When it comes to undertaking a micropub crawl the county of Nottinghamshire has a high number of small watering holes located within a short distance from one another. One stretch that is testament to this is that linking the towns of Eastwood, Giltbrook, and Kimberley where you have eight micropubs to enjoy.
Better still all of the micropubs on this crawl are situated on the same single bus route, Trent Barton’s Rainbow One service which runs up to every 10 minutes during the day and also runs well into the evening.
For this micropub crawl we’ll be starting in Eastwood and working our way towards Kimberley. You can do this crawl in reverse if you prefer – it’s up to you. With there being so many micropubs on this crawl you may choose not to do every one featured here, again it’s your choice. For those who feel that eight micropubs may be too much in one go we’ve split this crawl up into three smaller sub-crawls so that you can enjoy some of these micropubs one day and then maybe try out the others on another occasion.
Whatever you do though remember to enjoy visiting these fine small watering holes, and of course DRINK RESPONSIBLY!
Bus route for this trail – Trent Barton Rainbow One
All day bus ticket available? – YES, Trent Barton ZigZag
Eastwood
1 – Dog & Parrot
Getting off the bus in Eastwood town centre and our first port of call is the Dog & Parrot. This is a micropub with lots of character to admire both inside and out. The main pub part is a large single-room affair with plenty of space throughout, and with lots of quirky touches to boot including brickwork with the venue’s town inscribed. The quirkiness continues with the beer garden at the back of the micropub. Quite appropriately given the name, the Dog & Parrot is dog-friendly.
2 – Mellor’s Mews
Just a stones-throw away on the opposite side of the main street is Mellor’s Mews. This particular watering hole is different in that it’s not an old unit that’s been given a new lease of life, but is instead a purpose-built micropub.
3 – Gamekeepers
Another short walk on the same side of the street as Mellor’s Mews and you reach the Gamekeepers. This former scooter shop is now home to a small watering hole complete with an ‘alcove’ area as well as an extensive garden/patio area at the rear of the venue.
Hilltop and Giltbrook
4 – Tap & Growler
A quick hop on the bus and you reach the village of Hilltop and the Tap & Growler, a former charity shop turned small watering hole. On previous visits here we’ve noticed some good use of old furniture including old coach seats and cinema chairs. This was the first micropub to open on this particular trail back in 2015.
5 – Pick & Davy
Literally just round the corner from the Tap & Growler and just off the main street is our next pub stop, the Pick & Davy, a mining-themed watering hole and the most recent addition to this micropub trail having opened in 2018.
6 – Caught & Bowled
Another short bus ride takes us into the village of Giltbrook and Caught & Bowled, which as the name suggests is a cricket-themed micropub. You’ll certainly notice plenty of cricket memorabilia and decorations on show in this former newsagents.
Kimberley
7 – Miner’s Return
Another quick bus ride and right after Giltbrook Retail Park (with its huge IKEA store) and we enter the town of Kimberley. Here we visit the Miner’s Return, a micropub situated on the site of the town’s former miner’s welfare club.
8 – Roots Micropub
One more bus ride, going through Kimberley town centre, takes us to the eighth and final micropub on the trail – Roots Micropub, so aptly named as you will literally see plenty of ‘roots’ here. This open-plan micropub consists of three separate drinking areas plus a beer garden. There’s a good selection of memorabilia on show including items relating to the town’s former local brewery.