The Scotsmans Pack, Hathersage, Hope Valley
Off the main road through Hathersage on School Lane, opposite the parish church where Little John's grave is. School Lane leads on to The Dale and up to Stanage Edge.
The Hope Valley must have been a bleak and isolated place before somebody built a railway through it and made it accessible to tourists. Up to the 18th century the only way in, and out, of the valley was by packhorse track over the mountains. This pub stood on one of the ancient tracks leading to Sheffield and was a stopover for travelling salesmen, or packmen, who travelled about rural places with packs full of small household items to sell to the local farmworkers. Hope Valley got packmen from as far away as Scotland, who came to sell Scottish tweeds.
There has been a pub on this site for more than 300 years, though the current building dates only from early in the 20th century, c1910. The original pub was considerably less upmarket than the current one, its regular customers were local farmers, shepherds and quarrymen and it had a patch of common land at the back where gypsies and sheep thieves settled.
Nowadays it is more of a restaurant-hotel than a pub. I was here some years ago and it had a section set aside for people who were visiting to drink but not to eat. When I returned this summer, every table in the pub was laid for dining and there was no area reserved for drinkers.
Ambience - 4
Decor - 3
traditional, dark wood and brasses and copper ornaments on every beam and shelf.
If you look at the walls at the far side of the room, there is a photo of the old pub ( a plainer building with narrow windows) with the licensees standing in front of it, from 1905, and next to it a photo of the rebuilding work in progress.
Service - 5
friendly and welcoming, no issues with customers in walking boots or work clothes, though dogs are not allowed in
Ale - 3
Small range of cask ales
Features - 3
Food
Accommodation (I'm never sure if I should count this as I'm reviewing pubs not hotels, but for now accommodation is in as a feature)
beer garden, really is in a garden and is not just a corner for smokers
toilets - 5
gleaming tiles, as posh as the rest of the pub
score 23 out of 30
Stanage Edge
view over the valley from the track to Kimber Court (turns off the road to Stanage Edge)
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