Real Ale Tales with the Amber Valley by Nathan Dilley

It’s that time of year again when the members of Amber Valley CAMRA have selected their pub of the year. This is an arduous task undertaken by the members and competition is fierce. We are fortunate to have an increasing list of quality pubs and inns in our region, from quiet rural pubs to lively town ones, bustling back street locals to quirky modern conversions.

Members will have been visiting pubs that may include the likes of The Old Oak Inn at Horsley Woodhouse, a curio of a place which affords a warm welcome in the shape of open fires, and at weekends the Rurad Bar which offers gravity-dispensed craft beers from near & far of varying strengths and styles. Another pub worth seeking out is the Dead Poets at Holbrook, which offers high-backed pews at the bar, stone flagged floors and comfy corners in which to enjoy any of the six guest beers that they have on at any one time. The area also includes pubs such as the Thorn Tree at Waingroves, a real locals’ pub which goes to great lengths to source beers not found elsewhere locally and puts on interesting beer festivals well worth seeking out. If character is what you are after, then the Holly Bush at Makeney will definitely not disappoint; this late 17^th century listed pub was a possible haunt of Dick Turpin when it stood on the old Derby Turnpike before the new road opened in 1818.

The judging panel score not only on beer quality, but on such things as good value, service/welcome, atmosphere and numerous other criteria which CAMRA believes makes these pubs stand out in a crowded marketplace. Members will have decided whether last year’s worthy winner, the Hunters Arms at Kilburn, has retained its crown among such sterling competition. A list of potential pubs is whittled down to the eight pubs with the highest number of votes from members and these are then visited over a six-week period, and the winner is announced shortly into the New Year. The pubs mentioned above are only a small selection of possible entrants. What they all have in common though is excellent beer, a warm welcome and what I believe to be the ingredients that make the pub the essential place to while away many an enjoyable hour. Why not check out a selection of the above and see if they are deserving of a place in your own pub of the year list?

Nathan Dilley, Chairman of Amber Valley CAMRA

This article appears in our Feb/Mar 2012 issues - click here to read the All Things Local issue of your choice.

Fishing By John Layton, Derbyshire County Angling Club

Spring Fishing: A time of expectation for the fly fisher

Derbyshire is a magic place for the fisher and for many, spring is its most magical time. If we are lucky the rivers, lakes and reservoirs are in first class condition and the passion for the sport is at its peak. Whilst these delights affect all fishermen, March and April is when the Trout fishing season starts and a strange compulsion comes over those suffering from winter fly fishing deprival. They have an unrelenting and irresistible urge to visit reservoirs and rivers to cast their fishing flies.

Derbyshire has a special place in the hearts of fly fishers. This comes from its focus in the fly fishing chapters of Walton's Compleat Angler and perhaps if fly fishing has a sacred place, a holy of holies, then it lies in the River Dove near Hartington. It was on this spot in 1674 that Charles Cotton, author of the fly fishing chapters in the Compleat Angler and friend of Izaak Walton built his fishing house.

The Dove in this area flows through beautiful countryside and towering limestone gorges. The spring-fed river is crystal clear as it dances downstream over the rocks and when the conditions are right; swarms of flies hover and skip across the surface of the deeper pools. In the spring flies are fewer but fly fishers dream of warmer days and of casting fishing flies and catching the lovely pink spotted wild Dove brown trout of about a pound or the larger stock fish, released by Derbyshire County Angling Club.

The River Dove near Hartington is clear and trout and grayling are plentiful. The river has benefited from much improvement under the Upper Dove Restoration Project, run by the Trent Rivers Trust in partnership with the Derbyshire County Angling Club. Much has been achieved and the fishing has greatly improved. Trees have been removed to allow more light into the river, allowing weed growth which provides cover for fish and a variety of invertebrate food. Long-term habitat improvement has ensured the health of the wild brown trout to the upper Dove.

If you want to know more about fishing available under membership of the Derbyshire County Angling go to: www.derbyshirecountyac.org.uk or for fishing the historic Charles Cotton fishery under the Peak Passport fishing scheme: www.peakpassport.co.uk

This article appears in our Feb/Mar 2012 issues - click here to read the All Things Local issue of your choice.

December 09 / January 2010 editions of community magazine All Things Local now online

A big welcome to all our new readers and businesses in the Kilburn, Belper and Ripley areas of Derbyshire.

We've just updated our website - www.allthingslocal.co.uk with the December 09 / January 2010 Christmas Editions of your favourite community magazine.

They're instantly readable online so if you miss your copy or live outside our circulation areas, then please feel free to catch up with all the community news via our website.

Regards

Karyn Milner - Editor.

Welcome to the All Things Local Blog

Hi and Welcome to the All Things Local Blog.

All Things Local is the Community Magazine for the Kilburn and Belper area (Derbyshire), with 9,000 copies being distributed every two months.

Published by local people, featuring news and stories about the local people and businesses.

To celebrate our 1st anniversary, we're starting this Blog to include all the stories and features that don't make it onto our website - All Things Local.

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