The Long Way Home: Six Corby Pubs, One Very Civilised Saturday
Corby's high street gets a bad rap from people who haven't spent a Saturday on it. The shops change, the buses run, and the pubs — the proper ones, the ones with scuffed tables and landladies who know your order — keep the town's social pulse beating. So here's a gentle challenge for autumn 2026: six pubs, one afternoon, no rush, no shots, no falling over the bins outside the kebab shop. A crawl with a conscience.
The route at a glance
Start at The Raven on Rockingham Road at 12.30pm, drift through the Old Village to The White Hart, then back towards town for The Britannia and The Cardigan Arms. Finish with The Royal Oak and The Shire Horse if your legs and your liver — or your lemonade intake — are still willing. It's roughly two miles, mostly flat, with buses back into town from each end. Taxi rank at the old bus station. If you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter, ring ahead: four stops are step-free, two have a single step at the door and staff will happily help.
Stop one: The Raven
The Raven opens at noon, and by half past there's already a table of blokes arguing about football and a woman with a laptop writing her Christmas list. Landlady Jo calls the pub 'the town's front room'. 'We're not a destination, we're a habit,' she says. 'People come in for a pint and leave having sorted out a neighbour's fence.' There's a proper cask ale, a fridge full of alcohol-free lager, and a menu that runs from sandwiches to a decent lasagne. Kitchen's open till 7pm. Quiz on Tuesdays. Step-free entrance, accessible loo. A good first stop: bright, busy, no pressure.
Stop two: The White Hart
Ten minutes' walk into the Old Village and you're at The White Hart, which feels like it's been there since before Corby was a new town — and it probably has. Open from 11.30am, food until 8pm, Sunday roast that regulars book for by Thursday. Malc, 72, has been coming since he was a lad. 'I've seen this place change hands four times,' he says. 'But the fire's always been in the same spot.' There's a log burner, a dog bowl by the door and a non-alcoholic stout that Malc says is 'not bad, actually'. One step at the entrance; staff will help. The village end is quiet, so it's a good place to actually talk.
Stop three: The Britannia
Back towards town, The Britannia opens at 2pm on Saturdays. It's the kind of pub where the landlord knows your name by the second visit and your dog's name by the third. Priya moved to Corby from Kettering in 2025 — 'for the roundabouts and the cheaper rent' — and now comes in for a coffee and a chat most Saturdays. 'I don't drink,' she says. 'But they do a proper coffee and nobody makes me feel like I'm taking up a beer's seat.' There's a dartboard, a jukebox that still has CDs, and a courtyard garden that catches the afternoon sun. Food is simpler here — toasties, chips, a chilli on match days — but it's honest and cheap. Step-free, accessible loo, good bus links.
Stop four: The Cardigan Arms
The Cardigan Arms doesn't do food, which is fine because it's a two-minute walk from a chip shop and the landlord is happy for you to bring it in. Open from noon, it's a drinker's pub in the best sense: no frills, no pretence, a good pint of bitter and a landlord called Dave who will tell you exactly what's wrong with the town council. There's a small step at the door and a narrow corridor to the loos, so it's not the easiest for wheelchairs — ring ahead and they'll open the side entrance. It's also where you'll find the best conversation. On our visit, a group of retired steelworkers were debating the correct way to indicate on the Phoenix Parkway roundabout. More on that elsewhere.
Stop five: The Royal Oak
The Royal Oak opens at noon and has the feel of a pub that's been quietly adapting for years. There's a pool table, a book swap shelf, and a noticeboard advertising everything from a choir to a bereavement group. Landlord Chris says: 'We're a living room with a licence. If we only sold beer, we'd have shut years ago.' The alcohol-free options are decent — two lagers, a cider, and an elderflower press that tastes like summer. Food is limited to crisps and nuts, but there's a bring-your-own-takeaway policy on Fridays. Step-free entrance, wide doorway, accessible loo. Good for groups.
Stop six: The Shire Horse
The Shire Horse is the wildcard: bigger, busier, with a car park and a function room. Open from 11am, it does a full menu until 9pm and a Sunday carvery that fills the place. It's not the most characterful stop, but it's the most practical: step-free throughout, accessible parking, family-friendly until 7pm. Newcomer Tom, 28, moved to Corby for work in 2026 and says the pub has been his shortcut into the town. 'I joined the Tuesday running club here,' he says. 'I've got mates now. That's what a good local does.'
The point of the crawl
Six pubs, one town, and not a single one that felt like a museum. Corby's pubs are changing — more coffee, more alcohol-free, more quizzes, less lock-in — but they're still doing the thing they've always done: giving people a reason to be together. You don't have to drink to join in. You don't have to stay all afternoon. You just have to walk in, say hello, and let the town do the rest.
Check opening times on social media before you set out; pubs are living things and the kitchen closes when it closes. Be kind to the staff, share your table, and remember: the best local is the one that knows your name — and doesn't mind if you're on the lemonade.
