North Staffs Rail Ale Trail
The North Staffs Rail Ale Trail follows the railway from Tutbury & Hatton through Uttoxeter, Blythe Bridge and Longton to Stoke-on-Trent, with a short bus extension from Longton to Meir for Swifty’s. The route links nine pubs across five railway stops, mixing micropubs, brewery taps, traditional pubs and a station bar. Saturday is the easiest day to complete the full route because every stop is open.
Choose a stop
5 rail stops • 9 pubs • plus Meir bus extension
Tutbury & Hatton — The Hourglass • Cask & Pottle • New Inn
Uttoxeter — Night Inn • Horse & Dove
Blythe Bridge — Crossways Micropub
Longton — The Strand
Meir – bus extension — Swifty’s
Stoke-on-Trent — bod Stoke
Opening times, beer availability and train or bus services can change, so please check before travelling.
🚆 Travel Tip
You don’t have to start and finish the trail in North Staffordshire. Derby and Burton-on-Trent can also work as start or finish points, giving you more flexibility with rail connections and how you build your day.
1A. The Hourglass, Tutbury
The Hourglass opened in 2022 in a former café on Tutbury High Street. Inside, the main room has a modern pub look with a separate bar area towards the rear, while outside there is a courtyard and additional seating. The pub has built a strong reputation for cask ale, usually offering Draught Bass alongside changing guest beers. It is around a ten-minute walk from Tutbury & Hatton station, making it a straightforward first stop before moving a few doors along High Street to Cask & Pottle.
Address: 6A High Street, Tutbury, DE13 9LP
Opening: Mon–Tue 17:00–21:00; Wed 17:00–22:00; Thu–Sat 12:00–22:00; Sun 12:00–21:00
Beer: One regular and two changing cask ales, with an occasional extra guest.
1B. Cask & Pottle, Tutbury
Cask & Pottle opened in 2013 in a former sweet shop and keeps the compact look of a traditional micropub. The bright single room has pine seating and tables, with the casks visible on stillage through a window at the rear. There is no conventional bar counter, which gives the place a distinctive layout. Four changing cask ales are normally available, often including beers from Burton Bridge, Froth Blowers and Sulwath. Its limited opening hours mean this is one of the stops worth checking carefully when planning the route.
Address: 2 High Street, Tutbury, DE13 9LP
Opening: Mon closed; Tue–Thu 12:00–14:30; Fri 15:00–22:30; Sat 13:00–22:30; Sun 13:00–16:00
Beer: Four changing cask ales, served on gravity.
1C. New Inn, Tutbury
The New Inn is a traditional Tutbury pub bought and refurbished by Black Country Ales before reopening in 2023. Inside, it has a large open-plan room with several seating areas and a long bar running along one side. The beer range is one of the biggest on the trail, with nine cask ales commonly available across twelve handpumps, alongside real cider. It is around a 13-minute walk from Tutbury & Hatton station, so it works well as the final Tutbury stop before heading back for the train towards Uttoxeter.
Address: 31A Ludgate Street, Tutbury, DE13 9NG
Opening: Mon–Thu 12:00–23:00; Fri–Sat 12:00–00:00; Sun 12:00–23:00
Beer: Three regular and six changing cask ales, plus real cider.
2A. Night Inn, Uttoxeter
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Night Inn sits just off Uttoxeter’s Market Place and acts as the tap for Uttoxeter Brewing Company. Opened in 2020, the bar is spread over two floors with a modern but relaxed look, plus outdoor seating. The cask range centres on beers from the brewery, with regular ales joined by a changing guest, while keg beers and other drinks add more choice. It is around seven minutes’ walk from Uttoxeter station and has become one of the town’s strongest real ale stops.
Address: Lion Building, 8 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HP
Opening: Mon closed; Tue 17:00–21:00; Wed 17:00–22:00; Thu 16:30–22:00; Fri–Sat 12:00–23:00; Sun 15:00–20:00
Beer: Three regular and one changing cask ale, mainly from Uttoxeter Brewing Company.
2B. Horse & Dove, Uttoxeter
The Horse & Dove is Uttoxeter’s first micropub and occupies a listed building on Market Place. The single main room has a traditional pub look, with the bar towards the rear and a warm, compact layout. Cask ale remains the main attraction, with regular local beers joined by changing choices and a long real cider list. It is only a short walk from Night Inn and around seven minutes from the railway station, making the two Uttoxeter stops easy to combine between trains.
Address: 21 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HY
Opening: Mon closed; Tue–Wed 15:30–20:00; Thu–Fri 15:30–22:00; Sat 12:30–22:00; Sun 12:30–20:00
Beer: One regular and two changing cask ales, with additional beers sometimes available.
3. Crossways Micropub, Blythe Bridge
Crossways Micropub is around five minutes from Blythe Bridge station and is owned by Peakstones Rock Brewery. It opened in 2015 in a former motor spares shop and has one main room with the bar at the rear. Four handpulls serve three real ales and a real cider, with two of the beers normally coming from Peakstones Rock. There is no keg beer, keeping the focus firmly on cask and cider. The shorter opening week means Thursday to Sunday are the days to plan around this stop.
Address: 246 Uttoxeter Road, Blythe Bridge, ST11 9LY
Opening: Mon–Wed closed; Thu 17:00–22:00; Fri–Sat 12:00–22:00; Sun 12:00–18:00
Beer: Two regular and one changing cask ale, plus real cider.
4. The Strand, Longton
The Strand opened in 2016 in a former jeweller’s shop just off Longton’s main shopping street. From outside it looks fairly compact, but the interior stretches much further back, with a tiled floor, wooden bar and traditional seating throughout. The pub is run by Caldmore Taverns and keeps a strong real ale focus, with two regular cask ales and a changing guest alongside real cider. Longton station is only a short walk away, and the nearby bus stops make this the easiest point to add the Meir extension for Swifty’s.
Address: 1 Gold Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 2JW
Opening: Mon–Thu 11:00–20:00; Fri–Sat 11:00–23:00; Sun 11:00–20:00
Beer: Two regular and one changing cask ale, plus real cider.
4B. Swifty’s, Meir – bus extension
Swifty’s opened in 2018 and moved to larger premises in the former Meir youth centre and library in 2023. The current venue is a large open-plan community bar with plenty of seating and a strong local feel. Three changing cask ales are normally available alongside craft beer and real cider. It is reached by bus from Longton rather than directly by train, but the move from the former Weston Road site was only a short distance, so the detour still works well as part of the route.
Address: 11 Sandon Road, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 7DJ
Opening: Mon–Tue closed; Wed–Thu 19:00–22:30; Fri–Sat 13:00–23:30; Sun 13:00–22:30
Beer: Three changing cask ales, plus craft beer and real cider.
5. bod Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent
bod Stoke occupies the former First Class lounge at Stoke-on-Trent railway station and has entrances from both the station and Station Road. Titanic Brewery opened the café bar in 2018, keeping plenty of railway character while adding a bright modern interior. The bar serves Titanic regular and seasonal cask ales alongside changing guests, with keg beer, bottles and cans also available. Being inside the station makes it a particularly easy final stop before the train home, although it also works well as an early starting point if following the route in the opposite direction.
Address: Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station, Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2AA
Opening: Mon–Thu 07:00–19:00; Fri 07:00–20:00; Sat 08:00–20:00; Sun 10:00–16:00
Beer: Titanic regular and seasonal cask ales plus changing guest beers.
Getting back
Finishing at Stoke-on-Trent: bod is inside Stoke-on-Trent railway station, so you can head straight for your train once you finish.
Finishing at Tutbury & Hatton: the station is around a 10–15 minute walk from the Tutbury pubs, with trains running back towards Uttoxeter, Blythe Bridge, Longton and Stoke-on-Trent.
If finishing at Swifty’s: use the bus back towards Longton or Stoke-on-Trent for onward rail connections. Check current train and bus times before travelling, particularly in the evening.
Last updated: September 2026
