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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat on the Pub Forum

The Pack Horse, High Peak

Market Street
Hayfield
Postal town: High Peak
SK22 2EP

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Pack Horse

Back in Hayfield, I had returned to visit a third pub which I had down as opening from 5pm on a Wednesday. According to their website, they close continually from 9pm on a Sunday until they re-open at 5pm on the Wednesday. Whether this is correct or not, I'm not entirely sure. It had been closed earlier in the afternoon when I had tried to visit, but by 5:40pm on a Wednesday evening, it was very busy, almost as if it had been open much earlier.

Either way, this is an upper end pub and restaurant. As Ian Mapp says below, it is very different from the Kinder Lodge, a pub for locals and also very different from the George Hotel, which was a hotel living on past glories. I'm not sure if the Royal Hotel can offer anything different if and when that re-opens, but the Pack Horse is very much a forward-thinking place that clearly has the best marketing strategy of Hayfield's hostelries.

A board above the fireplace boasted that they were Hayfield's first entry into the Michelin Guide, as well as being number 19 in the UK's top 50 gastropubs. A list of food items you could order could be found on each table, with prices ranging from £3.50 for some pork scratchings to £80 for the 850g Cote du Boeuf.

The main room has multiple sections and is decorated in a fairly modern fashion. Food is clearly the mainstay here, but as a drinker, I didn't feel out of place. I couldn't see any reserved signs, there were plenty of families present, dogs are welcome and it seemed to be popular with local hikers and tourists. The pub simply didn't have the pretentiousness that often comes with gastropubs, especially those with a Michelin star.

In fact, this just seems to be a popular pub with a good reputation for food. Perhaps I was lucky to bag a table for my swift drink. If you're not quite so lucky, there is an outdoor drinking terrace to the front.

4 cask ales were being served - Moorhouse's White Witch, Adnams Southwold Bitter, Purity Pure Gold & Thornbridge Jaipur. Keg offerings included Tiny Rebel Easy Livin' & Timothy Taylor Hopical Storm.

I'm not normally a fan of gastropubs, but I took a bit of a fancy to this one.

On 2nd September 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Ian Mapp left this review about Pack Horse Inn

Other end of the social spectrum to the Kinder Lodge.

Posh Gastro pub but the diners are separated from the drinkers - who have some wonderful deep red cheserfields for comfort.

Beer was Theakstons in great condition.

If i had one request - get the posh patrons to keep their dogs on a lead.

On 18th April 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Peter Rydings left this review about Pack Horse Inn

Alan Winfield yes you're right it looks ok from the outside it,s over priced in both food and drink full of the Hooray Henry,s brigade or 10-bob milioner,s.
People were dining there was entertainment on girl mid 30,s singing dont know weather it was opera or classical but too loud and just a noise glad it was a nice day and we could sit outside

On 7th October 2013 - rating: 4
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about Pack Horse Inn

The outside gives no clue to the wonders contained within, looking as it does like a fairly standard sandstone pub such as might be seen in any village in the Peak District. The interior is something else, being a weird cross between a boutique and a hairdressing salon, with a dash of avant garde art gallery thrown in.

There are floor to ceiling mirrors on most walls, with zebra-themed decor and a collection of eclectic artefacts: vases, statuettes, a giant plastic finger pointing up the stairs, a horse frieze adorned with Chinese characters, and - the piece de resistance - two small fish swimming in an outsize pink champagne glass.

The emphasis was very much on food, though it was hard to tell how many diners there were because of all the mirrors. Four hand pumps at the bar were serving Black Sheep bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord and two from Wincle brewery. We took our halves to the area near the front where prospective diners wait for their table to become available. The toilet features another zebra-themed print, a bronze clock-face mirror and a choice of no fewer than six different bottles of handwash. Come to the Pack Horse for a totally eccentric experience - marvel at the nuttiness!

On 17th November 2011 - rating: 8
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Alan Winfield left this review about Pack Horse Inn

The Pack Horse is a stone built pub that is in the middle of Hayfield.
This pub looked fairly nice from the outside but once inside the pub has been stripped out and in my mind does'nt resemble a proper pub anymore.
There were two real ales on the bar and i had a drink of London Pride which was drinkable but nothing special the other beer was Greene King IPA.
You will either love or hate this pub i went for the latter.

Pub visited 13/4/2007

On 13th April 2007 - rating: 5
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]