The Hop Pole, Nottingham

An excellent real ale pub on a busy high street, with a decent sized car park and a smoking area at the rear. Two bars: the front public bar was lively and friendly, livened up by locals playing darts (for fun rather than seriously) and offering sound advice about other Nottingham pubs, while a piano and gaming machine quietly sat there doing nothing. The rear bar was full of families, while the jukebox subtly masked the sound of children. Appears to be very much a CAMRA haunt, but not in a cliquey way, and they host live music acts from time to time. Four ales on draft – I had Voodoo Mild, which was absolutely perfect. A very good place to spend a few hours, and highly recommended for a crawl.