Fishermans Rest, Belper Derbyshire

I think I've featured Belper on this blog more often than just about any other town of a similar size. This is mainly due to its position at the centre of a thriving local skittles league of course, but also because the town is positively thick with very fine pubs. Pubs that feature good beer naturally, but also pubs that are just 'good' in the old-fashioned sense of being welcoming places to have a drink and a chat.

I aim to tour some of Belpers fine pubs at least twice a year, choosing the winter months for preference when fires are lit and the hum of conversation is concentrated in the bar rather than the beer garden. Conversation you're likely to be drawn into in a way that simply doesn't happen in many parts of the country. It's a north Derbyshire thing I think, and one I've always had a liking for.

Our most recent trip was to check-out the recently re-opened Railway, a pub that's never been on our radar previously, but now thoroughly revived and in the hands of Lincoln Green Brewery, saviour of many pubs in the Derby/Notts area. Unsurprisingly, the Railway proved to be an ideal first-stop and waiting room for the nearby rail station, but games don't currently feature at the pub so it was just a quick pint and onwards to another revitalised pub, this one on the very edge of town.

The Fishermans Rest is one of the many recent Marston's castoffs, a brewery that seems more interested in kiddies ball parks and laminated pub-grub menus than proper drinkers pubs these days. The new owners have transformed the pub, though without removing any of its essential pubbiness. Other than the original brewery livery on the gable-end, every trace of big-business blandness has been replaced with a genuine characterful local pub offering that includes great Derbyshire ales and cider, locally sourced food, and a strong commitment to the traditional games of the area.

At first glance, the pubs website might give the impression the focus is on a high quality food offering, and whilst that's undoubtedly true it's certainly not the only attraction. 'Our vision for the Fishermans Rest is a cosy comfortable country pub that welcomes everyone and offers something for everyone...'. That's what it says, and from our albeit limited experience of the pub on a Friday afternoon, I think this sums the place up very nicely.

The walk to the pub is slightly less than a mile from the town centre, a walk that follows the winding course of the River Derwent. We thoroughly tested the 'cosy' and 'comfortable' promise to the full, arriving wet-through from an unexpected Derbyshire downpour. I can also confirm we were made very welcome, wet dogs and all, and immediately drawn into conversation by a pair of Derbyshire holidaymakers who looked well settled when we arrived. Licensees Tim and Laura were busy front of house, something I always like to see at a pub, and also very good company as the skies cleared and I squelched out to the back of the pub to size-up the skittle alley for a few photos.

The interior of the pub may have had a few touches of comfort added under new ownership, but the Skittle Alley is as traditional as it gets. The frame sits just below the beer garden at the rear of the pub, the 'throw' somewhat uphill, and the whole entirely uncovered and open to the elements. That's how most alleys are in this neck of the woods, the only concession to comfort an awning where the scoreboard is chalked and players can spectate the action.

Long Alley Skittles is played in the Belper & District Skittles League, and the Fishermans team have spent the 2019 season edging toward the top-end of League Division Two. League play is likely to have concluded by the time you read this (skittles games in the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire area are rarely postponed for the weather!), with the Fishermans Rest team in very real danger of promotion to League One! Whilst it's certainly the case that everyone plays to win in pub games leagues, it's also true that not everyone views promotion to the more serious leagues with the relish of the professional sportsman. I wish them luck for the 2020 season...

The painted spot in the foreground marks the position of the 'Chock Hole', the throwing point which is (unusually) slightly downhill of the frame at the Fishermans Rest

As the outdoor skittles tradition comes to an end for 2019, indoor competition commences in the Belper & District Darts and Dominoes League. Away teams must be looking forward to visiting the Fishermans Rest for a game this year. There may well be an embarrassment of riches for pub-goers in Belper, but there can't be many more welcoming venues for players than the Fishermans.