Moss Valley beer wander

Hello,

       Sunday saw me yomping through the North East Midlands to the Moss Valley, or, to be more precise, the edges of it. More precisely still, the pubs therein. Here is what I found in some of those buildings.

Myself and Miss N blazed a trail to Eckington along the TPT, and arrived in what is now virtually a ghost town, as if Eckington wasn't already a stand in for the set of Threads. No offence Ecky folk, but the past malaise of almost none of its many pubs selling real ale has now been replaced by the more pressing malaise of none of its many pubs being bloody open!

Annoyingly I had failed to make note of the pub that is in Eckington purporting to offer a range of real ales* that I had spotted somewhere in the beer writing world, and feeling that arriving red faced in the Co-op and asking random people which of Eckington's pubs were open may make me look a little piss-headish, we opted instead of boozing to get refreshments from the shop, and carried on our trek.

We made good progress along Back lane, turning left off the track near the house in the woods that Wee Fatha claims isn't on the map (it is, and I don't believe its not on his 1970 version - questions arising about why he's not got a more recent one must wait to be answered on FB or similar!) before heading up the hill past the School playing fields to behind Bramley Park. Here our progress slowed significantly.

Because we spent 50 minutes becoming increasingly thirsty trying to escape on to the road amidst a frustrating lack of any signage. To make sure this problem doesn't reoccur, please donate to : www.perhapsyoudconsiderputtingwaymarkarrowsorsignsupnobheads.com/FMS.html to enable the council or authority responsible to put just one lousy chuffing indication of which way the path goes, at the 4 way junction of the path you've just walked up, the one you need of which there is no obvious evidence, and the two created by ruminants out of boredom. Thanks.

So, having got over that as I so obviously have, and escaped onto the road via Eckington School playing fields, we toiled up the hill and into the Fox and Hounds at Marsh Lane,  now mercifully keeping more modern hours of open all day. We quickly ordered two glasses of water and two perfectly kept cellar cool pints of Jennings Crag Rat at £3.10 a pint, which hit the spot perfectly. We sat outside in the beer garden with me perversely craving the heat of the sun, and once we'd applied plasters and other medication (don't ask!) we steadied ourselves for a walk to the next pub.

This was the Devonshire Arms at Middle Handley. There's no longer any point sighing and muttering about its gastro credentials rather than it being a proper pub like what it used to be - because it simply isn't and it is almost impossible to conceive of it being anything else other than a commuter home if it had not taken its current direction.

Sat outside in the setting sun, we supped pints of Farmers Blonde for Miss N and the excellent Barlow Dark Horse for me, from a range of usually four cask ales. As well as the beers, the other feather in the pub's cap is that they take cards - buses aint cheap in the area so you need all the coinage you can get. Especially if you get stuck in Apperknowle...

Walking into the sunset we were rewarded with outstanding views over the Drone Valley with beautiful colours streaking across the sky and vapour trails criss-crossing and fading into purple and then dark red as we walked. We didn't actually get stuck at the Travelers Rest in Apperknowle, but I can safely say that it  wouldn't have been the worst place to do so.

The current CAMRA Dronfield Sub Branch Summer pub of the season, as well as gaining massive kudos by selling rarely mentioned Blue Bee Pilcrow Porter last week, also excels by carrying an ever changing range of other real ales, plenty of ciders, and by selling absolutely fantastic pork pies. We ordered a large one to share and weren't disappointed for £3.00 - the ales were around the same price and we had a Reef Porter from Coastal Brewery and the rather marvelous Abbeydale Asbo. I didn't see the strength., but I confess it "dinnarf" remind me of the Abso. Lution. Either way it was cracking.

Alas, having arrived in near darkness and with time getting in on we needed to try and catch a bus, which we did, much to our surprise and slight disappointment, despite the best efforts of Tin Pot Travel. Clearly, the trick to doing this walk properly is to start walking at 10.30 instead of 13.30, not get lost, and end up at the Travelers a bit earlier, therefore fitting in a few more beers. Even without following this recipe, this was a very enjoyable visit to a proper locals pub selling great real ale in fabulous countryside.

All in all, despite not reaching Ford or Troway or visiting the Butchers, the Moss and Drone Valley edges offer some fine pubs and a decent range of beers. Well worth taking a hike from Woodhouse or Norton or Coal Aston, or Dronfield, or anywhere nearby really, to sample what the area has to offer.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

*investigations suggest I made this up! I can't find it in Innspire and the Internet mocks me by suggesting its the Fox and Hounds in Marsh Lane, or the at least accurate in terms of location but less likely Duke of York in the centre of Eckington - am I losing my mind, or is there not only the George that sells real ale in Eckington now?  

Norton to Marsh lane - pubs round the edge of Moss Valley

Hello,

Mr P and I had often discussed a path that he had walked many times in the past, from Norton into the Moss valley and Coal Aston. We had discussed a few times hat fact that ignoring horrors like the Real ale free Chequers, there were 3 other pubs in Coal Aston that we had never visited, so had an ongoing intention to try and find the path. Our recent planned crawl had been cancelled owing to my having been a ill and fighting o off a niggly cold, so it makes no sense at all that yesterday, at the end of November, we agreed to try retracing the path….

We started on Norton Lane and followed Cinderhill Lane in a chilly wind to the path that leads out and across Bochum Parkway. Mr P noted that the last time he had walked the path there was no main road, which led me to question just how reliable this route might turn out to be. Having said that, I had looked at it on Multimap and he had his trusty A-Z and we were quietly confident. We walked down the side of some fields on a muddy path following a wall, spotting a hare heading for the ditch as we headed downwards.

The path soon split and we took the rather uninviting right hand path that walkers forgot, before joining another track, and heading diagonally right towards Hazelbarrow farm, in the hamlet of the same name. After losing the path in the fields below Hazelbarrow we picked it up again in the Nor Wood and then headed down increasingly muddy tracks into the valley, crossing the brook and heading out into the field, bow following the Dronfield Rotary walk signs. After further mud and paths that served as drainage streams we popped up on Birches Lane next to the Royal Oak in Coal Aston, just as it opened.

Inside was a nicely lit and warm pub split into 2 sides but no longer two roomed. There is a traditional Tetley bar, probably 1930’s, in style if not in material, sporting 4 handpumps. We opted for pints of Brains Reverend James at £2.68 a pint, which was a hearty and well-kept pint to start to the day’s proceedings. Warmed and refreshed (it was about 3 degrees when we set out) we set off again; alas we didn’t have time to check out the Cross Daggers or the Yew Tree. We headed into Frith Wood and up through waterlogged fields and quagmire to Summerley, and then up the road into Apperknowle. There was a strange feeling of de-javu as we headed down Barrack road to find the Barracks shut - I am still not certain, but I think they open at 16.00 on Saturday and I always forget. We trudged back up the steep hill to the main road, lamenting the long gone Yellow Lion and headed for the Travellers.

A warm fire greeted us here as well, and some 5 real ales, including 2 from Bradfield Brewery. We both opted for Spire Brewery Dark Side of the Moon, which was on good form and about £2.40 a pint, and settled in the small snug on the right. Given that it was dinnertime we asked the barman if we could eat our sandwiches, and he agreed, and I bought a half of Bradfield Yorkshire Farmer to help my rather poor sandwiches down. We left the pub to walk up Moor Top Road, past the farm and a rather impressive looking tumulus and headed right and then straight on for Middle Handley. Arriving in the village we saw all its facilities in one vista – the chapel, the phone box, the post box and the Devonshire Arms.

I probably only got to visit about 3 times when it was run by the previous incumbents who sadly had to close the pub after the death of the long serving landlord. Since then its been reopened for a couple of years, but has in that time kept slightly restricted hours, and for one reason or another I have only been in 3 times since it has been reopened. The Restaurant has been under construction throughout that period, and is now finished, and disappointingly, despite the fact that the rest of the interior is not brand new, the pub still has the clinical atmosphere and harsh aroma of a cold new build. It is a traditional pub with quite a modern interior, in that the fittings are still befitting of a country pub, tables and chairs, open fireplaces, pictures of animals, but the materials are very modern, and the open fireplaces never seem to be lit.

The paintings are modern with traditional subjects, and the bar, whilst facing the door and sporting some traditional adornments, is wider and more open that the original, made with light wood and very brightly lit. That said there are 4 handpumps as well as Pilsner Urquell on draught and some good bottled beers. The Devonshire was the first pub I ever saw and drank Brampton Brewery beers and there is still a very good range of Sheffield and Derbyshire ales on – I had Bradfield Farmers Blonde at £2.60, Mr P the Kelham Island roll it out at £2.80 a pint, with Absolution and Stones also available. After a good rest we headed to Marsh Lane, where we found the Fox and Hounds keeps traditional hours, being closed at just gone 15.00.

We went in the Butchers, now reopened having seemingly swung between closure and reopening regularly over the last 2 years. I had last been in December 2007 when we had a very nice meal and some excellent Abbeydale beer. Now there are still 2 handpumps in the lounge, 1 was in use selling Old Speckled hen from Greedy King. We both had a half., costing £1.15. We caught the bus into Eckington with the light fading, and having missed our intended ride out decided with some trepidation to try and find a pub selling real ale. Eckington used to, as well as having something like 15 pubs, have a majority selling real ale, but I heard last year that only The Bird in Hand now bothered, and that looked close on he way in. We headed round the back of the bus station, and ignoring the pedestrian street and carried on. We noticed the Mansfield pub on the corner had reopened, but there was only one handpump with no clip, and no customers. Up the road the lights of the George blazed and we headed in on the off chance.

 

Although the Wells Bombardier was off, there was cask Stones and we soon realised we had found the best place to drink in Eckington. It would be pointless visiting if you had an aversion to sport – both TV’s in either side of the pub were showing the rugby, followed by the unsavoury details of another hopeless Owls performance on Final Score. The pub was packed out and the staff friendly, and although I would have loved to have had another beer to choose from at least they had the right idea, and it was only the necessity to get the bus and head home the persuaded us out of the pub. We took a quick ride to Mosborough and walked along Duke Street to the Alma.

Me and Wee Fatha used to go to the quiz there almost every other Tuesday for years, always drinking Vaux Samson, usually being fed and steadfastly never doing anything as reckless as winning. After Jim and Jean retired around the time Wards closed, I visited much less, but it was nice to be back, and to find real ale on, this time Wychwood Hobgoblin. The lounge was packed out but there was only us most of the time in the taproom. I always wonder whether this is because the new owners after Jim and Jean left tarted up the Tap Room, which was better in its plain appearance. I always think now it looks a little incongruous, but it doesn’t detract from the fat that the Alma is a cracking pub. A short walk away we caught the 30 and back in Handsworth for some spicy casserole and for me, perhaps unwisely, some more alcohol. A warming and enjoyable end to a great day, with some excellent pubs en route.

Wee Beefy

Moss Valley's disappearing pubs

Hello,

please find below news on the pubs between Eckington and Coal Aston. This was written over 12 months ago, and its likely a few changes have happened since then - it may be worth looking on the web to find out the fate of the Black-a-moor, which I understand is open again ( but you never know )

Heres a quick guide to....Moss Valley’s disappearing pubs

When Wee Fatha moved to Westfield in 1992 it gave me a handy excuse to drink real ale in pubs around the Moss Valley. I still regularly walk in the area, and recent visits show that much has changed, notably the pubs. Comparing the number of pubs selling real ale in the villages around the valley then and now, indicates that few of the changes have been for the better.

At the Eastern end of the Moss Brook, a lot of Eckington’s pubs sold real ale, including the White Hart, next to the Church. This large pub had a traditional taproom and lounge and sold Youngers No. 3 and Best Bitter. Its subsequent closure for conversion into a retirement home mirrors the fate of many pubs in the village, and a steep decline in the availability of real ale. A recent CAMRA survey showed only the Bird in hand selling real ale, (although on their website, the Mossbrook claims to sell Pedigree) whereas previously you could find it in the Angel, Duke of York, and Prince of Wales, not to mention the 6 or 7 pubs further up the hill.

Following the brook into the valley the nearest refreshment is in Mosborough. Like Eckington, in the Nineties finding real ale in Mosborough was easy, whether at the British Oak, Queens, Royal Oak, Vine, or at the Alma on South street. Nowadays this is the only Mosborough pub that I know of regularly selling real ale. Situated overlooking the valley the Alma is a small back street pub currently selling Tetley’s. There is another handpump but it doesn’t seem demand can sustain another beer at present. The Alma was previously pub of the month, prior to Wards closure, and its good to see that he pub still has decent beer and retains its traditional layout.

On the opposite side of the valley are Marsh Lane, and Middle Handley. When the Devonshire Arms there closed in 2006, with the George on Lightwood Road having been demolished for housing, things looked bleak, but the Fox and Hounds continued to sell real ale and, from only selling John Smiths, the Butchers started stocking local guest ales. The Devonshire Arms reopened in 2007 and all looked positive, but 12 months on things are less certain. The Fox and Hounds has been packed on my last 2 visits this year and sells 1 or 2 real ales, Thwaites Double Century and Adnams Broadside over Easter. However, I have not found the Devonshire open in the last 6 months and the Butchers now has a lease for sale sign outside, and also appears closed. Hopefully this will not be a long-term situation.

Heading back into the valley the Bridge at Ford continues to serve food and offers 3 real ales including Stones and Lancaster Bomber. I visited 3 times last year and the beer was always good, and little seems to have changed over the years.

From here, you could head into Ridgeway where there are two pubs. Last time I visited the Swan sold real ale, but I’ve never been in the Queens Head or Phoenix at High Lane. Alternatively, you can walk through Birley Hay to Troway, and the Gate. Wee Fatha and I always used to visit with trepidation, as all too often we’d slog up the hill only to find the pub wasn’t open. Twice last year I found the pub closed when I ‘d have expected it not to be, so I was concerned that the Gate may have shut permanently, but I needn’t have worried. The present incumbents seem committed to keeping to their advertised hours, and over Easter I found the pub packed, and selling Theakstons Best, Jennings Golden Host and McMullen IPA. The pub doesn’t do food so they need to be busy, and the unreliable English weather demonstrates how difficult running a small country pub can be – visiting in torrential rain just days after Easter there was just 1 customer in the pub, and only 1 room open. The real ales were still well kept though, and now that I know to get in well before 15.00 I can see myself visiting many more times in the future.

Climbing up the steep hill to Snowdon Lane you’ll see the Blackamoor, a pub that has seen many changes since I first visited, including a spell hosting beer festivals and serving up to 4 real ales. Since then I have always found real beer on sale - Kelham Island Pale Rider, Bass and Pedigree on three separate visits, but by October last year nobody at the pub seemed interested in serving customers when we visited. Unfortunately, perhaps as a result of constant tinkering and makeovers, the Blackamoor is currently boarded up. If it reopens I hope that, although they’ll undoubtedly have to serve food, the pub will concentrate on being good at both dining and real ale.

The valley is now behind you and it’s easy to rejoin it and follow the paths out to Jordanthorpe, but there are plenty of pubs if you head south into the Drone Valley. Follow any paths across from the Blackamoor and you reach Apperknowle. The GBG regular Yellow Lion closed in the last 5 years, and although its bar still lives on at the Carlton in Attercliffe there’s little indication now that there was a pub on the site at all. It’s not all bad news though, as the two remaining pubs, the Barracks and Travellers Rest now serve an improved range of beers, with food available at the Barracks. I visited the Travellers at Easter, where there are up to 5 beers available, sampling the Bradfield Irish Dexters and Brown Cow. This small pub gets very busy in summer, but like the Barracks offers excellent outside drinking.

It’s a short walk from here to Coal Aston, where there are buses into Sheffield and 4 pubs, although as far as know only the Cross Daggers sells real ale. Head down the hill however and you can call at the Miners at Hundall. I first visited in 1993 and the pub displayed Youngers signs and livery, although none of their beers were on sale. Now the pub has two handpumps dispensing Taylor Landlord and a guest, this time Bradfield Blonde. The pub also does food.

Continuing past the pub you come out at Unstone Green. The Fleur De Lys in Unstone also used to proclaim that it sold Youngers, which it did. Nowadays I hear it no longer sells real ale, and walking past on Easter Sunday en route to the Coach and Horses in Dronfield the pub was closed - perhaps the reintroduction of something worth drinking could make it viable to open during the day?

Overall this area of North East Derbyshire has lost a lot of real ale venues and a lot of pubs altogether, but the variety and accessibility of hostelries means that in spite of spiralling costs, there will always be pubs for Moss Valley walkers to drink or eat in.


Manchester, Holmfirth, High Peak and other articles to come soon.