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Image posted by Graham Coombs
Submitted on Sunday, 1st December 2024
With picture contributions to 5358 other pubs
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Detail Pages
Idle Valley Tap, Retford
Retford
DN22 6EF
Served areas
Reviews of Idle Valley Tap (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about Idle Valley Tap
A good and lively local with an eclectic range of furniture and a splendid range of beers. Just the one extended room and decorations seemed to be largely based on road signs. It was something of a relief to find a busy pub where you actually had to look to find a seat, so a good buzz going on and plenty of chatty locals. I felt obliged to try the Welbeck Abbey house ales, despite the call of the Titanic Grand Reserve Plum Porter on the end pump!
On 30th November 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3530 recommendations about 3466 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Idle Valley Tap
We had 50 minutes to kill whilst changing trains in Retford. It's a 10-minute walk with a canal lock to traverse from the station down to this pub. We did contemplate what would have happened if the lock would have been in use when we were making our return rush to the station.
The Idle Valley Tap is a simple-looking building from the outside. Inside, it was quite lively on our Saturday lunchtime visit. There is a single open-plan, but slightly sub-divided room. We couldn't spot any TVs, but there was a pool table at the rear. There is also an outdoor area beyond that.
We were immediately with the real ale range. There is an impressive line-up of 8 cask ales including 2 house beers (Idle Valley Pale & Idle Valley Red), brewed by the Welbeck Abbey Brewery. Also on were Fyne Ales Zest & Off The Clock, Beartown/Northern Monk Cheeky, Wilde Child Gimme S'more, Rat Ratsuma & Aldwark Eight Million. We also tried the Beartown Inception, which was another keg offering. There was no real cider.
I sampled the Gimme S'more and the Zest. Both were good beers in excellent condition.
Service was friendly and they automatically offered us CAMRA discounts. We must obviously look like the type! I was surprised that the pub was so busy. We had propped up the bar, with only a short stay planned. But a few groups arrived whilst we were there, already adding to a sizeable crowd.
Despite being a bit of a bonus pub on our way to a crawl of Worksop pubs, this was the highlight of the day for me and makes me look forward to visiting a few more of Retford's hostelries sometime in the future.
On 6th August 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2809 recommendations about 2807 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Idle Valley Tap
Not a brewery tap but opposite the canal basin, eight pulls but a lot devoted to Bradfield, two beers badged as Idle Valley beers and one from Welbeck Abbey were on; Welbeck Abbey is where Idle Valley beers are brewed. Decent but unexciting would sum up the Idle Valley beer. It’s a large, squarish, bland, white room although with a pool table and fridge magnets stuck to RSJs, I don’t suppose people come here for the décor. There’s a large open space to the rear/side which leads across to the Ship.
On 14th August 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3445 recommendations about 3133 pubs]
View more reviews of Idle Valley Tap (10)
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Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 06 August 2023 by Blue Scrumpy
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10p per pint - last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Darts : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Hot Food : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Live Music : Yes - Occasional - last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Micropub : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Pinball : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Real Cider : No last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra
- WiFi : Yes last updated 07 August 2023 by ROB Camra