Dale Harvey of The Great British Pub Crawl returned to Ashby last week to assess all 17 of the town's bars - and the verdict was a positive one.

Last November, Nottingham-based Dale named a list of the best pubs he has visited across the UK with partner Holly, and listed Brew in Market Street at No2.

But he was clearly impressed by Ashby and came to back last week to visit all of its pubs.

On his Facebook page, he listed all of them as part of a lengthy walk around Ashby - drinking a half in each one.

The Great British Pub Crawl page posted: "Dale was out alone for this edition of the revisits and headed to one of his favourite little towns so far... Ashby De La Zouch.

"The plan was to take in everything that Ashby has to offer pub wise."

Dale said: "The last time I visited Ashby, was before we had kickstarted the YouTube channel so this time, I made sure that the camera was rolling and you can have a look around this sweet little town with me and see inside all SEVENTEEN of the pubs I visited.

"My first stop was a new one on me, Flagstaff Island's Brewers Fayre and much like all of them, it's reasonably unremarkable, decked out in the same dreary way, with the same middle of the road menu and large dining area. They did have Doom Bar on a hand pull but that was it on that front. I think you can sense that these places aren't really aimed at drinkers any more.

"After a brisk 30 minute walk, I reached the other 'outskirts' of Ashby pub, The Beeches which is another food-led house that we actually dined at the last time we were in Ashby and thoroughly enjoyed! 

"Well, not much has changed, the staff are still super friendly and the pub is clean, well presented and homely. They've got a couple of hand pulls on the bar and a good selection on the taps to compliment that. If I was looking for a decent meal at a decent price in the area, this would always be a contender, this one has a super outside space as well! They're dog friendly and even have a doggy menu and treats on the bar, they have en suite rooms and offer a Sunday Carvery as well.

"A 10 minute walk towards the town and to the Blue Bell Inn which has just been taken over by new management, meaning that the sweet old couple that had run the place for donkeys' years can move on and enjoy their retirement. Now in the hands of some lovely new operators, with a big refurb planned for the place very soon! There's still a pool table and nice open fire in the bar side. They've got 4 available hand pulls up on the bar currently with 2 occupied with Bass and Pedigree on! I really wish the new operators the very best with it. it's a smashing little pub with a great set of regulars that always carry it through! 

"Down the little cut through and onto the square just behind the main High Street for stop four, The Plough Inn which is also under new management now and the difference in here from our last visit is night and day. 

"Last time we just caught this place closing up - at about 7pm on a Sunday and got the impression that the landlord wasn't really too interested in the place any more.

"Well now, at 17:10 on a Thursday evening, the place was packed with a good bunch of locals and a warm and cosy vibe. Lady running the place was lovely, it's dog friendly and the lick of paint and spruce up that it has had have done the place wonders! Five hand pulls on and a really good feel to a lovely old pub! It's so nice to see pubs that have so much potential that had been going to waste, bought back to life with an injection of some new energy and ideas! Lovely to see! 

"A 100 yard stumble across the roundabout will take you to the Bowling Green Inn, which is a proper old school pub.

"Split into two sides, with a pool table and darts on one and a quieter bar area with plenty of old original brick work and an open fire in the other.

"The lady on the bar was very nice and welcoming (possibly the landlady) and there's plenty of TVs in both sides of the pub to be able to catch all the action.

"My second longest walk of the day was about 10 minutes, as I headed out to the other far end of the town part and along to The Railway Tavern which is a corner street locals pub with a friendly way about it, a pool table and big screen TV at one end for the sport.

"Dog friendly with three hand pulls on the bar.

"Next along is another new one on me, and I don't mind calling it 'Ashby's Hidden Gem' - to give it its proper name though, the Ivanhoe Social Club thus named after the famous novel by Sir Walter Scott. This is an absolutely beautiful little club with five snooker tables, dartboards and more. The people that run the place couldn't be friendlier and it was great to find out about them and be able to get in here,

"Memberships are available for as little as £25 for the year, up to £45 and they also carry a nice little 40p per pint discount at the bar. 

"The bar area is dog friendly, there's three lovely hand pull options and a really lovely way about the whole club. If you cant work out where it is, it's tucked away just behind the Esso Garage and is well worth a visit! 

"It was then a four-minute walk up to 'Spoons, The Shoulder Of Mutton and the one that I infamously called 'The worst service of any 'Spoons we'd ever seen' during our last visit.

"Well, I'm happy to report that this time, the service was much better, despite the pub being busier than our last visit, it was certainly faster and came with a smile. 

"Just over the busy double roundabout and down the hidden yard behind Zamani's, is where you'll find two little bars owned by the restaurant. The Cocktail Bar and The Wine Bar that all have a combined outdoor space, this is a great little way to separate the drinkers from the diners and works really well as, especially at weekends, the yard is always packed with drinkers and Ashby is short on nice cocktail bars.

"Next along the street, on the same side of the road is The Lamb which is a Craft Union pub.

"This has recently been taken over by new people who are just lovely and it now feels like a Craft Union pub, whereas the last time I went, I can't say that I'd even realised that was who ran it. 

"It's vibrant and welcoming and has had a bit of a paint job to the back side of the pub that looks pretty good. Young lady on the bar was super friendly and professional and is a real asset for the place. They run regular entertainment such as a Thursday night DJ/Karaoke, there's a pool table and plenty of screens for the sport! 

"Two doors down is the brand spanking new Centivo Lounge - part of the Lounge brand - that has made use of the old HSBC Bank building. We've been to a lot of these already, and I'll be honest, this one is one of the best done for sure. It looks beautiful and is finished to a high standard with all of the usual garish lampshades and paintings, but they've also kept the old bank vault door and area operational as a little seating space, which really adds to the effect! Staff were excellent as well, which is credit to them, seeing as they only opened last week.

"A few doors up the incline takes you to one of Ashby's two micropubs, The Tap at No. 76, operated by Tollgate Brewery, which has a fine selection of hand pulls and crafty type beers alike.

"Dog friendly with treats on the bar and a lovely, modern yet rustic style feel to the place.

"They also now seem to have a street food vendor offering a bite to eat alongside their wonderful variety of scotch eggs.

"Directly across the road is The Bull's Head that is 'possibly' Ashby's oldest house, stretching back to 1590.

"This beautiful, dog friendly, old establishment is one of my favourites around here for sure, with a great hand pull and craft selection on, that includes two from Beavertown Brewery.

"It's a great place to watch the sport, they do a decent bit of food and the staff are always super friendly. And their offer of two for one cocktails is available at all times.

"Back across the road and over to The White Hart where there is a story and a half to tell. This old beauty of a pub once had a landlord in the 1800s that had an actual brown bear as a 'pet' down in the cellar, and he would bring it out whenever he'd have an unruly customer to deal with. Now, I was lucky enough to actually be allowed down to the cellar where the bear would have been kept, and to see the current stuffed version that occupies a space down there.

"The staff in here are top notch and this beautiful old pub not only could be regarded as a 'Sports Bar' for the sheer amount of screens all over, but also as a live music venue, offering regular open mic nights and live bands all weekend. And, thanks to Ben on the bar, I even got a shamrock in the top of my Guinness.

"One more zig zag from there and over to The Queen's Head, which is a historic old hotel and loft building that still has a functioning bar of its own right at the front. It's more of an early bar than a late one downstairs, the lovely Cherry was only to happy to accommodate me for a quick drink. The best thing is the offers from 'The Loft' upstairs are also on offer downstairs.

"It was then for a venture upstairs and to The Loft for the first time. Now this is run - as is The Queen's - by the former landlady of The Lamb, who is a proper sweetheart. You wouldn't expect to find a venue like this upstairs in such a historic venue, but it totally works and is definitely the proper 'late space to be' for Ashby. It's a real old school Loft space, decked out perfectly and run to perfection. I'm very pleased to have ticked this one off the list.

"My final stop of the night was to my favourite pub in Ashby, Brew, which is run by the amazing John and Laura. The welcome you will receive in here is always second to none and it's testament to the way they run their place, that on a recent 'Jolly Boys & Girls Outing' to Nottingham, they took an army of regulars with them for a big day out in the city. It was their reopening for January having closed to give the place a lick of paint and a freshen up - and it was packed out with an expertly run open mic night in full swing. There were some seriously great performers strutting their stuff, not least the fella with the Saxophone who was making magic with his fingers.

"The beer selection in Brew is absolutely belting and any ideas I had of getting picked up early and heading back to Nottingham at a sensible hour went right out of the window as John ploughed me with some of his finest sours and a wonderful DIP. As always I thank them for their hospitality and urge anyone who hasn't visited this amazing little micropub to do so.

"So, what do I think of Ashby? In all honesty, I love this little town, the history of the place is brilliant and it has a true, old school market town vibe about it. With the exception of the first couple on my list, everything is easily walkable and you can do the lot in one hit very easily.

"It's nice to see the evolution in the town as well over the last nine months, with new life breathed into some old classic pubs and new visions and ideas coming.

"There is a great little night spot, so you can get a late beer easily and even on a Thursday night, Ashby is bustling. You'll find live music offerings, karaokes and drinks deals galore and I don't think you'd be disappointed with a night out in Ashby."