Any locals around from Ticknall?

Im meeting some pals and we need a ‘man pub’ for some beers
Not a fashion lager joint
Not a ponced up pretend restaurant

What we want is a decent boozer, serving decent beer and a good atmosphere
Not bothered about pool table
Just want to drink and talk bollox

We dont mind walking, in fact that may add to the fun, so a couple of miles away from downtown would be fine

Google has a couple of suggestions
The Staff of Life looks like a pretend restaurant 🙂
John Thompson a possible

Cheers

John Thompson is nice – they brew their own ale which is good! There’s a Monday night ride from there too if that takes your fancy.

John Thomson +1 be careful if your walking there from ticknall it’s a narrow road w no pavements unlit and lots of blind corners, I wouldn’t like to walk via road even sober, best off to ride there via Stanton wood. They now have some riverside chalets for accommodation so that might put you off, on site micro brewery though
Staff of life is a nice enough pub too though yes it does food but it also serves beer
Not much else around, there are a few in Melbourne but most places round that part of south derbyshire tend to be a bit more upmarket and they all do food
If your just meeting and chatting w mates does the surroundings really matter that much?

+1 for John Thomson and the Monday nighters

The wheel is ok, but mainly for food, although they sell hoegarden, the chequers around the corner is another more biased towards food, then there is the White Swan at Milton which is just a pub and fits the ‘Not a fashion lager joint, Not a ponced up pretend restaurant’ criteria quite well, just don’t expect cheery service form Roger the landlord. Further afield there are 3 pubs in Willington (green dragon, green man and rising sun) which are all fairly decent and you could do a 200yard pub crawl around them…

+1 for John Thomson

I’ve ridden home to Ticknall down that rode absolutley plastered more times than I can remember.

The monday night group are good fun too, but I think you have to own a lndrover to take part, the sillier the better, ex fire engines and foreward controll’s get bonus points.

The Wheel is a bit upmarket now, but is still alright, just clean with lots of light pine furniture.

Avoid the Chequers (personal issue), can’t remember much about The Staff.

Shame the Saraces head closed down, that’d been right up your street.

John Thompson is good. Also the Bull at Repton, and the White Swan in Melbourne.

Monday nights in the winter, 2 hours fast ride in the rain/snow then 2 pints of JT Gold….now that’s living…..

The Spread Eagle in Rolleston, used to be my local.