Loose Women In Wilmorton

Two things never cease to amaze me.  Firstly, the seemingly endless supply of good little solid boozers in Derbyshire.  Secondly, just how much drivel there is on daytime TV and the fact that a live audience actually go and watch it!

Freedom of choice and all that jazz but there is actually a site you can apply for tickets to go and be a part of the studio audience on ITV’s Loose Women.

The ‘selling’ points in terms of guests for November if you want a ticket are the likes of Christopher Biggins, Ashley Banjo and The Hairy Bikers…they’ll be queuing for miles no doubt at the ITV London studios on the south bank with that glittering cast list.

However, if that doesn’t tempt you in to Waterloo station then the panellists surely will. There is nothing I like better on a Thursday afternoon than listening to Stacey Solomon and Nadia Sawalha talk about wearing thongs and crotchless knickers!   But don’t worry all the earnest big topical issues of the day are covered as they tore into Dior for using a 25-year-old model to promote their anti-wrinkle ageing cream…

By way of contrast, aside from the fact Loose Women was on the TV in the main bar and disturbing my crossword at 83 – The Navigation DE24 8UU there were plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

Wimorton, which is a suburb of Derby close to Pride Park, is not hugely stocked with pubs so it is nice to see this one look like it’s getting plenty of TLC.

The hanging baskets are well kept (always a sign in my book), it has decent sized, attractive beer garden, there is Sky/BT sports available (a better bet than Loose Women) and it looks clean and tidy, which means it stands out like a beacon on London Road; a stretch that wouldn’t rank in the top five of Derby’s most eye-catching roads at present.

However, it also doubles up as a guest house and is clearly busy on a match day but also had a steady trade on Thursday lunchtime.

Apparently it was built around 1800 to celebrate the opening of the canal and it is great to see a pub surviving/thriving in this neck of the woods as it isn’t the most affluent side of the city but, clearly, if you work hard at offering the public what they want then they will support a pub…if not, the carwash (pictured below) next door will surely drag ’em in!

And, at £2.90 for a pint of Doom Bar, these are the sort of pub prices I want!   There were a variety of drinks being sunk across the bar such as John Smith’s, Strongbow and Carling, which suggests having just one ale on is a sensible policy and it was decent too as well as being on the first ever pizza beermat I’d seen….

The barman was mesmerised by their new fruit machine and it was clearly an attraction for some of the regulars as a steady stream of punters were drawn to it.

I reckon this place is heaving for Derby home games but clearly has enough of a good reputation to draw people in from Wilmorton/Alvaston/Osmaston as opposed to heading towards the Hungry Horse on Pride Park or into the city centre.

So, aside from the fact I was reminded that Loose Women is complete and utter fatuous drivel, I was also reminded (as if I needed any) that when you look off the beaten track there are plenty of places to have a drink, read a paper, do a crossword (yes, I still sometimes do them) and slow the pace of life right down.

Let’s hope this place continues to navigate its way successfully for many more years to come.