Thorn Tree Inn, Belper

Sat up the hill from the town centre, this is a very pleasant, two bar, wedge-shaped pub with a decent ale selection. The main bar area occupies the thin end of the wedge, where banquettes taper into the pointed far corner of a stone tile floored room with white walls and a dark wood servery. The bar back has been liberally adorned with pump clips, a collection of unusual clocks and has a beer board which clearly hadn’t been updated in a while, as it only listed Bass as the sole cask option. The pump clips spread their way through the rest of the room, adding to a nice traditional feel created by typical pub décor such as black and white photos of the town, plenty of breweriana and high shelves full of old tankards, bottles and the like. There’s a larger rear space behind the bar, in the wide end of the wedge, which offered ample extra seating in and area with slightly more contemporary, refined décor, but it was notably empty on my lunchtime visit, with all the locals happily squeezed into the main bar space. 80’s pop and rock tunes burbled away in the background and a few locals had brought their dogs with them, creating a fun obstacle course as I tried to reach one of the few remaining seats in the main bar. There are five handpulls on the bar, but two were out of action, leaving a choice between Draught Bass, Little Critters Blonde Bear and Stancill Blonde. I gave the Blonde Bear a try having never heard of it before, and thought it was a good drop, served up by a friendly barmaid. There was a nice ambiance thanks to a good group of regulars in attendance only a matter of minutes after the doors had been opened. I thought this was a good pub that definitely merits seeking out if you’re aiming to crawl around Belper’s finest boozers. It felt like a nice, down to earth place where you could happily while away a few hours and I enjoyed my brief stop here very much.

I wasn't expecting much from this strange-shaped pub which is wedged between two roads, especially since it hasn't appeared in the Good Beer Guide since 2005. However, this was certainly the friendliest of all the pubs we visited in Belper and the surrounding area. From the moment we tried the front door (the one in the picture) and were directed to a door further up the road by a guy shouting across the street, we were welcomed like locals. Inside was much busier than expected. We were requested not to wake the baby asleep in a pram, but the mother wanted him awake. In fairness, I doubt an earthquake would have woken this one. The pub has a small front bar where all of the locals were congregated, with steps leading to another small area and the toilets. Old pumpclips line the walls, indicating the range of beers they have stocked over the years. On our visit, the 3 beers were Littleover Loop, Mill Valley Mill Blonde & Dancing Duck 22. Ciders were Lilley's Mango Cider, Gwynt y Ddraig Welsh Warrior & Weston's Old Rosie. This one just goes to prove how wrong CAMRA can be at times. Well worth a visit if in Belper, despite it being uphill from the town centre.

Facebook page of Thorn Tree Inn - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Thorn Tree Inn - www.facebook.com