The Dolphin Hotel, Plymouth

Okay, so most sensible visitors arrive in Plymouth and head down to the Hoe, get fish and chips on the Barbican, visit the aquarium and the gin distillery and such like.

But not PropUptheBar.

Nope, I ambled away from the train station in the opposite direction to go to Wetherspoon's and look at the football ground in the drizzle...

Actually, No.23 on Trip Advisor's Top Attractions in Plymouth,
so perhaps I'm not that odd after all.

Close to the ground and undoubtedly packed to the rafters on match days, the Wetherspoon's pub stands impressively on a busy road junction.

The Britannia Inn (2 Wolesley Road, Milehouse, Plymouth, PL2 3BH)
This inn, with Mock Tudor frontage, has the claim to fame of being built by the grandfather of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott.

Apart from those Tudor beams on the exterior, the main bar features enormous fireplaces at each end, which look as though they should be in some grand hall.  Seating by these was well occupied by Wetherspoons pre-noon regulars who looked like they'd be upset to be in a picture so, sorry, no interior shots of the pub.

Roadside 'Spoons.

There may have been ten hand pumps, but I'm yet to find an extensive or overly exciting line-up of beers in the chain since re-opening.

I asked for the Dartmoor 'Jail Ale', but this was off, the back-up being a tasty Rudgate 'Valkyrie'.  At least we've moved on from the choice of Abbot Ale or Doom Bar that I encountered in Cowley on the 4th July.

Following this, I walked back through Central Park, then through the shopping streets, to join the rest of Plymouth's tourist trade on the Barbican.

The Dolphin Hotel (14 The Barbican, Plymouth, PL1 2LS)

The Dolphin was brilliant.
It's a thoroughly down-to-earth basic boozer, unspoiled by progress.

The pub consists of one single room split into several areas.  It has stone flooring and tiling around the bar, metal posts holding the ceiling up, well sat-in bench seating, a piano, and lots pictures.

There are up to 8 ales available, although 'tickers' will be disappointed.
Doom Bar? Tribute? Proper Job?
There was one offering from a local micro, but the Bass mirrors subliminally tempted toward the one beer that the pub is famed for.

Local at the Dolphin demonstrates how to Prop Up the Bar.

My pint of Bass was poured straight from the barrel on a stillage at the back of the bar.  And what a marvelous and thoroughly enjoyable pint it was.

There were a committed dozen or so drinkers in on this afternoon, but I'd love to revisit and see the place in full swing one day.

Next up, Plymouth's oldest pub...

The Minerva (31 Looe Street, Barbican, Plymouth, PL4 0EA)
The Minerva dates back to 1540, or possibly 1572, or possibly no-one really knows.  Prior to being a pub it was a sea captain's house, then a sailors rest.

A big white van parked slap-bang in front of the Minerva added to the challenge of taking a picture.

There it is, managing to mess up my photo of the front window...

Don't park in front of pubs!

Being old, the pub has a raft of ghost stories attached to it.

It was also reputedly frequented by press-gangs, who would haul unsuspecting drunk souls through a tunnel that led from the pub to the docks.

Fortunately today's drinkers don't look like press gangers...

Pub life at the Minerva.

There are usually up to 4 ales including guests available at the Minerva, but in these strange and generally quieter times, they were just down to the one - St Austell 'Tribute'.  But y'know what? - it was a really good pint of Tribute.

The handful of locals did have some great banter making for entertaining ear-wigging, but the ambiance was rather spoiled when one of them sauntered over to the juke box and put on Lilly Allen and Katy Perry. 
By the time we hit 'Candle in the Wind' it was time to drink-up and move on. 


Never miss the opportunity to stock-up on a Cornish Devonshire pasty...

Barbican Pasty Co.  It was a GREAT pasty!

The Pub on the Hoe hadn't yet re-opened, so I trekked on past this and across the Hoe itself for some cracking, grey-skied views.

I had an ulterior motive for walking west along the front and through Stonehouse to the edge of Devonport.
My dad grew up in a house here, and I've got memories of visiting my Uncle and Auntie who stayed on in the family home.

It was one of the houses in the short terrace to the right of the picture below...

My Uncle Frank took me out crabbing on a rickety little rowboat on that inlet of water.  The fact that I was a terrible swimmer and my uncle, with his diet of pipe tobacco and fish 'n' chips, was probably even less buoyant than me, didn't seem to worry anyone in those days.

I like to think Uncle Frank would appreciate the pub visiting ethos of the blog.  Although he'd admonish me for picking a 'high-flying' Midlands football club to support instead of the Argyle.

Anyway, I'd figured being in this part of town would be a winner, as I could visit the revered Artillery Arms when it opened at 4pm.

Except it didn't open at 4pm and showed no signs of coming to life anytime soon.

Disappointing, as I was really looking forward to this pub.

As an alternative, I headed back to the Brewery Tap which I'd passed earlier.

At least it's somewhere a little different and probably doesn't often make an appearance on obscure pub blogs.

The Brewery Tap (99 Edgecumbe Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, PL1 3SZ)
The brewery in question would have been the Regent Brewery, one door further down the road at one point.  This became the amalgamated Plymouth Brewing Co., eventually taken over by Courage in 1970 and shut down in 1983.
The pub has had a number of name changes over the year, from the Diamond Queen to the Royal, settling back to the Brewery Tap, without a brewery.

They had a Dartmoor Ale and another from Teignworthy, which was my choice - reasonable, without blowing me away.  I suspect the Carling was selling much better at the time of my visit.

Plymouth has no shortage of good pubs and this paltry little selection doesn't do it justice at all.  Sadly I had to catch an early evening train, so missed out on several others that were open at this time.
Another city to mark down on the 'must go back soon' list! 

Salisbury Pub Explorations

Despite lots of trips to Wiltshire, I've somehow never made it to Salisbury before.

So I decided to remedy this with a Monday visit at the beginning of August.

Salisbury pub explorations started a few miles outside Salisbury, as I picked a village pub from the Beer Guide for lunch.
Partly because 4pm seemed to be the most popular Monday opening time in the city, giving me some time to spare.

Fox and Goose (Blandford Road, Coombe Bissett, SP5 4LE - web)

Entry to the Fox & Goose was via the rear door, where rope barriers blocked the way, with a line for those with bookings and one for those turning up on speck.

I waited patiently, but with no-one at the welcome desk, I let myself in and inadvertently skipped the instructions, sanitizing, and track 'n' trace.  Sorry.

Despite my breaking ALL the rules here, the staff were lovely.  The foamy best bitter from Sixpenny Brewery was exactly what I wanted as a lunchtime pint, and the home-made lasagna was tasty, filling and good value.  All in all, a pleasant roadside village pub.

Right. Time to hit central Salisbury, which has one particularly famous pub, which I figured I'd do first.

The Haunch of Venison (1 Minster Street, Salibury, SP1 1TB - web)

It didn't disappoint.

With records dating it back to at least 1320, the timbers within are apparently from the 15th century.  It's had a couple of make-overs throughout the years, but these haven't affected the character one bit.

Just look at the cracking bar, with pewter top and ales served from hand pumps on the back wall.

'Live eels' - just what I was looking for.

I contemplated the Courage 'Best', wondering if this could be the surprise beer of the selection, but instead plumped for a Hopback 'GFB', and took this to a bench seat by the fireplace in the front bar, also known as the House of Commons.

Interior shot spoiled by my rucksack.

Later I wandered up the few steps to a second room - the House of Lords - which is also wood paneled, but darker. That's where you'll find the mummified hand preserved in an old bread oven to the side of the fire.  A cheesy tourist attraction.  Which of course, I was quickly snapping pictures of - I am 100% the cheesy tourist.

Mummified hand in corner, closely watched by Churchill.

What with Covid and Monday opening, I was a little restricted in Salisbury. Sadly both the Wyndham Arms and Rai'dor were still shut; the Pheasant has Monday's off; and even Wetherspoons was closed for a refurb.  So I picked somewhere based on it looking nice and 'olde worlde', heading to the New Inn on the High Street.

The New Inn (41-43 New Street, Salisbury, SP1 2PH - web)

Just inside the front door, I found myself in a small queue at the bar.  
The couple in front were getting restless, becoming more agitated when two chaps went out through the in door.
"They're leaving because they didn't get served," the couple informed the barman, "Will WE get served?"

Badger.  It took a while.

They were promised they would, provided they filled in the (overly detailed) track and trace form.
They then harangued the young barman into bucking his system by pouring their drinks whilst they filled in the form. 
The usual procedure was form filling - shown to table - staff return to take drinks orders - drinks delivered.

I figured I'd obediently follow the pub routine.
Which got me shown to a rubbish table in the courtyard, miles away from anyone else, and then promptly forgotten.  Bah!

Was it worth it for a pint of very average Badger 'Best Bitter'? (I was remembered eventually).  I drank it in a fraction of the time that it took me to get seated and order it.

Sadly, I didn't really get to see much of the interior of the New Inn, which is a pity as it looked quite appealing.   

Onwards...

Village Freehouse (33 Witton Road, Salisbury, SP2 7EF)
The Village was great.
Okay, so I'm not really keen on the modern-style lighting and decor at the bar - purple-lit wooden crates attached to wall to make up the rear bar display. Or the enormo TV showing the snooker.

But what made it great was a busy crowd of cheery Monday evening drinkers.
I got a friendly welcome and was seated at the end of a large table with one of the Village's regulars, who got chatting away with me, then involved me in conversation with everyone else present.

Real ales on offer were Butts 'Blackguard Porter', 3 Piers 'Last Chance Saloon', a pale ale from Lancashire, and Box Steam 'De-Rail Ale'.
The porter had an odd taste to it, perhaps nearing the end of the barrel; the Last Chance Saloon was a glorious pale ale.

It was just a few minutes back around the corner, for a quick visit to Deacons, which was looking good with the sun shining on it.

Deacons (118 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, SP2 7QT - web)
19 out of 20 reviews on TripAdvisor gave Deacons 5-stars.  
Everyone liked it except Yorksman1987 who described the place going quiet when he walked in.
Hmmm... if the locals were going to go quiet and stare at anyone, it was this scruffy, slightly tipsy, out-of-town pub ticker, stumbling through the door.

But no such exciting hostility.  I got a nice welcome with a big smile.  There was no space in the small front bar, so I was shown through to a table in the larger back bar, where I enjoyed a well-kept pint of Hopback 'Summer Lightning'.

I made my way back through the centre and beneath the A36 on a finely-kept underpass. 

Not a real pub.

A short way along the finely-named Rampart Road, was my final pub of the evening...
The Winchester Gate (113-117 Rampart Road, Salisbury, SP1 1JA)

Police van not waiting outside to intercept me.
Not this time.

The pub is named after the old eastern tollgate.
It's just the kind of place I like - a wet-led pub, with a pretty basic, lived-in feel, gig posters on the wall and decent music in the background.
From a choice of three ales, I took my Lister's 'Tail Wagger' into the pleasant tiered back garden.  Then decided it was rather dull sat in a quiet garden on my own, so retreated back to the main room where it wasn't much more exciting, but at least there was some background music.

It's all happening at the Winchester Gate.

So, not an epic pub crawl, but a satisfying handful of new ticks on a quiet Monday afternoon and evening.
I headed back to my room for the night at Sarum College - under £50 for B&B and one of the best views I've enjoyed from anywhere I've stayed...

Good night Salisbury.

The Bell, The Blueberry & Cup Final Misery for the Blues

It was the first weekend of August and, for some further local explorations, we took the train to Goring & Streatley.  
On the agenda for the day: walking on the Berkshire Downs, three great pubs, wood-fired pizza and the FA Cup final.

We started by crossing the Thames at Streatley... 

Streatley's pub, on a busy road junction, is the rather fine-looking Bull.
But today we had a schedule, and it didn't allow for an 11am beer before we'd barely got started, so a visit to the Bull will have to wait for another day.

We poked our head into the library that's developed in Streatley's red telephone box, which is where I procured a Foo Fighters CD.
That's why it features alongside my beer in the picture at the top of the post.

Although anyone in the pub garden watching me faffing around with my camera to take the photo probably thought I was a bit odd.

Nothing new there, then.

Onward, along the Ridgeway national trail...

A great map extract, but this little section is not the Ridgeway at its best.

There are some nice views once you've reached the top of Thurle Down, but to get there the Ridgeway route trudges along roads before turning into a gravel track which isn't kind on the feet.
Branching south to Aldworth, we reached the village pub by twelve-thirty. 

The Bell (3 Ambury Road, Aldworth, RG8 9SE - wiki)

This has been CAMRA's National Pub of the Year twice, in 1990 and last year in 2019.
It's also on the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, but this poses a problem today, as no-one is allowed into the interior.
Service was from the front door where you paid, collected your drinks and took them to the garden.

Despite not being able to poke around inside, it does still look great from the outside.  And the pub garden was lovely.

Moving on, we had our longest stretch of walking ahead of us - somewhere in the 5-mile region, northbound, crossing the Ridgeway, and onward through some pleasant countryside (still stomping along those horrid gravel tracks though).

Our route took us across the A417 to Aston Terrold.  So we figured we may as well check out the village pub whilst there.
This is the dubiously named 'Fat Frog at' The Chequers, so no doubting it's very foody orientated.  Alas, I can't report on it, as we arrived ten minutes too late, with a hastily made sign pinned on the door: "Closed from 3pm - 6pm today". 
They must have seen me coming.

No pub visit then, but I was mightily impressed by the very ancient-looking Church of All Saints in neighboring Aston Upthorpe...

A footpath took us past an Iron Age fort and west to the next destination, Blewbury.
I wonder if you can make out what the pub's called from the picture below.

The Blueberry (London Road, Blewbury, OX11 9NU - web)

This is a 1930's roadhouse which was previously known as the Barley Mow.  It's been the Blueberry since 2014 when it was refurbished and given a new lease of life.
On the bar was West Berkshire's 'Good Old Boy' or a Loose Cannon seasonal offering called 'The Cask and the Furious'.

We'd walked up an appetite and ordered a couple of the wood fired pizzas which were absolutely splendid.

Pictures of blueberries at the Blueberry

Once we'd stepped away from the busy London Road that the pub sits on, Blewbury is a picturesque and peaceful place, with lots of charming timber framed buildings and these wonderful walkways weaving through the village...

Even the footpath walls are thatched.

There is an older pub in Blewbury, The Red Lion, but this was another one that was closed when we passed by.  And another one that is more of a food venue by the looks of it.
We took a path at the top corner of the village leading just over a mile to East Hagbourne.

Fleur de Lys (30 Main Road, East Hagbourne, OX11 8LN - web)
This is the second visit I've made to this pub, which is currently crowned as South Oxford CAMRA's pub of the year.
The pub is vaguely divided into two sections, the first looking slightly more geared up for eating...

...whilst the far end has a handful of tables by the fireplace and TV screen, ideal for just sitting and nursing a pint.  With the car park being used to extend the garden, most of the punters this evening were opting for outdoor drinking.

There was a choice of four ales on this visit, with both the Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' and local Lovebeer 'Wibbly Wobbly Whippet' selling a reasonable amount whilst we there.  Hence I tried both of them, both good beers, both in good condition.

I'd gotten MrsPropUptheBar to the pub (almost) in time for the FA Cup final.  Although she missed the Chelsea goal, probably whilst I farted around outside taking a picture of the pub.

By midway through the second half, with Arsenal taking the lead and players getting injured and rolling around on the floor every few minutes, she'd grown bored of it. 
I still don't know why she picked Chelsea to support anyway.  It's a well known fact that all the best teams play in the Championship!

Mrs PropUptheBar takes the prime spot in front of the football.

If I learnt nothing else from the day, it's that leaving 30 minutes to get from East Hagbourne to Didcot station to catch your train is really pushing it.
We raced along Hitchcock Way, making it just in time.  Just as well, as if we'd have missed the train we'd have had to endure an hour of Greene King IPA in the Prince of Wales.  😱

Pub hikes from Thame

So, a little more exploration of Oxfordshire pubs for the next couple of blog posts.

The first of which takes me to the market town of Thame. 

Which looks a little bit like this...

Lots of charming buildings in the historic centre of Thame.
I've been here a number of times, but usually in the rain for some reason, so it was nice to see the town basking in sunshine on this visit.

Georgian architecture

Almshouses looking very picturesque.

Thame always confused me by not being on the River Thames like I felt it should be.
But it turns out that it's on the River Thame - without the 's' - a tributary of the Thames.
Which looks like this...

But first things first, I planned to walk out of the town and, indeed, the county. My idea was to head out on a footpath northbound to the nearby Buckinghamshire village of Long Crendon, made famous by Midsummer Murders, so I'm told.

Nice paths through the fields, but the last trek along the lane into the village was a slog.

The High Street in Long Crendon is full of fantastic olde worlde cottages, spoiled only by the parked cars in front of all of them.
As is the pub, the Eight Bells...

Move your cars!  Pub blogging photography taking place.

The Eight Bells (51 High Street, Long Crendon, HP18 9AL - web)
The Eight Bells is named after the number of bells in the local church.  Hence, pre-1771, before the church went bell shopping for 3 extras, the local pub was just the Five Bells.
XT brewery is located a few minutes down the road from here, which seemed a good reason to pick their beer - in great condition on this visit.  Amber nectar - it went down a treat.

Got told off for standing in a 'no go' zone to take this picture.
Rules are rules and trust me to go and break 'em!

Just a few steps away from the pub is the National Trust owned Courthouse, looking rustic and historic in the picture below, with the church (and presumably it's 8 bells) just beyond it.

400-year old Long Crendon courthouse

A quick retracing of steps to patronize the Mermaid Fish Bar.
Never turn down the chance for a portion of chips when you've got miles ahead of you to the next pub.

Chips!

I made my way back to Thame, following a path to the east of Long Crendon which took me through lovely fields and countryside until the route went slap-bang through a modern industrial estate.  

An industrial estate without a brewery tap.
Although I did get to point a couple of ramblers in the right direction when they managed to take a wrong turn into the car park of Softbox Systems.

Back in Thame I called in for a couple of quick afternoon beers.
Firstly, the most expensive pint of the day (£4.60 for a London Pride), in the Six Bells (44 Lower Street, OX9 2AD - web) which is pictured at the top of the post.
Then in the 2019 Beer Guide entry The James Figg (21 Cornmarket, Thame, OX9 2BL - web), where I found a pleasant XT Animal 'Hop Kitty' available.

The James Figg at Thame.

The plan at this point was to head off on foot again, southbound this time, to reach a Good Beer Guide listed pub which would be a new tick for me.
This turned out to be a bit of a longer walk than anticipated.  Reaching a 'Sydenham 2 Miles' signpost at about the point I'd hoped to be arriving there, the hot weather and distance covered throughout the day were taking their toll.
But I got there.

The Inn at Emmington (Sydenham Road, Sydenham, OX39 4LD - web)

It's not the prettiest pub I've ever come across.  In fact, the Crown in Sydenham itself was the proper looking village boozer, but that wasn't yet open as I passed by.
But the Inn at Emmington provided a friendly welcome and, as the pump clips displayed above the bar show, is devoted to serving beers from local breweries.
Great pint of Rebellion 'IPA' - quaffed way too quickly, having worked up a thirst on the way there.

Here comes my pint.

My feet ached.  In a highly unusual move for me - someone who's prone to all sorts of crazy walks to avoid having to delve into my wallet - I called a taxi to get me back into Thame.
I was dropped off by the Cross Keys where I knew I could rest my weary legs and enjoy a great pint of beer.

The Cross Keys (East Street, Thame, OX9 3JS - web)

This is a regular GBG entry for Thame and rightly so.
It's a charming little pub, with a loyal local following, a relaxed atmosphere, and some great beers on offer.
They brew their own in a small microbrewery to the rear, but I was drawn to the Tiny Rebel Welsh red ale, 'Cwtch', which of course I pronounced wrongly when ordering.

Find your favorite beer on the ceiling.

Bus times home allowed just long enough to squeeze in another of XT's beers before leaving The Cross Keys.

I had one day for my hot and bothered feet to recover, before we were planning more trekking through the countryside to more local pubs.  

Which I'll report on as soon as I can get around to writing it.

Cheers!