“There’s a massive sense of community” – landlords share what makes the Derbyshire Dales thrive after being named pub capital of the UK

A recent study by the Daily Mail revealed the Derbyshire Dales is the UK’s pub capital. The district has 152 pubs and bars within its boundaries, or 25 establishments for every 10,000 adult residents, according to official government statistics - with a flourishing pub culture that eclipsed every other part of the country.

Casper Nicholson, who runs the Bulls Head at Ashford in the Water, believes that the strong sense of community is one of the reasons why pubs remain so popular across the Derbyshire Dales.

He said: “There’s a healthy balance here of loyal regulars and seasonal visitors - especially in the Peak District. There’s a massive sense of community, with a lot of locals that support their pubs year round. The beautiful countryside also brings the walkers, cyclists and tourists in.

“We also have a food and drink culture, where people really appreciate the quality. We’re all trying our hardest to use local suppliers, and one of the main things that’s important to us is that we use local produce. I think that’s something that people who visit, and who live in the Peak District, really value. It’s important for business owners, because we’re all trying to support each other, and that lends itself to a strong sense of community.

“We’re a traditional village pub and in Derbyshire, these pubs are still very much at the heart of community life. That’s something that we pride ourselves on. We help the community wherever we can, whether that’s delivering meals to the elderly residents here or helping out with village events, such as the well dressings. We try to embrace the community, and a lot of the people who live in Ashford view us as a community hub. That’s something that we’re blessed with really.”

Casper explained that the welcoming atmosphere of the area and its pubs was crucial to their success - with one customer at the Bulls Head becoming so enamoured by the Derbyshire Dales that they decided to move to the area.

He said: “Another thing about the Derbyshire Dales is that people value conversation, connection and atmosphere - not just a quick drink. That’s what makes the pubs so special and unique, and that’s why people from up and down the country come and visit us three or four times a year. They come to the area, love the pub and very quickly become part of that community - they don’t just feel like an ostracised tourist.

“They feel like this is somewhere they’d like to live, and we’ve had people who have come to the pub for the first time, loved it, continued to visit and ended up moving to the village because they loved the atmosphere of the place. I think we’re one of the few districts in the country that have still got that. It’s one of the main reasons why the Derbyshire Dales has been named the pub capital - there’s not much of that left anymore.

“There’s pride in the village and people care about making sure that the pub is thriving. You’ve got supportive locals who champion independent businesses, they’re not bothered about going to chains - it’s not something they want to do. We have a real mix of families, farmers, walkers and returning guests. It’s a proper village community where everyone looks out for each other.”

Ben Robinson, who runs the Hope & Anchor in Wirksworth, felt that independent venues - with a focus on collaboration rather than competition - make sure that the town and its pubs continue to thrive.

He said: “Myself and my business partner run the place. It’s a private lease so we aren’t running it for a pub company or anything like that. It’s one of main reasons we’re doing so well at the minute - there’s no hoops to jump through or somebody telling us what to do. It’s independent and we have free rein to do what we want.

“The main thing we get regularly from people is that the friendliness of the staff really makes the place what it is. We have a good selection of beers and good-quality, homemade good food. We’ve been in the industry since we were both teenagers. We stumbled across the pub around eight or nine years ago, we gutted it and stripped it back, and then built the business from the ground up. We’ve also got three letting rooms upstairs that we’ve developed over the years and we’ve got a nice beer garden too.

“It’s a lovely and picturesque place to visit with its own quirky feel. It’s not very commercialised at all really, which is good. There’s no massive conglomerate companies that have stuck pubs, restaurants or coffee shops here. The biggest thing we have here is the Co-op basically - everything else is small independent businesses.

“Everyone works together to support each other, and the more people we can get to come to the town, that benefits everybody. We have six pubs in total, and everyone has their own kind of niche. There are places that just do real ale, there are places that focus on sport, there are places with live music. There’s a really good community and close-knit vibe. It’s really good to be a part of, because everyone wants the town to grow.”

Ben discussed some of his favourite pubs across the Derbyshire Dales - adding that local landlords with experience at the helm were a major factor in making them great places to visit.

He said: “There’s hundreds of great pubs - the Ashford Arms and the Bulls Head at Ashford in the Water, The Gate at Tansley, the Miners Arms at Carsington. There’s a number of places in Matlock and Ashbourne as well. The pubs here are run by local, honest people who are trying to make a living.

“People want to be able to get to know the faces behind the bar, and a lot of the pubs here have been consistently run by the same people for years. They’re the ones that get celebrated by the Derbyshire Dales and they’re the ones that last.”

Casper singled out the Pack Horse at Little Longstone for praise as one of the best pubs in the Derbyshire Dales. He added: “We have a strong relationship with the Pack Horse at Little Longstone. They’re similar to us with the standard of food, and it’s a nice cosy place with open fires to go for a drink. They’ve done a really great thing there over the years.

“We have our annual pub quiz taking place on Wednesday, which is very well-supported. We’ve also branched out to offering accommodation over the last two weeks, to give visitors the option of somewhere to stay. We’ve always had people asking us for this over the years, so it’s a really positive move for us.”