Before we began this pub alphabet the casual banter was that we’d be spoilt for choice when we got to D due to the number of Devonshire Arms in the locality. However as things conspired it was nowhere near as easy as we’d imagined.
Our first thoughts of Devonshires, in the Chatsworth heartlands of Pilsley and Beeley, turned out to have changed their names….probably precisely because there are (or were) so many other Devonshires around, that it was causing confusion.
Admittedly the Baslow Dev’s name seems to have survived intact but we’d walked to Baslow recently (B Is For The Bridge)and naturally we were looking for something a little different.
The Dev at Peak Forest would have been an ideal location for a good walk but its opening times didn’t work for us and the Dev at Middle Handley sounded ideal for food but didn’t work out walk or transport wise.
So, broadening our search to include any old D ( think Dog and Partridge, Duke of Wherever) further hours were wiled away, sadly spent looking at screens and not in real life experience, but every time we thought we’d got it sorted there was always one lurking criteria that didn’t fit.
Imagine our delight then, EVENTUALLY to be able to offer you not one D but two….and an enjoyable local Sheffield/edge of the Peak District walk into the bargain.
Our first D of the day ( but see the walk details below since the walk could easily be done the other way around) is The Devonshire Arms at Dore.
This “Dev” was built in 1777, at which time Dore, rather than being an affluent Sheffield suburb, was a Derbyshire village….or more accurately not even that; just a scattering of clusters of workers’ cottages. The Duke of Devonshire had acquired the land around here from the Duke of Newcastle in 1742 but it was only really following his enclosure of the land around the beginning of the 19th century that the village proper became established, having the Devonshire Arms pub located at its centre ( as indeed it still is.)
Today we’re visiting a fairly new incarnation of the hostelry since the pub changed hands earlier this year and it’s certainly feeling very fresh and clean after its refurb with a pleasant conservatory area opening onto an extensive back garden
And yet still retaining its “local pub” feel inside. It’s quite a large and rambling building with a number of rooms and alcoves offering variously; a splendid snooker table, a darts board, a cosy looking fireplace, a few TV screens and a snug.
There looks to be a busy programme of live music events, a weekly pub quiz and, happily for us, there’s lunchtime food on offer too.
The pub is independently run by its new landlord Tom ( who also runs The Castle at Bradway) and managed by Stonegate, probably one of the biggest pub management firms in the country, which provides the flexibility for offering and rotating different beers. Outside there are a few tell tale signs that in the past this used to be a Wards pub before the demise of that Sheffield brewery .
We each enjoy our jacket potatoes and the Barnsley Bitter goes down well and rather quickly after our warm morning’s walk.
We do also get a pot of tea ( as part of our continuing research into pubs that do teas) thinking it’s just as well to avoid too much alcoholic indulgence as there is another pub still to come, after all.
It’s quiet in the pub today although we get the feeling that it’s probably more buzzing of an evening. It seems that lunchtime food, or indeed food at anytime, is a new move by the new landlord. Hopefully word will get round as it’s a very pleasant spot, a proper pub and well worth a visit.
Our second D, at the end of our walk, is The Dark Horse on Banner Cross which proves to be an equally pleasant experience although different in many ways to the pub in Dore.
To begin with it’s much smaller as befits a micro pub, ( but not at all cramped) and much newer having opened all of 4 years ago after a conversion from a Lloyd’s Bank ( hence the Dark Horse name.)
There’s seating outside onto the main road and a variety of seating options inside; we opted for bar stools looking out over the road ( so we could keep an eye on the buses!)
There’s a happy hour for Cocktails which we were unfortunately too early for but also an interesting array of lagers and craft beers as expected of a modern bar of this kind.
The food sounds interesting too, specialising in burgers and with wings also on the menu.
We were intrigued by the weekly meat raffle which reminded me of days gone by and the Working Men’s Club scene. But apparently it’s a very popular and well supported event with all proceeds going to charity and it was a nice touch that the meat prizes are supplied by the butcher from directly across the road.
The Dark Horse is open from 11.30 daily so today’s loop would work equally well pub-wise starting from Dore village (courtesy of the 81) a mid-walk refuelling stop at the Dark Horse and then a nice beer to round things off at The Dev before catching the bus back to Sheff.
Whichever way you decide we hope you will enjoy visiting both these Ds as much as we did.
Today’s Walk & Transport Information
Today we started walking from Hunters Bar ( numerous buses from town including 81,82,83,88,272,65.)
And as this is a circular walk it’s the same story for the return trip.
However as mentioned already this walk would work equally well with a start/finish at Dore ( 81 bus)
It’s also a walk which could be shortened at various points but the map version included below is of the full version.
We begin with the familiar route along the Porter Valley through Endcliffe and Bingham Parks, past Forge Dam and continuing to Fulwood Lane. Crossing the road the route continues on the path over Ringinglow, past the top of Lady Cannings plantation to join the old road across Houndkirk Moor to Parson House Farm.
Crossing the main road and then Stony Ridge, the route now drops onto the track which descends through Blacka Moor plantation and into the village of Dore where we take a break at The Devonshire Arms.
After refuelling we continue along Rushley Road/Limb Lane until the track on the right takes us into Ecclsall Woods from which we eventually emerge onto Dobcroft Road and following a long ginnel behind the school arrive at Millhouses Lane and Button Hill.
After Springfield Glen it’s another ginnel on the right through to Carter Knowle Road, Knab Rise, yet another ginnel and down onto Bannerdale Road.
Then following one of the many footpaths up and left along Brincliffe Edge it only remains to cut through Chelsea Park and head along Chelsea Road before cutting through the new flats built on the old Baldwins Omega site and onto Psalter Lane before arriving at The Dark Horse on the main Ecclesall Road near the top of Banner Cross.
We enjoyed the contrasts today between parkland, river valley, heather moors, woodland and the built environment.
And, not for the first time, we appreciated how easy it is to walk out to spectacular Peakland scenery from our city.
Use the link below to access the full route with details of elevation and distance. Download the free Footpath app in order to follow the route showing your location at all times for a hassle free walk.
For old school navigators this walk will be more complicated ( unless you’re really old school and take a Sheffield A to Z) so use the OS Dark Peak leisure map and be prepared to consult good old Google for your route through the housing.
https://footpathapp.com/routes/3D4D1615-3764-4DE2-B3D8-BDA97DE022FD?units=metric
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