Arkwright Arms, Chesterfield

The Arkwright Arms is a large, two room roadside pub on the busy A632 from Chesterfield to Bolsover, relatively close to Junction 29a of the M1. Boasting a fine looking brewer's Tudor exterior, the pub is certainly easy to spot and can be reached on the 82 & 83 buses that run every 15 minutes from Chesterfield town centre. Entering into the lounge bar on the left hand side of the building, you pass through a doorway with a nice stained glass window with the image of a dragon in it. The room is carpeted with the servery to the right and a sizable seating area in an open space at the front. My Saturday lunchtime visit coincided with the arrival of a large CAMRA group who had travelled all the way down from Sunderland to award the local Raw brewery with their 'Beer of the Festival' award. Therefore, this seating area was absolutely packed and I had to settle down at one of the two tables opposite the bar which had one long banquette running past both tables under a large Bass Brewery mirror. From here I could inspect their well organised displays of pump clips as well as countless CAMRA awards including Chesterfield and District Pub of the Year 2011. An archway past the end of the bar counter leads into a restaurant area which looks quite smart and extends through another archway to the back of the building. The public bar on the right hand side of the pub is quite basic, with a pool table taking up much of the space and limiting seating options. A TV screen was showing Liverpool vs. Man Utd and there were a few slot machines here and there. The first thing I saw on entering the pub was a huge blackboard listing all the ales available including helpful tasting notes. I was treated to an excellent selection and found it hard to choose from Raw Anibus Porter and Black Ghost IPA, Greene King Abbot and Abbot Reserve, Muirhouse Magnum Mild, Durham Magus (£2.60), Oldershaw Yuletide, Off Beat Way Out Wheat and Out of Step IPA, Hornbeam Citrus Temptation and Mary Rose Bitter and Real Ale Corner Under Racked. As if that wasn't enough, I counted 11 different ciders and 5 perries as well as an interesting keg range that included Taddington Moravka lager and a Belgian bottled beer range. I tried the Magus and Black Ghost IPA, both of which were on top form and served by the very friendly proprietors. Food is well priced with mains around the £6-7 mark. I had a toasted sandwich with chips which was really nice and a good portion size. I'm really glad that I made the effort to visit this place as it's an excellent pub and a worthy winner of all those awards. A great place for the ale drinker to spend an afternoon, but the pub has a much wider appeal than that and I would recommend anyone who might be in the area to give it a look.

Official site of the Arkwright Arms, includes menu and real ale details as well as information on upcoming beer festivals - www.arkwrightarms.co.uk

Official site of the Arkwright Arms, includes menu and real ale details as well as information on upcoming beer festivals - www.arkwrightarms.co.uk