Hungerford in a Heatwave

My afternoon in Hungerford began with a 3-mile walk north from the station to the hamlet of Hungerford Newtown where a new Good Beer Guide 2026 entry awaited.
There was a pleasant footpath to take me most of the way, starting with braving the inquisitive horses in the Wild West.

One day we will see green grass again.
And complain that it's been raining too much.

Yep, this was summer 2026 heatwave number 4.  Fortunately, much of the path was in the shade of trees, enabling me to arrive at the pub in a fairly respectable state. 

The Tally Ho (Newtown RG17 0PP)
For most of the 19th century this site was home to an inn called the Oxford Arms.  That was destroyed by a fire in 1885 and subsequently rebuilt as the Tally Ho.  Wadworth sold the pub in 2012 and it looked set to be turned into residential use, something that was scuppered by locals whose campaigning won out and turned this into a community-run free house.

There were four handpumps along the bar with two in use serving 'Farmers Best' or 'Gold' from Wiltshire brewery Ramsbury. 
Whilst some pubs' decorative display of pump clips cover the whole ceiling, the Tally Ho's numbered just seven on a beam above the bar - including Otter, Spitfire, the long-gone (and much missed) Wild Weather Brewery.  It suggests that the Tally Ho isn't a cask hotspot with ever-changing beers, but I guess they know what they like and what sells.

The 'Farmers Best' was on very good form and went down a treat - seeming much more deserved after my walk to get here.

The couple of tables in front of the bar were a comfortable enough spot, but seemingly the only ones not intended for lunchtime diners.
And it was mighty strange having an off-duty staff member ferrying milk and orange juice from the bar through a door marked private, then settling at the next table with a bowl of breakfast cereal.
The advert-accompanied music on a local radio station (Chilli Peppers, Temptations, Queen...) also seemed a little out of place for the rural pub.
But I do rate the foxes on the mantlepiece...

After making the reverse walk back to Hungerford, I decided I'd revisit to the one pub I have been in previously, the John O'Gaunt.

John O'Gaunt (21 Bridge St, Hungerford RG17 0EG)
I was surprised that this dropped out the 2026 Good Beer Guide after making the previous six editions, but I see that the lease changed hands in 2025 which I expect is the reason why.  

They had a superb selection of beers on cask: Skinners 'Betty Stoggs', Vale 'Black Beauty', Tiny Rebel 'Rave Nation', Left Handed Giant 'Titan' and Bass.  That's before you even delve into the keg range which included Double Barrelled and Oxford's own BMan Brewery.

Predictably, a Bass🔺for me, on decent, if not exceptional, form.  Priced a little steeply a £5.70.
I settled on the high tables by the bar.  The other room is more comfortable with various nooks and crannies, but I didn't want to get in the way of a steady stream of folks coming in to eat.  It was also quieter than the bar, where the music came from a portable stereo on the end of the counter, the pop soundtrack definitely picked by the young staff.  Cardi B and Bad Bunny scared off one chap who sat down, scowled at the speaker, then scurried away with his pint.
PropUptheBar is youthful, was drinking 2026's trendiest beer, and can cope with modern pop for 25-minutes.  Just about.

Next up: the Hungerford Club, which slipped out of Beer Guide favour for a couple of years but is now back, also crowned the West Berks CAMRA Club of the Year.

The Hungerford Club (3 The Croft, Hungerford, RG17 0HY)
The club was founded in 1901 with a library and billiards table in a room at the Church House.  As the local vicar opposed a bar, the club members purchased the current building for the sum of £400 in 1925.
Step inside and there is a snug single table to the left of the door, then a long narrow lounge with cushioned  bench seating hugging the wall.

The bar counter is set back midway along this room with two hand pumps offering Jennings 'Castle Bitter' or Ramsbury 'Farmers Best' on this occasion.
It's been a while since I had a Jennings beer - the 'Castle' being a 3.4% trad English bitter, priced very reasonable £4.10 and served in tip-top condition.

There is always some trepidation strolling into a Beer Guide Club and if I need to explain my presence I invariably stumble over my words and come across as a complete dolt when announcing myself as CAMRA member or Beer Guide owner.
No such qualms here - no 'ring buzzer for entry', no scowls or suspicious "Can I help you?"  A marvellous welcome from a friendly member of staff who had me sign in the visitors book then got chatting about other pubs in the area.

There are a couple of snooker tables in a room to the rear, briefly glimpsed through a serving hatch to the side of the bar.  Other than some snooker players in the distance, I had the place to myself.

With time to visit one more venue, I had a choice between the Borough Arms or the Three Swans Hotel, both highly rated for cask by CAMRA beer scorers.
The hotel won out, being as it was closer and I didn't fancy Wadworth's at the Borough.

The Three Swans Hotel (117 High St, Hungerford, RG17 0LZ)
Since the 17th century the Three Swans has been a coaching inn serving travellers on the road to Bath.  
Their website uses words like 'Elegant', 'genteel' and 'heartfelt hospitality'. 
I'm not gonna like it, am I?
Sure enough it was very bright and modern and smart, with three distinct areas.  It was busy though, with a range of coffee drinkers, families with suitcases, folks on laptops, and gentlefolk passing the afternoon away in somewhere providing respite from the sun.
Not a lot of custom for the two cask ales, though; Ramsbury 'Gold' and 'Farmers Best' offering me the same choice I had at my first pub.

A 'Gold' this time - on good form.
For around 5,500 residents, Hungerford has 7 pubs and 2 clubs, 3 of which score the top three-pint-pot rating on the CAMRA website.  There's either some great cask in town or some generous scoring going on.

Leaving the Three Swans, I arrived at the station platform on time, which was more than could be said for the South-Western train which was running 18-minutes late.
18-minutes loitering on the platform....or in the Railway Inn?

The Railway Tavern (Station Road, Hungerford, RG17 0DY)
This pub was built in 1847 to coincide with the arrival of the Great Western railway at Hungerford.  It's an L-shaped design with two areas at the front and a barn-like room at the back with tall ceiling, pool table and stage.
Here's the cask range - decisions, decisions...

The one on the left please - by far the better pump clip.
 
I was entertained by '99 reasons '90s rocked' on a TV music channel - with a tracks by Def Leppard, The Prodigy and Green Day.
Even though the 'Pride' was on pretty dull form, there are worse ways to spend 18-minutes.

Did I end up finding the level crossing gates down and jogging across the car park to the footbridge?  Yes, of course I did.
Next stop: Newbury.