The Sun - Redhill

Visited 26th March 2011.
 
It's our nephews birthday this weekend so the whole family are off on a road trip to see him and the 'in-laws. As usual, any trip anywhere is viewed as an opportunity to visit a 'spoons. The one on the hit list today is 'The Sun'. We end up parking a bit further away than I would have liked as evening is upon us and it is starting to get cold and I am definitely not dressed for a cold March evening. Daughter Sinner is definitely not shy and insists on being in as many photos as possible, I'm not used to this as most times a trip to a 'spoons involves everybody rushing inside as soon as the camera appears! Inside there is a spacious floor area with lots of wood everywhere and a decent sized bar where we quickly get served. The ladies opt for a Pepsi each with Mr Sinner junior going for a standard larger and myself being more adventurous and selecting three third pint glasses each filled with a random selection from the guest ales. I really do like the third of a pint idea, in my opinion one of the best things (other than the ales) about the Ale festivals! A decent way to finish what has already been a pretty decent day.
 
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Lloyds No. 1 Bar - Nottingham

Visited 20th March 2011.
 
A bit of an uphill walk to our final pub of the day. Now this one turned out to be a bit of a surprise. An interesting looking building from the front, but a bit small for a 'spoons. At least it is until you go inside, then through some 'Time Lord' magic, it opens out into a huge building complete with more space upstairs.
Once again we opted for a couple of large lattes. Neither of us could manage anything to eat - still full from the very large breakfast that we had earlier at the B&B. For once we were able to go upstairs, so we did! 
We enjoyed our visit to Nottingham, it was an interesting town, an interesting mix of the old and the new and look forward to our next visit. I should just mention 'The Pit and the Pendulum', a very well themed goth pub that we popped into whilst walking to  'Lloyds'. It was quiet when we had a look round but that was good as it gave us the chance to appreciate the place, I would like to check it out on a busy evening sometime.
Just in case you're wondering, the whole purpose of the trip originally was to obtain some tuition in the practice of Swedish/holistic massage!
 
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The Roebuck Inn - Nottingham

Visited 20th March 2011.
 
Pub three. Again, very busy with several toddlers running around. Not so many people eating this time but definitely more drinking. As was I, I tried the Rock Mild from 'The Nottingham Brewery' which turned out to be a decent brew. Mrs S. once again opted for a coffee - we are certainly filling up the loyalty card this weekend. This was also an interesting building but once again the stairs had been closed off so we were unable to go fully exploring.
The problem with trying to visit a lot of pubs in a short space of time is that you just don't get time to have a decent sit down because it seems like it's only a few minutes later and were are heading off again!
 
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The Joseph Else - Nottingham

Visited 20th March 2011.
 
Our second pub of the day turned out to be very busy with almost everybody eating very large breakfasts. I think the weekend was starting to take its toll and we were both feeling a little lightweight, it was a choice of Pepsi or coffee for the pair of us - we opted for a couple of large lattes. It's a narrow but long pub with an upstairs that we didn't get to see as it was roped off. While we sat drinking our coffees I was quite amused to see a group of ladies on the table next to us playing 'pass the sausage'. They had all ordered the large breakfasts which were proving to be too large... Each time one looked away or was engrossed in conversation another one would take the opportunity to offload some item of food from her plate to her neighbours!
 
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The Company Inn - Nottingham

It's right at the far end!

Visited 20th March 2011.
 
Sadly it's our last day here so we have decided to make the most of it and try and fit in as many pubs as we can. The first on the list today is 'The Company Inn' which turned out to be a bit tricky to find. It's a little off the beaten track and although SatNav lady directed us straight to the postcode and did in fact get us to within about 50 yards, we just kept wandering in circles looking for it! It's at the far end of a difficult to miss building, which we still managed to keep missing. We were pretty early but there were still a few people in there to keep us company. A coffee for Mrs S, a Buffalo Trace for me and a long chat with a friendly barman. We both liked the pub, it was pleasantly different from many of the 'spoons we have visited recently and it was a shame we didn't have time to stay longer.
 
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The Pilgrim Oak - Hucknal

Visited 19th March 2011.
 
Course training completed and out in time to see the rugby, but where? The Pilgrim Oak is selected and in a short time we are driving round looking for a car park. We find one just a brisk walk away and as it turns out we are in plenty of time to see England play. The pub is popular and there are quite a few families eating, for a while anyway, as a group of very loud, drunk women gradually start to clear the area around them. The staff seem powerless to do anything, I don't know why as I'm sure an equally loud group of men wouldn't have been allowed to drive nearly as many of the customers away. Fortunately they eventually left, much to the relief of the few remaining patrons. And to cap it all England lost, much to the delight of the very happy Irishman sat at the table next to us. Still the food was nice and the beer was good so no complaints there.
On the downside, we were so disappointed and distracted by England losing that when we left we completely forgot to take any pictures. Sorry about that so here's a picture of the bill instead. Now of course I'll have to stand outside the pub for a photo on our next visit to Nottingham!



Update, 19th May 2014: As part of a roadtrip weekend to Sheffield I revisited The Pilgrim Oak and finally managed to get a "selfie" photograph with the pub in the background.
 
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The Red Lion - Ripley

Visited 18th March 2011.
 
Our final 'spoons of the day. We found it without to many problems and managed to park in the market square opposite. Another busy pub, but again, plenty of room and we easily found a table. I had a pint of Jaipur India pale ale, the first time I have had this very quaffable beer and hopefully not my last. Mrs S. went off in search of the loos and returned a short while later saying how nice they were. I went off to check the gents - an interesting mirror effect at each end of the room but once again the ladies had us beat hands down. I'm starting to wonder... will I ever find a 'spoons with better gents than ladies. Somehow I doubt it, I can't speak for other guys but so far I have never felt the urge to visit a gents and spend some time chatting on a sofa! We both liked this pub, it certainly had a bit of character about it.
I fancied a bit of a change from 'spoons food and so we left in search of a kebab shop - we found one just round the corner. I had a chicken kebab but spent much of the next day regretting it and wishing I had stuck with a madras...
We headed back to the B&B, I had some homework to do in preparation for tomorrow...
 
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The Red Lion - Heanor

The B&B - Good call!

Visited 18th March 2011.
 
We left Ilkeston and set off in search of the B&B. SatNav lady knew exactly how to get us there... Actually, she didn't, and we, like so many people before us, were taken on a trip through ever narrowing lanes until we admitted defeat and made a phone call. As it turned out even with detailed instructions it was still a little tricky to find but turned out to be well worth it. A very interesting place, welcoming hosts and we will definitely stay there again when we are next in the area. After a nice cup of tea and a chat we set off to find the location of the where I would be doing my course. This also involved some extra driving around as the entrance to the building wasn't immediately obvious (we drove past it twice). By the time we had found it I was ready for another drink. Heanor and 'The Red Lion' was only a few miles away - we had no trouble finding the pub. A busy pub but we had no problem finding somewhere to sit and the service was prompt and even better, they had Buffalo Trace. We didn't stay long as we wanted to fit another pub in before we headed back to the B&B and I wanted an early night so that I would be fresh for tomorrow!
 
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The Observatory - Ilkeston

Visited 18th March 2011.
 
Mr and Mrs Sinner are heading "oop North". Mr Sinner is going on a course, more of which later, but it does mean a few days away in Nottingham and the opportunity to visit a few pubs! After several days of struggling I eventually managed to book a B&B. Is there something going on in Nottingham this weekend? Everywhere seems to be fully booked.
Our first pub of the day is in Ilkeston, just a few miles short of our final destination. We manage to find somewhere to park that doesn't involve to much of a walk and are presented at first glance with a rather unusual looking 'spoons, with a very futuristic appearance! It is pretty busy inside but we get a table positioned under some very porthole looking windows. I try a pint of Yorkshire Blonde with Mrs S.  forced to go for a Pepsi with me then forced to start banging on about my pet hate - the rip off price of soft drinks! Please, as I've said before, for the price being charge we should at the very least get free refills. But we quite liked the pub and had a very pleasant chat with the Irish chap in the photo, who was very quick to recommend we get over to Northern Ireland to try the 'spoons there.
 
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The Edward Rayne - Raynes Park, Greater London

Visited 13th March 2011.
 
Two pubs done and we're heading for home. Unfortunately SatNav lady is a little slow and we take a wrong turn. We then take a few more while she keeps recalculating. Our driver slows a little to give her a chance. Sorted, she now knows where we are and where to go next. The three of us then look up from the screen just in time to see a Wetherspoons sign straight ahead of us. I can't resist the lure and after a very brief discussion our driver pulls in to a convenient parking space and then we are all walking back the few hundred yards or so we overshot. Coffee time, at least for me, the other two have tea and biscuits. A quick look round reveals a more modern look and feel than the previous two and we don't really relax, although this is more due to Mrs S. urging us to drink faster (she'd estimated that we were going to miss the first ten minutes of the new episode of 'Waking the dead'). Coffee gone, tea gone, biscuits gone so we quick march back to the car. Our driver has a plan, for some reason he doesn't want to rely on Mrs Satnav. It turn out to be a good call and he manages to get us home with about a minute to spare.
Not a bad day, I got to wear my new hat , England won and a bonus pub!
 
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The Nonsuch Inn - North Cheam

Visited 13th March 2011.
 
We had to visit a second pub just so that Mrs S. can have her pudding. At least, that was the excuse I used. Our second 'spoons of the day was, again, in the traditional Wetherspoon style except this one had an open fire which Mrs S. headed straight towards managing to plonk herself down right next to it! I opted for the chocolate pudding with ice-cream and a pint of Woodcote bitter, Mrs S. went for the sticky toffee pudding with custard and a Sailor Jerry and Pepsi. Our driver is not a pudding man and sadly had to stick with the Pepsi as well. Not such a happy day for him! It was nice to sit and relax, a chance to unwind, for once there was no pressure to get to another pub. Actually there was a little bit of pressure because Mrs S. wanted to get home by 9pm so that she didn't miss the start of the new series of Waking the Dead. No problem, plenty of time...
 
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The Edmund Tylney - Leatherhead

Visited 13th March 2011.
 
"Where were we going to watch the Rugby?", that was the question. A quick look at the map and we decided on Leatherhead, no real reason other than it was one of the nearest that we hadn't visited and as it was a last minute decision to go out we hadn't left ourselves much time. Proper "mans" organisation. We made it to 'The Edmund Tylney' with about a half hour to spare and were then able to watch the barman spend ten minutes trying to set the correct channel on the Sky box. It wasn't too busy and we managed to get seated and get our food ordered very quickly. The beef roast for me, along with a pint of Red India ale and Mrs S. selecting the all day brunch. We were with a friend who had offered to be our driver for the day - he opted for the curry (I've yet to see him choose anything else).
The pub was standard 'spoons, that is, large, comfortable, food was fine, beer was great. And to cap it all England managed a win. I guess I should mention the new hat. My daughter had recently visited Disneyland and apparently they are the "height" of fashion there. It certainly caused a bit of a storm walking along the road and come photo call time we were suddenly surrounded!
An excellent afternoon. It always seems a shame to just visit one pub so I had previously checked the map and had also planned a visit to North Cheam. I imparted this knowledge to our driver who was more than happy to oblige!
 
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