The Walkley Cottage, Walkley, Sheffield

Much changed since my last visit, with the bar counter now facing immediately on entering, with five hand pumps prominent in the center, which is nice to see. Bradfield Farmers Blonde had been turned around, but this left four beers on, from nationally available brands. My half of Kirkstall Three Swords was fine (NBSS 3.5), but it would be nice to see a local brewery represented on the bar. It was lively on a Sunday afternoon, and the beer quality suggests another visit would not be disappointing. (Buses 52 and 95 stop very close to the pub.)

Official site of The Walkley Cottage - walkleycottagesheffield.co.uk

Official site of The Walkley Cottage - walkleycottagesheffield.co.uk

Luckily we caught the bus to this impressive-looking pub, as the Walkley area of Sheffield is up a fairly steep hill. One of the bus routes stops directly outside. Inside is not quite so impressive and is one large room wrapping around the central bar. This was also the least impressive beer range we found on our Sheffield crawl. Landlord is the regular ale. Guests were Abbot & Old Peculier. It was quiet inside, with very few customers. However, they were gearing up for some kind of Scottish cheese evening. By Sheffield standards, I would say that this is a below-average pub, but the city does set a high bar.

A food oriented community pub that was full to bursting at the time of my late lunchtime visit on a recent Sunday. Most people were tucking into large portions, but I was just here for the beer. Fortunately there's also an emphasis on good real ale here, with seven hand pumps in three groups along the large central bar. The layout has been changed in recent years, but when it's bustling like this it's hard to argue that the slightly awkward old bar in one corner, and the isolated lounge to one side, were somehow better. Beers available were Bradfield Belgian Blue (lively but topped up without having to be asked), Farmers Blonde, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Adnams Broadside and Abbeydale Moonshine, with Tetleys having gone off. This is a reasonable selection for a pub of this type, as its location means it's never likely to become a destination pub for real ale fanatics or beer tickers. It is what it is: a popular community pub, well used by local people.