stone and large hunks of wood, and enjoy that wonderful view. If the weather isn't ideal (which it evidently sometimes isn't, given the wind-bent trees along the field edges), you could cosy up inside, in either the lounge or the snug, separated by the central serving hatch. The interior is a mix of flagstone and wood flooring, with exposed stone and panelled walls. Low-slung beamed ceilings add to the cosy atmosphere. CAMRA have designated it as a nationally important historic pub interior, and it's Grade II listed by Historic England.
Hattie Brown ales from nearby Swanage always feature, with 'Moonlite' being a perfectly quaffable sunny-day hoppy pale ale and one of my all-time favourite ales. Another one of their beers, 'Dog on a Roof', is a nod to the pub dog, which can, literally, often be spotted on the roof of the cottage. Guest ales are from the likes of Butcombe and Palmers, and all are served on gravity. Charlie's home-pressed cider is a favourite of my wife, Clare. 'Sat Down Be Cider', 'Eve's Idea', and 'Kiss Me Kate' are Dry, Medium, and Sweet, respectively, catering to all tastes. The pub was awarded CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year in 2008, the year of our first visit.
The pub is perpetually busy in the summer months, entertaining locals, tourists and hikers passing by on either the coastal trails or the Priest's Way, which runs from the village to nearby Swanage. So, if you're ever in the area, be sure to seek out this hidden gem - you won't be disappointed.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 27
Highlighting unusual, rare or one-off ales and the pubs that serve them...
RATHER HAVE A PINT OF This quarter seems to have been very hit-and-miss when it comes to unusual brews, some of which I'm blaming on spending most of it working rotating shifts in Peterborough - but it's still good to shout out the pubs that have featured something out of the ordinary, even if I didn't actually get to try it...
On my last visit to Moody Squires, one of their 'coming soon' ales was Wadworth Swordfish, a rum-infused ale. The barman assured me it's on now and again, so hopefully I'll get to try it on a future visit.
Pheasantry 80/- made an appearance at a few pubs around the branch, including the Horse & Jockey, Railway Inn and Picture House. I missed it at all three, and it seems it might have been by minutes at the latter, as it was still showing as available when I went. I suspect the Scotch export-style ale should have been on the bars for Burn's Night but ended up appearing slightly later than planned.
A few Black Forest Gateau-inspired stouts made an appearance at various venues across the branch. Joss, our Young Members Coordinator, enjoyed a pint of Lakedown Gateau at the Brown Cow. I happened across Frith by Trig Brewery at The Barrel Micropub, which went down well.
The Inkpot had Durham Turkish Delight on the bar in February - a flavour I've never seen in an ale before... Did you get to try it?
The Market Tavern in South Normanton featured one of Dungeon Brewing's small-batch ales - called simply Small Batch 7. It didn't last a day!
Trig Brew 'Frith'
Hucknall Beer Festival seemed like a good opportunity to try a few unusual brews. However, it appeared that they had been so popular on Thursday and Friday that they had run out by the Saturday afternoon session I attended. One of these was I'd Rather Have a Pint of... from Bang the Elephant. Luckily, after catching the bus back to Sutton, it was on the bar in FireRock! If you didn't make the connection from the old advertisement, the recipe included the addition of 60 boxes of Coco Pops. I'm glad I wasn't cleaning the kit!
UNE BREW
LAUNCH cremea
I finally got to try Blue Monkey Cinder Toffee in Little Roosevelt during our March social in Ripley, and then again two days later at the Brown Cow, during their Pub of the Year presentation. Like a liquid Crunchie! It was excellent at both pubs.
DA The last beer to make the feature this quarter, and another brew imitating a well-known type of confectionery, was Cremed by Lune Brew, which I tried at the Brown Cow. Despite being only 3.4%, it gave a nice initial chocolate hit before the creme flavour came through in the long finish - a really good way to round off my unusual ales this quarter.
So, despite a few misses, I did enjoy a few unusual ales this spring... What unusual brews have you seen around the branch?
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- Kirsten
ON TAP NEAR YOU
SCHOOLROAD BAGTHORPE NG16 5HF
EINE ALES, A GREAT SELECTION OF TRADITIONAL CIDER PRIVATE WHISKY LOUNGE
OPEN FIRES AND DOG FRIENDLY
MANSFIELD AND ASHFIELD CAMRA RURAL PUB OF THE SEASON SPRING 2025
POACHERS
-WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT QUESTIONED AFTERWARD- IF PRACTICATE
01773 473230 Facebook-Friends at The Dixies Arms
A regular feature highlighting a dog-friendly pub, in or around our branch, with a good walk from the door and great beer at the end. The branch has an abundance of scenic countryside with Sherwood Forest, The Dukeries and Robin Hood Way, to name a few of the highlights. Nothing beats a nice pint at the end of a good walk, so lace up your boots and enjoy what our branch has to offer.
The Beehive, Maplebeck, and east of the branch
Length: 10.62 km (6.60 miles) - Ascent: 99m (325ft) - Terrain: Sections of quiet road, well-made tracks and bridleways, footpath, woodland. Map: Explorer 270/271 or LandRanger 120
Address: Main Street, Maplebeck, NG22 OBS.
My walk began in the village of Maplebeck, located right on the eastern border of the branch. From the picturesque village, footpaths cross farmland where the skies are wide and the views are far-reaching. I was soon met with a sign showing my intended route was closed until August, but it suggested an alternative that didn't add any length to the walk, so I was soon back on track and heading into Dilliner Wood and Mansey Common. The paths through here looked like they might have been a bit of a mud bath in wetter months, but had just about dried out with the slightly dryer recent weather. Crossing a stream and alighting from the wood brought me near to Eakring, though again I had to take an unexpected route, as it seems my expected path has now closed due to the fairly recent erection of the unusual pylons that span the fields to the east of the village. I soon wound my way around to the edge of the village, where the path east would eventually take me back towards Maplebeck, but first I wanted to head through the village to a beautiful spot for a quick 'halfway' rest. Just to the west of Eakring stands a memorial to William Mompesson, the rector of Eyam church at the time of the Black Plague of 1665-1666, where he was credited with helping to limit the spread of the deadly disease. He moved to Eakring in 1670, and it is said he held sermons at the Pulpit Ash where the memorial stands. It is a lovely spot to sit and rest a while. Walking back through the village, the path then takes you across undulating farmland, eventually arriving back in Mapleback at the rear of the church of St. Radegund and the short walk back to the Beehive. A beautiful walk, during which I was accompanied by the sound of birdsong from skylarks, robins and wrens, and the sight of butterflies dancing along the hedgerow, including peacock, common blue and my favourite species, orange tip.
Mompesson's memorial
The Beehive is the smallest traditional pub in the county, yet big on personality and welcome. The original building dates back to 1803 and sits on an elevated spot adjacent to the main street through the village and just a stone's throw from the picturesque church of St. Radegund. Inside, there are two small rooms, one of which has a bar to the rear. Two Castle Rock ales are served: Preservation, a 4.4% best bitter, with a red colour and sweet malt balance, and Harvest Pale, an award-winning 3.8% pale session ale, and my choice to quench the thirst I had worked up following my lengthy walk. Duggie was treated to a bowl of water and a cupful of treats, which he thoroughly enjoyed! The pretty beer garden was busy with customers enjoying the spring sunshine, and if I'd had longer to linger, I would have been happy to do the same. I'm already looking forward to a return visit.
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The 'larger' of the two rooms
Maplibre | komoot | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
From the Beehive (A), head northwest along Main Street, then just as the road turns to the right, veer left and follow the fingerpost over the stile (1). Follow the obvious path across the field, through the hedge and across the next field. At the end of the field, the path turns right and left (2) before crossing another field. When you arrive at the lane, turn right (3). At this point, I couldn't take the intended next left, so I had to keep straight on (purple on the map, and drawn on a sign at the entrance to the farm). The temporary path takes the left fork at the entrance to the next field and skirts the left edge of the field before turning left at the far corner and following the left edge of the next field. The intended path is soon picked back up, where you turn right to cross the field, then the bridge, into Dilliner Wood (4). Follow the one obvious path through the wood until you come to a split in the path, with a fence in front of you (5). Take the right fork and proceed through the gate in front of you, past the signs and onto Mansey Common. Again, follow the one path northwest through the common until arriving at a bridge over a brook (6). Cross the bridge and proceed up the steps and into the field. Cross the field (I was guided by the tractor tracks) to the small bridge opposite (7) and then across the next field, again following the tractor tracks. Once at the track (8), turn right, then left and follow it up the hill until you arrive at a small bridge (9). (This last section wasn't on my mapping and appears to have changed for the installation of the pylons, and is marked as a dotted line on the map. At this point, turning right takes you back towards Maplebeck, and left to Eakring and Mompesson's memorial. Turn left (it appears you can be on either side of the hedge here) and follow it to the end, before turning right, then left and going down the steps and over the bridge (10). Follow the path up by the park, along the road to the end, then cross Kirklington Road and follow the footpath alongside Jasmine Cottage (11). At the end of the path, take the next one opposite left and continue beside the allotment to the end (12). Take the left path along the horse field, then first right with another horse field now on your left. At the end of the path, you'll arrive at a lane and the memorial (13). Now retrace your steps back to point (9) before continuing east along the path. You'll cross another field (15), again using the tractor-made tracks, then along obvious paths, through one small copse (16), and beside another (17) until you reach The Hollows (18). Cross the road and take the path which will soon alight on Church Lane, then turn left and follow the road to the church, where you can turn right to the Beehive (B).
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 31
A631
From the Archives - Good Beer Guide 2000
CAMPAIGN FOR REAL AL Following a look at the 1980 and 1990 Good Beer Guides in the last
GUIDE two issues of Pints of View, I fast-forward to the Millennium edition to see who's in...
The 2000 guide would have set you back £11.95, almost double the 1990 guide, and adjusted for inflation, is £23.08, making it fairly steep at the time. T Thankfully, mine cost £2.35 from eBay to research this feature!
At around a hundred pages more than the 1990 guide, the most obvious change is that each pub description is longer and isn't abridged, as was seen before. It does mean they are too long to fit in the two pages of this feature, however, so I'll be picking out the more interesting bits!
This is the first guide featured after the formation of Mansfield & Ashfield CAMRA in 1992, so entries would have been selected by the committee of the time.
The first entry for Nottinghamshire this time is the Stanton Arms in Bilsthorpe. Described as a "Large estate pub in a former pit village", it served Barnsley Bitter and Old Tom from Oakwell Brewery. These days, pub is part of the Samuel Smith estate and doesn't serve real ale.
MILLENNIUM EDITION
The Forest Lodge winstowe, served Ruddles Best Bitter, Courage Directors and guest ales. Described as a "Sympathetically refurbished historic pub at the heart of Sherwood Forest, offering a wide range of food". The pub featured in many guides through the noughties and beyond. It changed hands from the long-running owners a couple of years ago and still serves a good choice of real ales.rent
CAMPA dei
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Farnsfield had two entries, the first of which was the Red Lion. Described as a "Friendly, family-run local on the main road through the village, with an excellent restaurant". It served a range of Mansfield Ales and featured in the guide for a good number of years. Today, it is known as the Lion and is part of the Marston's estate, serving ales from the Carlsberg-Brivic range. Bleasby ood
The second entry for the village was the Trading Post. Serving Mansfield ales, the entry said, "Formerly known as the White Post, this spacious roadside eating establishment is themed on a Canadian trading post". Of course, the pub is known as the White Post again (and has been as long as I can remember), and, like the Lion, is part of the Marston's estate.
The Dixies Arms featured under the 'Lower Bagthorpe' location this time, rather than just 'Bagthorpe'. Now described as a "250-year-old, beamed country inn with a tap room, a snug, a lounge and a spacious children's play area. It supports its own football team, pigeon club, and Morris Dancing club; a true village local." It served beers from Home Ales. Very little has changed at the pub over the years, which makes it all the more appealing. It serves three real ales and nearly 20 ciders and was recently named as Mansfield and Ashfield's Branch Pub of the Year the Runner-Up.
Dixies Arms, Bagthorpe
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SOUTH
A631
From the Archives - Good Beer Guide 2000
Just two entries for Mansfield this time around, the first being the Bold Forester. Serving Boddingtons Bitter, Castle Eden Ale, Flowers Original, Greene King Abbot, Marstons Pedigree and Wadworth 6X, it was described as a "Large new pub, with 12 beers, including 6 guests, always available. Built in traditional style incorporating many interesting features." The Bold Forester quickly became a mainstay of the guide, with a huge choice of ales and two beer festivals a year.
Mansfield's second entry was the Plough, which served Boddingtons Bitter, Castle Eden Ale, Flowers Original, Greene King Abbot, Marstons Pedigree and guest beers. It was described as a "Large, one-roomed pub by a busy road: eight real [ales] always available; friendly clientele and staff". The pub became II Rosso in 2008, and remains so today. Real ale is served. A616 ich was the Station Hotel, Newstead
Mansfield Woodhouse also had two entries, the first of which
Greyhound Inn. Described as a s a "Friendly village local, in a central location, comprising a lounge and tap room with pool table and darts", it served Courage Directors, Home Mild and Bitter, Mansfield Bitter, Ruddles Best Bitter and guests. The pub has featured in most guides since the branch's inception and continues to be a beacon for real ale in the area. Mansfield Woodhouse
Eakring
Map data © 2026 Google
The second entry was the Star. The pub served Ward's Best 016
Waggle Dance and a guest, and was described as an "Old, low- beamed, three-roomed pub, affording excellent garden play facilities for children". The pub had no real ale on our last visit.
A617
The Jug & Glass, Nether Langwith, was described as a “15th century pub standing by the village stream; cosy with a friendly atmosphere." It served Hardys & Hansons ales. It is now operated by Greene King and deserves serves ales from their range.
South
THE GREYHOUND
by The Station Hotel, Newstead, served Barnsley Bitter and Old Tom from Oakwell Brewery. Described as a "Basic village boozer displaying old railway photos in the lounge, and selling excellent value ale". At time of closing in 2015, it was operated by Sam Smith's. It is now Dod demolished. reen
Lowdham
Hoveringham
The Olde Plough in Pleasley served Marston's Bitter, Pedigree, Owd and HBC. It was described as an "Old, beamed, stone pub, well imponovated to give a large, open plan area with alcoves". The pub became a Chinese takeaway after closing, before the building was demolished to make way for a Co-Op. When this didn't materialise, flats were built on the land instead. A52
The Fox & Crown, Skegby, served Mansfield Bitter, Theakston Mild and XB, and guests. Described as a "Spacious, modernised pub drawing a friendly clientele. A popular eating place". Today, the pub is operated by Greene King under their 'Flaming Grill' brand and had a refurbishment in 2025.
Hangar Jug & Glass, Nether Langwith on the Wolds
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 33
A631
From the Archives - Good Beer Guide 2000
The King & Miller was the first of two entries for Sutton-in-Ashfield. Described as a "Roomy pleasant pub with a friendly welcome. Families are very well catered for". They served Hardys and Hanson ales. The name changed to King's Mill Farm later and is part of the Greene King estate.
The second entry was the Staff of Life, which served Theakston's Best Bitter and a guest. It was described as a "Friendly pub with a public bar and indoor skittles alley". The pub has had a chequered recent history, but remains open, though it doesn't serve e real al I ale.
The last Nottinghamshire entry was the Red Lion, Underwood, which was a frequent entry around that time. Described as a "300-year-old, beamed, friendly village pub with an eating area where children are welcome, plus a large garden and play area". The pub served Boddingtons Bitter, Flowers Original, Marston's Pedigree and a guest. The pub is now part of the Stonegate group and serves up to four real ales.
Flicking through to the breweries section of the guide revealed that the branch had no independent breweries at the time (Mansfield had been snapped up by Wolverhampton & Dudley by then). In fact, Nottinghamshire as a whole only had eight in total - today it has over 40!
Nether Langwith
Skegby Mansfield de Notifications off ood imb
34 | Pints of View Summer 2026
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FireRock ō
20-24 Outram Street,, Sutton in Ashfield, NG17 4FS 07875331898 www.firerockbrewing.com https://www.facebook.com/FireRockBrewing https://www.instagram.com/firerockbrewingco/
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