THE hunt has returned to a Belper pub for the first time in almost 50 years.
It is 48 years since the South Notts Hunt set out from The Talbot Hotel but the hunt leaders decided it was time to bring the sport back to the pub this season.
The Bridge Foot venue was host to the colourful spectacle when around 50 riders on hor
seback and a pack of around 30 hounds visited on Thursday before taking part in 'drag hunting' in the countryside around Belper.
Drag hunting replaced fox hunting as a legal form of the sport. It involves an artificial scent being laid prior to the hunt setting out, which the dogs then pick up on and follow. Foxes are not chased in the hunt.
Fox hunting was banned in the UK when The Hunting Act was passed in 2004, in response to the controversy surrounding the sport.
John Young, spokesman for the South Notts Hunt, said: "There have been restrictions at the pub in the past with road traffic and parking at the site, but we have managed to alleviate that problem, so we decided to bring the hunt back.
"We've had no problems at all with the response from the town.
"In fact, we've been made more than welcome."
The hunt gathered at the pub and headed off up Wyver Lane into the nearby countryside during the morning.
A staff member at the pub said: "It was a very popular hunt."
Mr Young said the hunt may return to the pub next year, or in future seasons.
The South Notts Hunt has been running for over 100 years. The group arose from the Harrington Hounds Hunt based at Elvaston Castle in the last century.
