Happy Birthday From Kegworth

I’m a big fan of Kegworth Caskworth as Matthew named it and it is home to a couple of cracking boozers.

They’ve even sorted out that pesky Kegworth interchange so the traffic runs smoothly meaning there is no reason not to visit this pub town in Leicestershire.

(red cross marks the interchange and boozer with red marker)

Martin’s favourite interchange in the whole of the UK has actually had a flyover added and it’s better than it ever was, which is handy as all roads to Leicester/Derby/Nottingham/Stoke/East Midlands Airport/Melton Mowbray and even Swadlincote hail from here, so it is well used.

(plenty of chimney pots)

However, the one common denominator whenever I visit Kegworth, is the lack of punters in their pubs.

The Red Lion and the Cap And Stocking are both old school classics and I’ve been at different times and on different days, but was able to take plenty of photos as there weren’t many pubgoers in the vicinity.

That’s not to say they weren’t any good, far from it, as they oozed pubbery of the highest order and both served Bass…

In fact, as I was told by the barman at the 496 – Crane & Wells Tap DE74 2EE in the Market Place area of Kegworth, there are in fact five boozers to visit.

(a potential punter loiters outside contemplating seaside postcard)

And with it being the first birthday of Kegworth’s newest addition today (December 1) then it is only right that I should hold a party pub blog post in their honour.

The Market Place in Kegworth was a publess area (is there such a word) 13 months ago after Ye Olde Flying Horse closed it doors in 2013 and the owners of The Steamboat in Sawley spotted a gap in the market.

Given the amount of chimney pots in the area and the traffic that passes through Kegworth every day then it looked like a no brainer.

On my visit to The Steamboat it was quirky to say the least and very much a locals boozer but this place is completely different.

And no bad thing I say, although the obligatory seaside photo accessory was in here too and filling the barman with huge amounts of joy!

Nonetheless he did concede it was a talking point and practically every punter who came in either took a snap of it or went in it…not wishing to offend I thought I’d follow suit.

The barman was chatty and told me of their impending birthday but beyond that there were no BRAPA style antics to report other than he reckoned Kegworth was probably at its maximum in terms of pubs.

I’m not sure if this place is in the GBG or likely to get into it but I have to say the beer was absolute nectar.  I’m not sure how many other punters had been in by about 1pm on a Thursday but the half of India (Stancill) was chewy, crisp and fresh.

It’s always a concern when you don’t see any other punters but Thursday lunchtime isn’t renowned for being a hotbed of activity in Kegworth boozers…however, happy birthday to a new boozer that adds a bit more kudos to Kegworth Caskworth