Loughborough & North Leicestershire CAMRA

2023 Heckington, Bingham and Radcliffe on Trent

On Saturday 27th May 2023, 9 members of Loughborough CAMRA met at the railway station for the trip to Heckington. Our train departed 10.05 to Nottingham arriving at 10.35 for a change of train heading towards Skegness, which departed Nottingham at 10.48 and arrived at Heckington (Lincolnshire) 12.02. The rail fare cost £22 for an off Peak ticket or £14.50 with railcards. In Heckington the 8 Sail Brewery is just across the road over the level crossing next to the impressive 8 Sail Windmill/museum, the only surviving one with 8 Sails intact. Right next to the Windmill is the 8 Sail Brewery which started brewing in 2010. On our visit they had 7 of their beers on gravity and 4 guest beers on handpump. They also do take away bottles and key-keg beers. What a delight to sit outside on this first real summer's day this year with a beer looking at the windmill in a peaceful setting. There is an also a café on site which supplies snacks and cakes.

After 2 hours here we headed back towards Nottingham on the 14.07 train and stopped at Bingham on the route back. The town centre is just a short walk from the station and our first pub, the Horse and Plough is a little further. The pub is a converted Chapel owned by the Castle Rock pub group with their beers and guest beers on offer. The second pub was The Wheatsheaf, back towards the town centre, a fully refurbished pub that reopened in 2016 with 6 interesting guest real ales to choose from. Some of the group opted to get the 17.10 train back to Nottingham which arrived 20 minutes late for a visit to the Vat and Fiddle, a 2 minute walk from the station. The pub is the Castle Rock brewery tap with the brewery next door, 13 handpump beers with 6 from the Castle Rock range. Our train was the 19.10 from Nottingham arriving Loughborough at 19.29.

The other group stayed in Bingham for a visit to the Butter Cross, a Wetherspoons pub in Bingham town centre, serving 4 regular beers and many guest beers. From Bingham it was a short 10 minute bus journey to Radcliffe on Trent on the mainline Trent Barton which has a regular bus service for a visit to the Yard of Ale (opens 5pm Wednesday to Saturday), a micropub serving 7 beers. Then after 1/2 mile walk in Radcliffe they visited The Chestnut which also serves 7 interesting real ales. They continued their journey on bus to Nottingham and visited the Barley Twist, a Castle Rock outlet and BeerHeadZ, both near the station before they returned to Loughborough.

Please be aware that trains on the route between Nottingham and Skegness must be prebooked between July 9th to September 9th this year 2023.

Dave Roche

 

 

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