Rosliston – Bull’s Head

To provide a little context, we visited this pub in Rosliston whilst on our sixth LDWA 100 training walk.

We didn’t want to look eager, but we had arrived in the village before the pub opened and we faffed about a bit, so were pleased that they opened on time. The pub is operating on slightly reduced opening hours at the moment (late August 2020), 14.00 until 23.00 on Mondays to Thursdays and 12.00 until 23.00 on Fridays to Sundays.

There were two real ales available, Pedigree from Marston’s and Bass from, well, Bass. For a country pub, especially given the current crisis, this was an entirely suitable proposition for us. For those who prefer ciders, they had Happy Daze and Yuzu Marmalade on, along with some lager things.

The Pedigree. The pint wasn’t served like this, I just liked the glass and only realised that after drinking some of the beer….. It was at the appropriate temperature and tasted well-kept. We seemed to be the first customers of the day and there’s always a danger that a pub won’t have pulled through the beers, but they had here.

One side of the pub, which might not be exactly on-trend, but it looks warm and comfortable. It was notable that they hadn’t had to nail (or glue) all of the items on display down, which says something positive about the pub. Well, it also says something about a number of the pubs that I go to as well…..

And the other side…. There’s a real fire on each side of the pub, which must make it a homely place during the colder months of the year.

This is a free house and they look like they try to please as much of the local community as they can, with darts, pool (currently suspended), food, entertainment and a range of drinks. The service was friendly and this felt a welcoming place to be, with the pub being clean and organised. The pub does probably need to bring its web-site back on-line, although their Facebook presence has been kept updated.

So, as country pubs go, this was a convenient mid-day stop for us and it’s worth a little trip for anyone visiting the nearby Rosliston Forestry Centre. Or indeed, anyone walking along the National Forest Way, as this goes by the front of the pub.