The Railway, Belper

Spacious pub close to the station, as the name suggests, with a wet-led feel to it despite the strong food offering. The pub has a relatively open-plan layout, with the servery over to the right and ample seating through the rest of the space. To the left of the entrance is a separate carpeted seating area with nice button backed banquettes along the end wall with plenty of tables and chairs under nice wall panels and fancy wallpaper. This space is screened from the main bar area by a large section of partitioning wall which isn’t retained on the similarly styled right-hand side of the room, resulting in a less cosy feel despite similar furnishing. The bar has a nice wood panelled counter and basic bar back, split part way along by a large pillar which the beer bards have been helpfully tacked to. The room extends back, beyond the servery, into a fairly plain rear space where plenty of extra seating can be found. Soul tunes were playing at a sensible volume in the background and there was a nice buzz from a diverse crowd, many of whom seemed to be dolled up for a big night out somewhere. Apparently this pub used to be the town’ fighting men’s boozer, but has undergone something of a transformation and is now pretty respectable, with a good ale range to show for it. Options on this visit amounted to Lincoln Green Hood, Buttermuch, Archer, Marion and Tuck, Butcombe Original and Holdens Golden Glow. My pint of Hood was in very good condition and was served to me by a super-friendly barman. I can well imagine this place as a typical, depressing station-side boozer that everyone swerves upon arriving in town, but they’ve clearly done a great job turning the place around, as I found it to be a very welcoming pub with great beer and a cracking atmosphere. Not quite in the Belper’s top tier, but a great pub to start or end a crawl at nevertheless.

Lincoln Green town centre local close to the well-hidden railway station. It's a single room pub with a few nooks and crannies. The bar is on the right-hand side as you enter. I think they were serving food, but most people seemed to be there for the beer. 4 Lincoln Green beers appear regularly - Archer, Hood, Marion & Tuck. A 5th beer from Lincoln Green - Sherwood Foresters went off whilst we were there, whilst they also had Great Newsome Frothingham Best, Fuller's London Pride & St Austell Proper Job. Craft beers included Beatniks Republic Surf Etiquette, Burnt Mill Beyond the Firs & Green Path, Tiny Rebel Club Tropicana, Brixton Cold Harbour & Beavertown Neck Oil. Unfortunately, they appear to have stopped serving real cider. One feature of note were the mirrors in the gents toilets, etched with an old British Rail logo. Maybe originals, but probably not. Dogs are welcomed, but a few seemed to be getting a bit boisterous and creating a bit of a racket!

Official site of The Railway - www.railwaybelper.co.uk

Official site of The Railway - www.railwaybelper.co.uk