Hi,

An odd one, but I personally have benefited from a few of the community pubs that have cropped up over the last few years – particularly the Bamford Anglers Rest pub/cafe.

This looks a great idea to develop the same thing just north of Derby, outside Belper. Looks like there are plans for some nice bike provisions too. A week left and still half the money to raise though…….

Spotted Cow – CowFunder and Moovie……..

I’ve been following this story on Radio Derby as it’s pretty local to me, and have been there several time for meals.

I can’t see this plan working though. Holbrook isn’t a big place and it’s not the sort of tourist village that attracts visitors. And I can’t see the daytime trade being there that they seem to be relying on for the cafe and Post Office. Most will be out at work.

The local area is also reasonably well served for other pubs (Dead Poets, Wheel Inn, Holly Bush, White Hart etc).

If the community didn’t support it in the past, what is different now? And I also can’t see how £250,000 is anywhere near enough money.

And if I remember rightly the building of a new village hall failed due to lack of funding raised.

I tend to agree with themuffinman, a lot of good pubs in competition with in, and it’s location in comparison to others is just a bit more of a phaff to get to. From Belper side, you would be walking past some decent boozers to get there. Equally when the Derby Brewery took over the Queens Head the people of Little Eaton had no reason to drive anywhere to get a good pint and decent pub grub. But you never know, good luck to them.

I like the idea of supporting it, but as others have said, there are two other pubs in the village, I suspect that this is a reason that this one has struggled. Looking at it as a (local) outsider, better to have two pubs running on a decent basis than three struggling.

And there are LOTS of good pubs, for food and beer, within a short distance, it would take something very special to attract trade away from them.

They have done better so far than some, I would have thought the Rutland at Baslow would have stood a better chance. On the main road, the rear backs onto the river. Main reason it struggled seemed to be the landlord; his personality, beer and hygiene seemed to lack a bit. There is competition locally, but this doesn’t seem to have stopped the revamp of the boozer at the bottom of the curber edge Road climb…….but it don’t seem to be going too well!

If the former Little Eaton branchline were converted to a Sustrans route it might make give it more of a chance of attracting family cycle tourists but at the moment it’s not a place I could see attracting a lot of visitors.

Family cycle trail? Up to Holbrook?

😆

Hi,

There are a lot of good pubs around, but not that many cafes in that area once outside Belper. The A6 Ambergate cyclists cafe is sorely missed, and other than LittleEaton Starbucks there’s not many cycling cafes this side of Cromford.

The previous Spotted Cow pub was always busy and eventually closed due to the hygiene problems and some issues it appeared the landlord had. That said Holbrook seemed capable of supporting it as a destination pub as well as the other two great pubs in the village.

Seems to me that a little optimism and an opportunity to divert some of my cash away from my wiggle/chain reaction funding scheme is a good way to start the new year 🙂

It’s a bit of a slog from Belper to Whatstandwell without a cafe, but you then have The Family Tree, the other one at Robin Hood, and Homesford Cottage, before the cafe delights of Cromford. Plus options at Crich and Wirksworth.