The Vale, Arnold, Nottingham

The vale is a large grade two listed building and former Home Ales pub on the busy junction at daybook square. The pub has a very large frontage and lots of outside seating and car parking spaces. Inside the decor is like a traditional pub with one large open plan room with a bar and a door that leads to another room also with its own bar. We sat in the first room that is slightly more lounge like whereas the other room has more people standing. The entire room was carpeted and we came in the middle of a quiz night that had mostly older customer’s inn. To my knowledge a carvery is still offered regular and the pub does get busy with family for dining in the day. There was a surprisingly good selection of real ale on my visit. Both bars share the pumps but all ales are listed on a chalk board in either room. On my visit there was Harvest Pale, Woodords Wery, St Austell Tribute, Adnams Broadside, Hardy and Hanson’s (Greene King) Olde Trip and a beer called Yardbird . Although most were from some of the larger regional brewery’s a decent selection none the less by anyone’s standards. I had a pint of Wery at £3.00. The beer was even served in the proper branded glass that I always like to see and was decent although not at its very best and lacking in depth and full flavour in my opinion. This is a complaint I have heard from others as well as even though they are in respectable shape I don’t think they are left to condition enough. We sat and enjoyed our drinks and listened to the last bit of the quiz. If coming again I would probably go into the bar area as I suspect this would be a little more lively. This is a pretty decent standard boozer with a decent choice of changing beers available. If you can get over them not being absolutely top notch then this is a very passable place and I would be happy to call in again if ever around the area however. It serves it purpose well enough but there are better options in the surrounding area.

The Vale is a largish 30s built pub that is situated to the south of Arnold town centre on the corner of a busy road junction. Once inside there was a large smart lounge and a more basic bar,the pub used to be an Home Ales tied house and there were two real ales on the bar,the Home Ales bitter and mild were very nice drinks here. When i first went in this pub in 1982 it was my 1000th pub. This pub is still up and running and probably looks the same has it did when i first went in it,the pub is now on Camra's national inventary for pub interiers. The Vale still has real ales on the bar with Castle Rock Harvest Pale and others being on here. Pub first visited 17/12/1982 Photo taken December 1992