Thorn Tree Inn, Belper, Derbyshire

The Derbyshire town of Belper has, in recent years, become one of my more regular weekday pub destinations. A former mill town in the attractive Derwent Valley, and just a short train ride north of Derby, Belper forms a major part of the Derwant Valley Mills World Heritage Site, and as such is a bit of a treat for lovers of our industrial past. For many though, the town is likely to be just a staging post on the road to nearby Matlock and the Bank Holiday 'seaside' attractions at Matlock Bath. But one thing that Belper has which puts Matlock firmly in the shade, is an unusually high number of pubs, many of which are very fine traditional locals.

Clearly Belper folk like their beer, and thankfully they seem to prefer drinking it in the highly social surroundings of their local pub rather than at home. Of course not all of the towns pubs have escaped the blight of closures which continue to affect just about all parts of the country, but there's still more than enough to go at on a weekday afternoon, including a few personal favourites. The cosy and welcoming George & Dragon (left) was a return visit for me and has already featured on this blog. One of the few early openers on the Wednesday I was in town, and notable for it's traditional outdoor skittle alley, wood-burning stove, excellent draught Bass, and friendly pub dog. A new attraction for me was the recently opened Angels Micro Pub, which along with the towns Arkwright Real Ale Bar (another skittles venue) helps service the needs of local beer enthusiasts by offering a more eclectic range than most.

Another pub with a particularly strong emphasis on its beer range is the Thorn Tree Inn. This pub was recently reopened by local mother and daughter team April and Amber Rose Elliot after a period of neglect and eventual closure, and it's this 'good news story' that was the principal inspiration for my most recent visit to the town.

The Thorn Tree Inn is set a short walk out of the town centre. A solid stone-built wedge of a pub dividing the main Chesterfield Road and smaller Swinney Lane, it's a classic locals pub with a traditional bar in the narrowest part of the wedge, and a slightly larger lounge-bar, warmed by a good fire on the day I visited. The focus on a range of local Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire brewers ales stems from the licensees experience working at the towns Arkwright Real Ale Bar, and in a town which is slightly dominated by Marston's beers, represents a good point of difference.

Darts and Dominoes are played at the pub, and it's hoped that the Thorn Tree will once again be fielding a team in the local Belper & District Skittles League for the forthcoming season. The Belper league is very active in the area, with around 30 teams playing league matches throughout the summer months in three divisions, as well as as all manner of knockout and multiple player competitions. As with most venues in the area, the skittle alley is an outdoor one at the rear of the pub.

A Horseshoe on the timber decking marks the throwing point for the skittle alley, and a brick-built extension to the pub makes for an interesting bottleneck at its centre-point. Whether this contributes any significant home advantage is hard to say, it certainly looks a bit challenging to me, though presumably offers no real restriction to the throw. I would imagine that the Frame (below) needed to be re-set to a new angle following the building of this extension.

The view of the valley from the decking is impressive even on a misty winter day