October 2024. Castleton. Derbyshire.
Some genuine touristy ticks now, as Mrs RM joins me on a trip to the only new GBG entry in the Peak.
Only 33 minutes from Blind Monkey to Castleton, as honeypot as it gets, but oddly not a place I’ve ever warmed to beyond Winnats Pass on the way to superior New Mills.
But I underestimated it’s gorgeousness,
Cave Dale providing a challenging footpath for Mrs RM on the best day in October.
I won’t imply she was slow, as her Instagram pics are far better than mine, and it’s not her fault the walk up the scree to Peveril Castle looked too steep in high heels.
What a glorious valley it is, though.
And, once you get off the main road of tea shops and pubs there’s some genuine weirdness on the way to the Devil’s Arse.
As it were. How many Millennials could spot the lone act on that poster that’s NOT a tribute band.
We walked to the Arse (sure it’s got a proper name) where they wanted nearly £20 for a guided tour of the caves and The Smiths weren’t playing,
money we spent instead in the new Guide entry.
It looks the most interesting from the outside, but the interior is everything you find dull about middle England tourist pubs.
Writing on the beams, tea and cake, huge baggage left to trip you up, Queen played a bit too quiet (if that’s possible), five near identical pale beers the average tourist will never tell apart.
In truth, the two Abbeydale beers were good NBSS 3 stuff, lacking the bite to make you delay your trudge back to Hope station.
BUT, the Scouse sounding barman was an absolute gem, and the Cheshire Cheese was entirely without airs and graces, and I can’t ask more than that.
Except Bass.
retiredmartin 
Four near identical pale beers and Acorn Barnsley Bitter.
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All beers are the same except Plum Porter, Bass and Grapefruit Murk.
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*and Doom Bar
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Queen should be played at zero (0) volume.
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Even Under Pressure?
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Yes that too. Even better, don’t bother with Queen at all and play Lucinda Williams instead.
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I agree. And David Bowie too.
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Controversial. But true. I’d allow Laughing Gnome, but it was all downhill after that.
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Oh I don’t know.
This is OK,
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It’s really not.
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Unless it’s “Heroes”
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It was a Whitbread pub when I first used the Old Cheshire Cheese in October 1972. I remember the licensee was old and now learn that he had kept the pub since the year I was born but still had another nine years to go.
It featured on my fiftieth anniversary tour two years ago.
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I stayed a night at the Old Cheshire Cheese in the late 80s: the beer at that time was Ward’s. I made several visits to Castleton in the 70s, usually having lunch at the Castle Hotel, where both the beer (Stones Best Bitter from electric pumps) and the food were excellent: a good day out by train from Manchester, walking the couple of miles from Hope station.
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John, I’ve spent fourteen nights at Castleton’s Youth Hostels since 1981 so that’s a fortnight there really.
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I think I noticed a few traces of Ward’s livery, John !
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Not been but stopped in Castleton enough times to wonder why not…
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