Swadlincote – Sir Nigel Gresley

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

This was the final pub of the day, the JD Wetherspoon operated outlet in Swadlincote, named after the famous railway engineer who lived nearby in Netherseal. It was a pub, albeit a bit run-down, before JD Wetherspoon took it over in 2001, previously known as the Granville Arms.

I took this photo with the hope of identifying the real ale that I ordered, but I didn’t take it clearly enough and I’ve since forgotten. Anyway, I know that it tasted fine and seemed well-kept. Not that this information is of use to anyone, but it’s the best I’ve got here….

The interior of the pub, quieter on a Saturday night that I had anticipated.

The chicken vindaloo curry, which they clearly hadn’t sold out of on Thursday’s Curry Club, but it was £3.99 and tasted fine. It was probably just a bit too spicy a thing to order on a Saturday night, but it was hot and everything was cooked appropriately.

And, I had a little at the pub reviews, which aren’t generally the best in the chain shall we say.

“I have used the disabled toilet in the pub as I have a radar key. I find really helpful as you have room to move around and it’s private, or at least I thought it was. Someone tried to come in while I was inside and I carried on, but to my amazement and shock they managed to get in with their key.”

I’m surprised that this doesn’t happen more often, but I’ve seen this a few times in different Wetherspoons. The staff often knock on the door, wait about two seconds and then open the door. It’s admittedly exciting drama, but not for the person inside the toilet….

That’s about as notable as the reviews get, although more seem to complain about other customers than the actual pub itself. Anyway, this was a perfectly comfortable and welcoming pub, with it being rather handy that they were still serving food so late. And, other than the few miles walk back to the accommodation, it marked the end of what had been a long and exciting (well, what I call exciting) day….