The Royal Oak, Chesterfield

Large selection of real ales, though they can be a little on the strong side (e.g. only Bradfield Farmers Blonde and Fullers London Pride at under 4.5% on my recent visit). Also the piped music is a little incongruous in a building more than 500 years old. However, these minor quibbles aside this is a very good pub, and the owners, Roger and Rebecca, were very accommodating in agreeing to open at 9.45 for our recent pub crawl which started here. (They close early on Mon/Tue/Wed because there is no trade, but open all day Thu/Fri/Sat.)

Located down the quaint alleyway of The Shambles, this is a very pleasing old fashioned two-roomed pub. The interior is a mix of the old and new, with impressive wooden beams running through the building, whilst modern floral print wallpaper adorns the walls, creating a pleasing overall look. The ales were split between the two bars, but blackboards assisted with the decision making process. Theakston Old Peculiar, Copper Dragon Golden Pippen (£2.75), Thornbridge Jaipur, Bateman's XB, Bradfield Farmers Blonde and Peak Ales Swift Nick were all on, whilst the Titanic Iceberg sadly went off whilst I was there. I had a pint of the Copper Dragon, which was in fine shape. Service was quick and friendly and the barmaid was very apologetic when the Titanic went off. The pub is similar to the nearby 'Rutland', sharing a number of beers and even having adverts for the other pub on the bar, but I found the ambiance in here very nice and would certainly make this a priority next time I'm in town.