You can't Drink all Day if you don't Start Early!

Newbury Pub Explorations

On a sunny Saturday we set off into the depths of West Berkshire to visit a few of the pubs of Newbury.
Our journey took longer than usual due to the dreaded weekend rail replacement bus service beyond Theale.  Our bus driver did a 360° turn around a roundabout when we were almost at Newbury station, then drove us around the outskirts of town.  "Are you lost?" a passenger eventually asked, before directing us back to where we should be.

In all the excitement we forgot to check where the pubs were located and in which order we were going to visit them.  So we called into the Catherine Wheel for a strategy planning meeting.

The Catherine Wheel (35 Cheap Street, Newbury, RG14 2DB - web)
This was my favourite of the town's pubs when we made it here a few years ago on a wet wintery day.  It's downfall this time around was a lack of custom - just us and an old boy reading the paper, who took a reserved sign being put on his table for later in the afternoon as his cue to leave.
But the selection of ales was splendid, my Animal 'Ocelot' US-style brown ale being quite superb.

The folks behind the Catherine Wheel have opened a second venture a few doors down the road in the Market Place.  This focusses on craft beer and street food for hip young types like myself. 😏

Spare Wheel (17 Market Place, Newbury, RG14 5AA - web)
Mrs PropUptheBar was looking forward to this place, my attempts to build up the excitement of Wadworth 6X in the Lion having failed miserably.
So it was quite a let-down that her pick from the 17 draft beers was something that she didn't like...   "Is it supposed to taste like that?  Untappd says it should be sweet.  Should I take it back?"  I guess the keg beer could be off, but I'm no expert.

We ordered food in the Spare Wheel from a kitchen located somewhere beyond a hatch at the back of the bar, in which burgers, burritos and nachos were created.
Super nachos with my veggie chilli...

And two craft stouts, 'cos one at a time is never enough.

Lunch sorted, we decided we'd make a revisit to the town's micro pub. 

Cow and Cask (1 Inches Yard, Newbury, RG14 5DP).
This is one for the micro pub purists - a plain square room with just a couple of tables and the beers racked in one corner. No music, no TV screens, no nonsense.  And nowhere to hide, plunging us into a conversation with the landlord and three locals before we'd managed to sit down.
Topics included:
Pubs of Oxford and Newbury; Public transport; Brewing beer in your garage; Ancestral family members invading Lithuania.  Spot the odd one out.

Three beers were available straight from the barrel, my pick being a very drinkable Hop Kettle 'Super Session IPA' (White Horse 'Stable Genius' or Butts 'Barbus Barbus' being the other options).

 

We made the short stroll through town to the Lock, Stock and Barrel, which wins the prize for best location of the day, if not the award for cheapest pint...

Lock Stock and Barrel (104 Northbrook Street, Newbury, RG14 1AA - web)
Approached down an alleyway from the shopping street, this Fuller's inn doesn't look especially remarkable.  But head across to the locks on the Kennet & Avon canal and you can see its good weather appeal - outdoor seating lining the waterway, and rooftop terrace.

It's pretty modern and functional inside, with one long room divided into two.  It was the busiest place we encountered all day and we'd been well and truly beaten to the outdoor tables.  Then the folks with the small dogs beat us to the last seats inside, leaving us to perch on a table with no chairs, vertical drinking.

Being a Fuller's house, the hand pumps dispensed Pride, ESB and Seafarers.  But the usual Dark Star 'Hophead' had been switched to 'Nørdland', an interesting, fruity Nordic IPA with that kveik farmhouse yeast that I normally turn my nose up at. 

It was less than a 5-minute walk up the road to The Lion...

The Lion (39 West Street, Newbury, RG14 1BD - web)
Tucked away a little in the backstreets, this corner pub was rebuilt in the 1980's.  You couldn't really get away from the sport here, with rugby on a couple of TVs and a small screen offering the alternative of grand prix qualifying.

We grabbed stools at the bar where we could examine the beer samples in jam jars. 
Trouble is, when three of them look exactly the same it doesn't really help decision making.  

I didn't fancy a 6X and am boycotting anything with a rugby themed name ('Dirty Rucker'...oh behave).  So it was the Nottingham brewed 'Primate Best Bitter' from Blue Monkey for me.

Whilst in the area, I wanted to tick off the nearby Beer Guide entry 3-miles away in neighbouring Thatcham.  To get there we hopped aboard a dinky bus, whose £2.60 fare included an extended tour of Thatcham's housing estate.

We were heading to The Wheatsheaf, whose Google presence was a little bit odd.
The main Google picture does contain the pub sign, but has the Parish Hall behind it instead of the pub itself...

The second picture will be better, won't it? 
Nope...

????!

This is what The Wheatsheaf actually looks like...
(I uploaded it to Google to try and put the world to rights).

The Wheatsheaf (14 Chapel Street, Thatcham, RG18 4JP)
It's a simple down-to-earth boozer - an L-shaped room around a bar counter hand-built by the landlord.  There were a half dozen folks sat around the table in the window, passing comment on the full-time football scores coming in on the TV next to them, with a couple more customers utilising the pool table at the back of the room.
I had my eye on the leather armchair next to the heaving bookshelf, with Northern Soul seven inches stuck on the wall above...

The customers in the Cow & Cask had been trying to direct us into the backstreets of Thatcham, figuring we'd need to see Delphic Brewery's shiny brewing equipment in a double garage.  
Probably for the best we were far too late for that, but got to sample the local brew here.  The Delphic 'Wheatsheaf Best' is brewed especially for the pub and was the only cask on offer, with a second hand pump used on occasion.

Finishing our beers, we walked to the rail station to pick up the homebound replacement bus service.  But could we pass sensibly through Reading without being tempted to Phantom Brewing or any of the pubs near the station?  
No, of course we couldn't.

An Oxford Village Pub Tour

On a bright and sunny Saturday, our Oxford CAMRA chairman commandeered the Witney Weaver minibus in order to ferry a group of us around some of the village pubs that are a bit tougher to get to on public transport.

The first stopping point was south of the city at Marsh Baldon, where we arrived at 11:50 and realised we were too early. The boldest member of the group was sent to knock on the door in the hope they'd open early, whilst I took a rubbish photo of the pub...

Seven Stars on the Green (The Green, Marsh Baldon, OX44 9LP - web)
Happily they did open early.  They were probably eager to get us served and on our way before we could upset the gentlefolk arriving for lunch.

I picked the house-badged beer (a Lakeland Brewhouse Blonde, renamed 'On the Green') - in decent condition, but rather on the dull side.
The Seven Stars is somewhere that gets great reviews for the food, but looking at it from a drinkers point of view it's not an especially comfy place to settle with a lunchtime pint.  We were stuck on some high stools and tables in the pub's mid-rift, everywhere else well and truly reserved and set-up for dining.  That said, come in warm weather and the garden is lovely.

Back onto the bus...
🚍 8.7 miles - Marsh Baldon to Littleworth

Cricketers Arms (38 Littleworth, OX33 1TR - web)
It's been a while since I've been to this pleasant village pub in Littleworth.  Previous visits have involved fairly long walks to get here for their sausage and beer festivals - always in the rain, so it's nice to see it basking in the sunshine for a change.
The chimney pot decoration is something you don't see every day...

 

The pub is quite small, as we managed to demonstrate by causing pedestrian congestion as the group bowled off the bus and squeezed along the bar to be served.  The locals looked bemused by our arrival and gave up watching Barnsley v Fulham on the tiny TV to laugh at their buddy who'd picked the wrong time to arrive; last in the queue for his pint of Fosters.
On the bar were two beers we don't see much in these parts: Woodford's 'Wherry' and a Bristol Beer Factory 'City of Love'.  The latter was a very nice dark ESB which would be a contender for beer of the day.

Amongst the art work on display in the gents, Superman was looking very...um...phallic...

We had a comfy seat in the window alcove with the sun shining in on us, enjoying the beer, with a 70's soundtrack ranging from Bowie to Boney-M.  As an added bonus two of the locals recognised Cloughy on my t-shirt and revealed themselves as Forest fans (yes, three of us in a small Oxfordshire village pub!), chatting football and leaving me in danger of missing the bus.

🚍 6.3 miles - Littleworth to Beckley

Abingdon Arms (High Street, Beckley, OX3 9UU - web)
I previously made it to this country pub in the summer of 2020, walking across the fields from the city, in post lock-down table-service times.

A favourite of authors Evelyn Waugh and Lewis Carroll, it's another of the counties community-owned pubs, having been sold to a group of share-holders in 2016.

Disappointing bookshelf, with the choice of a biography of Evelyn Waugh's early years or the Encyclopedia Britannica.  Hopefully the biography includes some tales of wild nights in the Abingdon Arms drinking an unwise quantity of Halls Brown Ale.

This is another popular dining spot, our group disturbing the tranquil atmosphere for the folk half way through their Saturday lunches.
We managed to find space in the extra room to the side where we wouldn't upset too many people.

I opted for the Vale best which was very good, with reports that the Little Ox 'Yabba Dabba Doo' was on top form too.

🚍 5.8 miles - Beckley to Kidlington

Kidlington is a much expanded Oxford-commuter hub just north of the ring road. The most prominent pubs here are the Red Lion, Black Bull and Black Horse, all of which are close together lining the main road. You have to delve into the side streets to an older part of the village to find the Kings Arms...

The Kings Arms, with our bus parked outside. You know the cool kids are arriving when this mobile pulls up outside the pub!

The Kings Arms (4 The Moors, Kidlington, OX5 2AJ)
Dating back to 1815, the Kings Arms has two similarly sized rooms either side of the front door.  An older thatched building to the left houses the gents WC and the courtyard between has a function room at the far end where Oxfordshire game Aunt Sally is played - unusual as this is normally an outdoor game.

I like a pub with a well stocked bookshelf.  Mrs PropUptheBar picked up the 'Are You a Grumpy Old Git Quiz Book'. (Yes I am and I don't need a quiz book to confirm it). 

I was content checking out what was in the beer guide 20 years ago...

As with the Cricketers earlier, the beers offered up something a little different from the usual in our neck of the woods: from Cheshire, Weetwood 'Eastgate' amber ale, from Suffolk, Mauldon's 'Rampant Ruby'.  We settled in the lounge for some good simple pub grub, which gave me the chance to try both the beers.

Happily fed and watered we were moving on to a couple more community-owned pubs.   
🚍 4.3 miles - Kidlington to Bladon

White Horse (1 Grove Road, Bladon, OX20 1RQ - web)
Winston Churchill, who famously modeled himself on Boris Johnson, was born in nearby Blenheim Palace and is buried in the graveyard at Bladon's St Martin's Church.
The pub has a portrait of Churchill gazing over proceedings from above the fireplace in the 'drinkers' bit of the pub.  That section was reserved on this visit for the local rugby fans, leaving us to settle at the other end away from the TV.

Two hand pulls on the bar dispensed a choice of dark or light - Luna 'Dark Star', a black session IPA or a Stardust 'Easy Pale'.

The afternoon was racing past.  The Chairman kept checking his watch and complaining we were behind schedule.  Time to move on...

🚍 10.7 miles - Bladon to Northmoor

Red Lion (Standlake Road, Northmoor, OX29 5SX - web)
This is a charming village pub, off the beaten track down a country lane in the small village of Northmoor.  It's in a peaceful location (until we turned up).
Previously a Greene King pub, it was brought by the locals in 2014.  It's got thick stone walls ensuring no phone signal, a fire burning at one end of the dimly lit room; atmospheric and comfortable.  

Here's the beers - Cotswold Lion 'Shepherd's Delight' for me, please.

Leaving the Red Lion we had one final leg of the journey to make, as the blue skies turned dusky.
🚍 7.3 miles - Northmoor to Bampton

The Morris Clown (High Street, Bampton, OX18 2JW)
This was my only new pub of the day and it was too dark outside to get a picture; too busy with a rugby crowd inside to take any decent interior shots.

Several of our party knew the gaffer, who hopped off his stool on the customer side of the bar to greet us.  "You pick your times!" he said, "I'm just back off my holidays, then you lot arrive with a coach-load half way through the rugby".

Grabbing a North Cotswold Brewery 'Green Man IPA' (the alternative being more of the Luna black IPA) we retreated around the corner away from the TV. 

The pub started life in 1811 as the George, then became the New Inn ten years later, despite not being new any more.  In 1975, whilst it was a Courage pub, the name was changed to the Morris Clown, frustrating Morris dancing folk for its factual inaccuracy, as they have fools, not clowns.

The Moulin Rouge murals on the walls surrounding us were unusual for a village pub and were painted many years ago by the one of the owner's family members.

And that brought our excursions around Oxfordshire to a close.  We jumped aboard the Witney Weaver bus for the final time to make the journey back home.
It had been a good day out - seven pubs, ranging from gastro-territory to local wet-led boozers, well-kept beers in one and all. 

Now I just need to team up with the North Oxfordshire CAMRA branch and and get myself on one of their minibus tours to reach those Hook Norton pubs that are eluding me.

Bass from the Jug in Bath

On a Friday morning I set out on the train to the city of Bath with the promise of fine pubs, good company and at least one pint of Bass.

This was a Southern outing organised through the Beer and Pubs forum.  It was all supposed to happen 3-weeks ago, but was scuppered as Storm Eunice was gathering pace in the Atlantic, forecast to batter the South-West.  So, attempt number two - just the rain this time, without the 80mph winds.

My last visit to Bath was at the beginning of November 2020, the day before Lockdown#2. 
I finished that trip in The Crystal Palace (10-11 Abbey Green, Bath, BA1 1NW), which just happened to be our starting point this time round.

The only two customers in the pub at 11:20 were pub crawl participants Martin and Jon.  The only person foolish enough to order a pint at this time of day was me (and I'd regret that later).
The bar gradually filled up whilst we were there as folk took advantage of the early opening and the chance to get out the rain.
On my last visit the London Pride was being sold off at a lockdown-imminent price of £2 a pint.   They made a bit more money from me today as I parted with my cash for a Fuller's 'Oliver's Island'.

Leaving the Crystal Palace, we wandered past the Abbey and through the narrow lanes to the north of Westgate.  There was a queue stretching the length of Union Passage, fortunately not all trying to get in our chosen pub, but taking advantage of Tortilla Bath's one-off Free Lunch offer.
No time to join the long line for free tortilla's, as we strode onward to Bath's smallest pub.

Coeur de Lion (17 Nortumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR - web)  
This was looking quite different from my last visit when myself and one chap reading his paperback were the only patrons sitting inside.  We found it was standing room only in the bar, so made the pioneering move of being the first customers to venture to the upstairs room where there was a bookshelf with a superb collection of Good Beer Guides to peruse.

The pub is an outlet for the local Abbey Ales Brewery, with 'Bath Best', 'Bellringer' and 'Cardinal Sin' on offer.  I opted for a half of the Cardinal Sin without realising it was 6% - after the early-doors pint this would be my second foolish beer choice of the day.

 

Paul and Mick joined us in the Coeur de Lion having made their journeys by train from Kent and Hampshire respectively, completing our small contingent for the day.
There was a brief bit of discussion about going somewhere else en-route, kyboshed by Martin who only had eyes for the Bass at The Star.  So up the gentle hill we went...

The Star (23 Vineyards, Bath, BA1 5NA - web)
This is a fantastic Heritage-listed pub that's an essential stop on any Bath pub crawl.  Dating back to 1760, it retains the fixtures and fittings from a Victorian refurbishment.  There's a little snug to the side of the bar and two dark, characterful sections to the back with wood panelled walls. 

 

We settled in the cosy front lounge, with red cushioned bench seating along either side and a fire burning in the hearth.  I figured it'd be good to nab the seat right next to the fire to dry off a bit, but managed to toast my left leg to medium-rare by the time we were ready to leave.

The choice on the bar was Abbey Ales 'Bellringer' or 'White Friar', Dark Star 'Hophead', Wye Valley 'Butty Bach', and Bass.
The Bass can be served in 3 or 4 pint measures into a glass jug, ready to be poured into your glass at the table. 

"I've got my jug - what's everyone else having?"

Was it better from the jug?  Well, the jury's out on that one.
Was Mick converted to Bass after initial flat beer skepticism? Possibly not!

Just a few minutes walk upon leaving The Star, swinging around the corner onto the next street down the hill, The Bell was our destination...

The Bell Inn (103 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BW - web)

This 18th century coaching inn, and music venue since the '70's, was looking like it may be a lost cause when it's owner put it up for sale.  But the local community gathered together to save it, a co-operative of 536 folk raising the funds to enable them to buy The Bell in 2013.  It didn't hurt that Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant lent their weight to the campaign - although neither of them were drinking there on our visit, which was very disappointing.

We headed up into the long room to the left of the bar, with it's bench seating and proper pub stools.  The area right at the front of my picture transforms into the stage for regular live music, with an unprotected three-step drop at the edge which surely someone has tumbled off after one too many.  (Remarkably enough, not me on this occasion).

Here's the beer selection for your perusal...

I picked a decent porter brewed by Parkway Brewing Co, followed by the fine tropical haze and Bristolian trip-hop pun of 'Massive Azaac' from the always reliable Arbor.

We hung about in The Bell until the clock ticked past 4pm, when the doors opened just up the road at our craft diversion.

Brewed Boy (13 London Street, Bath, BA1 5BU)
I'd made an enjoyable visit to Brewed Boy in Frome back in November, so was happy to tick off another of their micro tap room locations.  They've also got outlets in Dartmouth and Sherborne, the latter housing the Imaginary Friends Brewery.  It was their 'Cafe Con Leche', a tasty milk chocolate stout, that was my first pick here.

This was a small place - one table in the window, which we grabbed, and a little more seating to the rear.  Ten beer taps lined the back of the bar, with nine of them in operation on this visit covering a wide range of styles.

We stayed for another half, whilst a can of super-sour blueberry weisse beer from Waterbeach was shared around.  We'd progressed on the beer hipster scale since the Bass in a jug!

Fine propping up of the bar, complete with craft murk

Just time for one more pub...

The Raven (6-7 Queen Street, Bath, BA1 1HE - web)
Back in the heart of the city, The Raven is located in old Georgian townhouses, converted into a wine shop, then later a pub in the 20th century.  It's a decent ale house, serving me a good quaffable Lister's Dark Mild.

Honesty is the best policy, and to be honest I was fairly tipsy by the time we reached the Raven.  It turns out spending the afternoon drinking without eating does me no good...

"Seriously!" admonished Mrs PropUptheBar when I got home, "five grown men and none of you were sensible enough to stop for food during a day out drinking".
To be fair, Paul did raise the issue of a lunch stop a couple of times and brought a cob in The Star, so did better than me.

I managed to fall asleep on the train home and spill my crisps down my front, whilst taking 45-minutes to realise I was listening to one song on my headphones on repeat because I'd fumbled the buttons.

Good day out then!

I'll finish with a random picture of a bin in Bath, complete with bird watching tips on the side for the cities international visitors.

Will steal your chips.

Lutterworth Pub Crawl

In which I spend a couple of hours visiting the pubs of Lutterworth, at the southern edge of Leicestershire.  There will be Bass.  And empty bars.  And Superman on the loo.

Hopping off the bus, I was just a couple of minutes along the road from the first pub of day, The Unicorn, open from 10:30am for breakfast and Bass.
By the time I was arriving at 11:45 there were half a dozen locals settled in the bar.

The Unicorn (29 Church Street, Lutterworth, LE17 4AE)
This is a solid traditional town pub, it's appearance slightly spoilt due to the original corner entrance being blocked up.  Instead, the way-in is through the door to the side, followed by the gamble whether to go left or right.
To the left is the public bar, log fire burning, golf on the TV, Northamptonshire skittles in the corner and picture of Jamie Vardy on the wall.  What more do you need?!

Real ales available at the bar were Greene King 'IPA', Sharpes 'Atlantic' and Bass. 
Not too much time needed to dither in this instance.

My clandestine pub photography is well and truly clocked

Half a pint sunk in the bar, I took a stroll through to finish the rest in the lounge bar, getting me a very suspicious look from the staff for choosing to sit in two different seats in one visit.
This side of the pub is a little more homely with some bench seating next to the bar, historic pictures of Lutterworth covering the wall in preference to Jamie Vardy.  Beyond the central fireplace were tables ideal for eating, and I really should have eaten - simple pub grub at brilliant prices.

Leaving the Unicorn, I strolled through the drizzle, around by the market square, then down the hill to the Fox, which was billed as the village pub in the town.
I could see some lights on, but not much sign of life, so was hopeful that the 'come in we're open' sign hanging on the front door was right.

The Fox (35 Rugby Road, Lutterworth, LE17 4BN - web) 
It was - I strolled in to find an open-plan lay-out with two different sides...
To the left was the bar, with it's pastel-shade wooden frontage and Six Nations flag display; a handful of small tables and stools along the wall.
To the right of the front door was the more restaurant-like section with chunky brown leather seats and cutlery laid out on the tables, deterring me from sitting there.
And not a customer in sight.

 

The landlord was on the phone to the internet provider for the duration of my visit, telling the IT helpdesk to hold on one second whilst he poured me a Bass.  More Bass!

I grabbed a dinky stool opposite the bar counter, where the TV showed the news with the volume up.
What fun!  Doom and gloom on the 24-hour news channel or earwigging a speakerphone conversation with the IT helpline.

I think I was happiest viewing the artwork in the Gents...

Mild Sailor Jerry smut in the Gents

As with most places I go, The Fox can't be judged properly by my visit at an unsociable hour and would likely be completely different another time.
The Bass was okay, but not quite up to the standard of The Unicorn.

Back up the hill along the ridiculously busy road, I took a quick tourist shot of the town hall, then onward to the next pub.

Just past the market square, on the main road, is the fairly impressive looking Greyhound, an old coaching inn dating back to 1758.

The coaching archway led to a charming courtyard where someone's obviously got green fingers...

Greyhound (9 Market Square, Lutterworth, LE17 4EJ - web)
Heading through the door, there's the hotel reception desk which was enough to make me briefly wonder if I was in the right place.  The bar is in the front room to the right, with the receptionist hopping out their seat to relocate behind the counter ready to serve me.

Just the one other punter, who didn't take long to quaff his Guinness and leave after I bowled in disturbing the peace.

Doom Bar and Citra on the hand pumps, alongside a welcome Leicestershire-local, Dow Bridge Brewery 'Acris', making for something a little different.  And very nice it was too.
I did like the bar of the Greyhound, with some grand old rustic furniture and classic paintings.

Not fully capturing the matching cushions and curtains in this shot

I left the Greyhound and had a quick wander to check the micropub in the vague hope that Facebook's opening hours may be the right ones.  No such luck.
All other sources of information suggested I'd need to hang around two hours, possibly three, for the Real Ale Classroom to open it's doors. That wasn't going to happen on this grey and rainy day.

So, a quick check of the bus times led to confirmation that I could squeeze in a half pint at the Shambles...

Shambles Inn (10-12 Bell Street, Lutterworth, LE17 4DW - web)
This old inn looks the business with thatched roof and whitewashed frontage complete with wooden beams running through it.  Yet I managed to take the least appealing picture possible.
Then did the inside no justice either by taking one solitary photo of the beer range.

The Shambles was spacious, with multiple areas - pool table to the back, cosy spots just inside the front door, dining tables to the side.  It had a fairly mixed crowd and was by far the busiest place of the day.
The chap who'd departed the Greyhound earlier was settled in an armchair in the front and gave me a nod - "On a pub crawl are you?" he asked, "Good on yer!"

With my Banks's Bitter, I perched on an uncomfortable high stool near the bar and contemplated a fairly successful visit to the town.  
As a teenager, I spent four years being ferried back and forth to Lutterworth on the school bus (and based on the number of factual and grammatical errors in my average blog post, a fat lot of good that did me!)  So this had been a bit of a walk down memory lane.  
The Real Ale Classroom (opened by a couple of ex-teachers) would have given me the chance of a smart school days orientated blog-post title, had it been open.
Oh well, suppose I'd better just call it 'Lutterworth Pub Crawl' then...