The Spanker, Belper

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about The Spanker Inn

A roadside pub with a large car park on the edge of the village, it looks like it has recently had a smart refurbishment including a new sign featuring an outline of a dog. (I thought a spanker was a sail, but presumably there is a local meaning too.) The emphasis, as with most country pubs, is on food, but the presence of four hand pumps on the bar shows that they are happy to accommodate drinkers too. Beers available at the time of my visit were Sharps Doom Bar, St Austell Tribute and Marstons Pedigree. My half of Tribute was well served and in good condition, and at £3 a pint was about normal for the area. I saw a sign advertising taster trays for £3.50, which may indicate that more adventurous beers are available at other times, though the absence of any sort of pump clip collection counters this supposition. (I can't imagine there'll be many takers for three thirds of the thoroughly familiar beers I saw on offer!)

This is an old building that retains much of its multi-roomed layout while also being very modern in terms of décor. There's retro-chic 1970s wallpaper, renovated wooden floorboards in most rooms and the exposed beams and joists are painted white. On the plain walls are some old maps and a large number of good quality B&W photos. There are also a few paintings (for sale) by a local artist. Tables are mostly for dining, though not in that off-putting way that some food-led pubs have. There's a variety of different styles and ages of both tables and chairs, though even the "old" furniture looked in very good condition.

I only stopped for a very brief visit, as I had walked from Ambergate station and was returning there for the next train. For the information of those without wheels, it's an hourly service and the walk is easily doable in 20-25 minutes along the road, though there's a steep hill to be climbed in both directions.

On 31^st January 2014 - rating: 6
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