The Badgers Arms, Northampton

I was last in the village of Long Buckby back in March 2019 to visit the Old King's Head. At this time, the Badgers Arms must have been open. But I wasn't aware of it. Arriving on my recent Friday evening visit, I noticed a sign on the window stating that they would sadly be closing on Saturday, July 8th. So, if you want to visit here, get down quick. I suspect that this is a case of excellent pub, wrong location. With spiralling costs, I doubt many villages can support a micropub. Although, maybe micropubs are not quite as popular in Northamptonshire. I read that the excellent St Giles Ale House in Northampton itself has also closed. Whatever the reason for its closure, this was my favourite pub of a day in the county. The micropub itself is situated upstairs on the first floor. It consists of two cosy rooms, all well decorated and featuring plenty of knick knacks to admire. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe there was also at least one room at ground floor level. The 4 real ales on were Phipps NBC Red Star & Gold Star, North Cotswold Jumping Jack Flash & Great Oakley Abbey Stout. Real ciders listed on a blackboard to the side of the bar were Farmer Jim's Rhubarb Bob, Lilley's Mango Cider, Kent Cider Company Waken, Elderflower Cider, Discovery & Bramley, Snail's Bank Orchard Dry & Bad Boy Original. Also listed was a sparkling cider from local producer Eydon. Easily the best pub in Long Buckby for now, it is a real shame for the village to lose this one, but is an unfortunate sign of the times.