retiredmartin

They may have a different view in Mansfield, of course, but Chesterfield really is one of the great small towns. Quirky, compact, cheap, great walks and (occasional) county cricket.

Sadly, despite the sterling efforts of local CAMRA, it will never compete with Sheffield for pub tourists, but pound for pound it’s even better.

And of course some magnificent and unusual architecture;

We had half an hour free parking, enough to buy Mrs RM a beer and crisps, but insufficient to get the market’s famous strawberry bon-bons that our boys still associate with the town from our stays at the Spoons Hotel.

It should be famous for the Chesterfield Ale House, which justified our dash through town by having male, female and disabled loos, possibly a first for a micropub (of sorts).

The styling may be micro, but there’s actually a fair few little areas that allow you to hide away from beer talk if you want to. One clandestine group were doing that in the upstairs room, plotting their three day mission to reach the outskirts of Dronfield  by public transport.

More great Oakham beer for Mrs RM, though I always thought Black Hole was from a Burton micro. So much simpler when it’s just Bass on the pumps.  Lots of friendly chat and folk coming and going with their Primark shopping, ensuring a good turnover of an exemplary range of beers.

One of my favourite micros already, and in the same league as Warwick’s Old Post Office.

Not the most beautiful though; that was this intruder from Mansfield a few yards away;

With 3 minutes of parking left, we daringly zig-zagged our way through the High and Low Pavements, pausing only to admire one last piece of Chesterfield’s cutting-edge art. I’ll be back in town soon to do the two Brampton places that can’t be bothered to open at lunchtime.