Nottingham Forest Are Magic!

Some brief West Bridgford pub explorations on the day of Forest's first successful navigation of the Play-Off semi-finals.

To start with though - in the city centre - here's the Playwright pub.  I've never visited and it didn't really appear appealing enough to divert me from my planned route around Nottingham real ale and heritage pubs.
But I stopped to look at it from outside, as this used to be the Clinton Arms and is where Forest were founded in 1865.

The plaque to prove it...

And here's Cloughie...

I used to be a regular at the City Ground when I lived in London and could get a good value East Midlands train up on a Saturday morning.  Not so much so now, with the trip from Oxford involving 3½ hours at the mercy of Cross Country trains and fearsome rail fares.

In those days of yore, my most regular pre-match routine was to walk out past the ground, lunch at the Test Match, followed with some fine ales and a pre-match buzz at the Stratford Haven.
I planned to revisit both those on this visit.  But first a new one to me, from the 2022 Good Beer Guide...

Poppy and Pint (Pierrepont Road, West Bridgford, NG2 5DX - web)
It's not in the most obvious location for a pub...through a housing estate, then down a side road into a car park with tennis courts at the end.

Pub's down there somewhere

The Poppy and Pint is multi-functioning, opening early as a cafe, with beers served at the bar from 10am.  As I was there pre-noon, it's perhaps not surprising that the clientele consisted of pensioners eating cake.  I was the trouble-maker, ordering my half-pint of pale ale by Totally Brewed Brewery, recklessly early.
(I did have a break planned during the afternoon - my pre-match boozing wasn't really starting 8 hours before kick-off...honest)

So, it wasn't the most traditional of pubs, but it was a nice enough place. They offered the usual Castle Rock extensive beer range alongside guest ales from interesting breweries. 

I walked back across Radcliffe Road, alongside the park to the West Bridgford shops, with the Test Match being my next point of call.

The Test Match (Gordon Hotel, West Bridgford, NG2 5LP - web)
This is an essential visit for anyone with a passing interest in the Heritage Pubs guide.  Built in 1938 for Hardy & Hanson's Brewery, the design is lavish and elaborate, with lots of great Art Deco touches which remain intact.

It's a Greene King pub, with a decent beer range including local ales.  I went for the Dancing Duck 'Ay Up', pronouncing it wrong to show how long I've been away from these parts.
Lovely beer and lovely staff: "Are you going to stay for another one?  What'll you try next?", I was asked when the glass was almost empty - I almost caved in and settled in for the afternoon.

 

But...time was flying and I had plenty of places I wanted to see in the city.
I passed by the Stratford Haven, which I would return to later closer to the match.
Here it is looking very quiet and peaceful...

Stratford Haven (2 Stratford Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6BA - web)
The Stratford Haven was previously a pet shop, so fair play to Castle Rock who've made it look as though it's been a pub forever.
You step through the front door into a small porch where you're faced with three doors, all of which lead to the same place.  Within, there is a snug to the right and the bar to the left, opening up a bit at the back. No chance of seat this time.  Even perching spots were at a premium.
My definitions of 'busy' have changed a bit post 2020.  But this was old school busy...

No idea what choice of beers they had on - although I could glimpse a fair few pump clips through the crowd.  I was stood at a selective part of the bar in front of the Castle Rock 'Harvest Pale', so that's what I ordered.  Not fair to make the staff squeeze up and down the bar to a beer at the other end when it's heaving like this.
The Harvest Pale was cool, crisp and delicious.  

I shall write nothing about the match, as whatever I say I think I'm gonna jinx our chances in the final.
Just a picture of the Trent and the City Ground instead...

Sadly, there is unlikely to be a Football Tourist Guide (what d'you mean that's copy-writed by someone else?!!) to Wembley.
My ability to get to games recently has been very lame and there's no priority ticketing for those of us who traveled around League One grounds in the noughties, freezing in cold winter months whilst the likes of Oldham and Walsall thrashed us.
Hopefully we've put times like that way behind us, with a bright future.
COYR!