Christmas Social 2023

Loughborough CAMRA Christmas Social to Nottingham

On Saturday 16th December 2023, seven members of Loughborough CAMRA met at Baxtergate for our 3.15pm number 9 Kinchbus to Nottingham. On arrival, our first pub was the Angel (formerly Old Angel) on Stoney Street, Lace Market area which has a long history dating back to the 1600s. The pub was extensively refurbished in 2016 and now has a Microbrewery on site in the pub. On our visit 3 Angel beers and 3 guest beers were on offer, food is also served.

After walking through the busy Christmas Market in the Old Market Square we walked up Hurt's Yard, a narrow alleyway between Long Row and Upper Parliament Street, to The Barrel Drop, a micro pub with 2 drinking areas and a bar serving area in this U shaped pub. The pub is in partnership with the Magpie Brewery. Five real ales with one of them being a Magpie beer, also several Craft/key keg beers were on offer.

From there we headed towards Derby Road where we stopped at the Mist Rolling Inn, a micropub formerly a tap for Scribblers Ales Brewery which opened in 2016. Now independent and now has 4 changing real ales at this long narrow pub with a bar at the end.

Just a bit further uphill across the road was our next pub the Hand and Heart which is one pub I love to visit when in Nottingham and great to see the pub reopen after brief period of being closed. The Hand and Heart is Nottingham’s other cave pub to the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem but not as old, as the pub was used as a mature beer store in the 1860s. The Hand and Heart looks like any other building from the front but once inside and beyond the bar area there is an extensive area of caves. Always a good selection of 6 real ales on offer, food is also available.

Further just a short walk up hill is the Canning Circus area, a real ale drinkers haven, where there are number of good real ale pubs to choose from. With our time limit we only had time to visit the Sir John Borlase Warren, a traditional pub run by Lincoln Green, which has 12 hand pumps with beers from Lincoln Green and guest beers to choose from along with cider. A food menu and snacks also available.

On our way back towards the station area we had time to visit the Roundhouse Bar and kitchen on St James Terrance which is a unusual round tower of 6 storeys of a former hospital which has now been redeveloped along with the area. The pub is upstairs or via lift on the second floor, once inside the area is really big with a modern smart interior and raised seating on the outside along with painted artwork on the celling. On our visit 3 real ales were on offer at this delightful pub.

Once back towards the station area we decided to catch the 9.30pm number 9 Kinchbus back to Loughborough instead of the train. With our bus stop just a few yards away this gave us enough time to visit the Barley Twist on Carrington Street a former sweet shop now a Castle Rock Craft ale venue serving 10 craft key Keg beers, 2 real ales and 100 bottle beers. With the bus on time we arrived back in Loughborough at 10.08pm.

Dave Roche

 

---