retiredmartin

July 2026. Chesterfield.

An aimless afternoon in Chesterfield, and there’s nothing wrong with aimless. Those two pints in the Rutland Arms and Royal Oak saw a town in rude health, and once it gets that museum open this year it’ll warrant a revisit.

The pubs around the market looked particularly lovely with their hanging baskets;

it’s a shame the Sun ditched the cask, it’s a stunner.

The Chesterfield Ale House isn’t a stunner, and that big step up from the seating area to the bar always catches me out.

But it has had superb beer on two previous visits,

though this time I decide to actually try some of this new-fangled low ABV stuff, rather than just alerting Blackpool Jane to it.

One of the best can selections anywhere, and the Attic Lucid* is (genuinely) as good a UK n/a option as I’ve had, though Mrs RM would have seen through it.

On previous visits I’ve noticed the intelligent, dry conversation, and this remains a less boisterous place than the Royal Oak or the Waikiki Beach bar, though you do get “Roxanne” and “Too Much Too Young“.

And that was it for the afternoon, a pretty pathetic effort when even the tourist pub crawl takes in eight (8) of them.

What’s the “Good PUB Guide“, by the by ?

Nope, that spire is definitely wonky, you know.

At the station, I suucumb to the sensational Cawa Bakery almond croissant with chocolate. You should, too.