The Hanging Gate, Belper

On a warm Saturday last summer I walked here from the Bluebell at Farnah Green, arriving with 35 minutes to spare until the bus back into Belper - and I really didn't fancy walking it. This Vintage Inns pub has five hand pumps, with Doom Bar, Pedigree and Wainwright on, and London Pride "coming soon". These are all beers that I have had in very good condition from time to time, but meeting them in a pub like this - a country pub, food oriented - just makes my heart sink a little, because the chance of them being in good condition is vanishingly small. One of them, yes - quite possibly; but three of them? My pint of Pedigree was NBSS 2.5, which was possibly a tad generous on my part. On the other hand, this was the mid-afternoon quiet period, so no food smells and no dogs. I went outside for my bus and waited as long for it as I had spent in the pub, before giving up and starting the walk into Belper. Five minutes down the road I turned around to see the bus coming down the hill. My shoulders must have slumped, because the next thing the bus driver was signalling to pull up and his bus stopped at my feet. He explained that there was a big traffic hold up in Belper because of a gay pride march - who'd have thought it? Date of visit: 6th August 2022