Trent Navigation, Nottingham

Trent Navigation is the tap for Navigation Brewery that sits at the rear. The interior is L-shaped and I counted eight hand pumps on the central L-shaped bar. Navigation’s own New Dawn, American IPA, Splendor and Rebel were available alongside Bass and Pride, two pumps were unused. The service was polite, I went for the New Dawn which was a decent drop. Wimbledon tennis was muted on the television whilst some background music played, but not a lot else was going on during a recent early Wednesday evening visit. It was much busier out the back where there’s a large decked seating area, as well as lots of picnic tables covered by an open barn. I’ll pop back in when next passing to try another Navigation beer.

Official site of Trent Navigation - www.trentnavigation.com

Official site of Trent Navigation - www.trentnavigation.com

The exterior has beautiful brown glazed tiles,it's close to the canal but not canalside.However it is very close to Meadow Lane home to Notts County and should do well on match days.It's also home to the Navigation Brewery with kit visible in the rear yard and substantial beer garden.Inside it quite smart with high tables opposite the bar ,and cream leather banquettes at the far end and near the front entrance.Behind the bar,with no servery is a rear lounge with more smart furniture and a paisley carpet .Three Sky Sports screens were all on mute on my lunchtime visit. There was a friendly,chatty welcome and although there were 12 handpumps ,the range on my visit was just the house New Dawn Pale,Rebel and American IPA (Musty maybe first pint,NBSS 2.5). It's in the GBG but you will need to be a fan of Navigation beers to get the best out of this pub.Notts Co. were playing two days after my visit,I hope they put more beers on for those punters.

The Trent Navigation is a Victorian canal side pub, close to Meadow Lane lock where the Nottingham canal joins the River Trent. The pub has a most impressive glazed tile façade which makes it very enticing to the passer by. Inside, the pub has been modernized quite a bit, with what would have been a multiple room layout now opened out into a single room which runs around the central servery. This is most apparent when you see the archway to the right of the bar which is now redundant as you can walk around it. The floor in the bar area is tiled and there is a good amount of high table and stool seating, Down either side of the room there are button backed leather banquettes which are quite smart and lead to the carpeted rear section which has standard seating in front of a nice fireplace and folding doors that open onto to the beer patio. Several TV screens were on showing a couple of Sky Sports channels, which was perhaps predictable as the pub was full of football fans who had just been watching a match at nearby Meadow Lane. I noticed a small stage on the left hand wall and live music seems to be a fairly regular source of entertainment judging by the various posters on display. The pub’s smart appearance has a bit of a gastro feel to it, but I didn’t spot any menus – just a warming cabinet on the bar counter stocked with pies, rolls and scotch eggs. There is an old stable block behind the pub and this now houses the Navigation Brewery, and their beers take up most of the hand pumps at the bar. On my visit the offerings were Navigation Golden, Traditional, Stout, Classic IPA (£3.00) and Columbus 1492, with the Pale Ale having gone off earlier in the evening. A guest ale in the shape of Shardlow Reverend Eatons was available alongside four real ciders. My pint of the IPA was in top condition and turned out to be a very pleasant example of this style. Whilst this pub doesn’t quite deliver the historic interior that the attractive façade hints at, it is still a smart and comfortable place to enjoy some nice ale from the on-site brewery. Well worth a look, especially for anyone heading down towards either football stadium or the cricket ground.