Banbury Pub Crawl

Situated in North Oxfordshire, 23 miles north of Oxford, is the market town of Banbury.  It's a well known town thanks in part to a nursery rhyme which poses the questions: what's a 'cock horse' and why would a fine lady be wearing bells on her toes?
Banbury also now has two micro pubs with the opening of the 2nd, The Old Town Ale & Cider house at the tail end of 2017.
So on a cold and wet winter Saturday we hopped on a train to check it out.
First destination was The White Horse (50-52 North Bar Street, OX16 0TH - web) where we knew we could grab a bite to eat and a decent pint. 
This Everard's pub has a lot going for it - log fires, good pub grub, quality real ales, a keen support of local music and a selection of free deodorant in the gents loos.  I'm not sure I've ever needed a dose of Right Guard on a pub visit - maybe I have? - but it seems a thoughtful touch. 
They also have collections of various bits'n'bobs around the walls and on the window ledges, in a nice way rather than a pub-co trying to create a 'theme' kinda way.  Silver tea pots, ceramic animals, pewter tankards and old books adorn the room.

Novelty tea pot collection at the White Horse

A plate of food and a pint of Derby Brewing Co mild later and we're on our way. 

Just around the corner on a narrow pedestrianised shopping street isThe Old Town Ale & Cider House (Church Lane, OX16 5LR). 
It's been converted from something called a 'health food shop'.  It has hop decorations, a mis-match of furniture, a corner full of clutter and a solitary toilet which doubles up as the I.T room. 
Of the four casks on offer here, there is a 75% 'tap takeover' by nearby Northamptonshire brewer Silverstone.  I've only had their beer once before, so this was a good chance to try a couple of these.
The man-in-charge, John Bellinger, is a thoroughly friendly chap keen to chat to us about running a micro pub and the beers he has on offer.

Short pub name

We stroll to the end of Church Lane and decide to call in to 4 (4 Butchers Row, OX16 5JH). 
We visited here about a year ago when it was called the Coach & Horses, but as it's had a re-brand I thought we should pop our heads in again.
'4'?  It's certainly a minimalist name.  And a minimalist crowd on a Saturday afternoon.  It would probably be quite a different place when busy, which could be a good or bad thing, but as it was we enjoyed a quiet pint in the corner.
This is a Hook Norton pub and it's only right that you have at least one Hooky ale when visiting this part of the world.

Almost a next-door is another pub, The Banbury Cross (7 Butchers Row, OX16 5JH), so to save long walks in the rain I figured it may be a good idea to visit.  Or not, perhaps.  It's a little busier than '4', although it's clientele is made up of older blokes hanging out at the bar and watching Final Score on TV. 
Ale choice is minimal here and I end up with a very average best bitter, which I order a pint of as it seems the kind of pub where halves may be frowned upon.  A few dubious comments in a brief bit of conversation with the punters watching the Arsenal match are enough for me to determine that, tonight, this isn't the friendliest of pubs and it's time to move on to nicer pastures.

The first of the two micro's in the town to open was the Bailiffs Tap (4 Southam Road, OX16 2ED - facebook).  There's a warm welcome from the owners, keen to recommend from their choice of ales and ciders that greet you on arrival in the front room. 
Back in the seating area to the rear a sign on the wall points out that there is "no wifi - we talk to each other".  Hmmmm...I do like my wifi and after sport overload in the Cross where I was trying to follow rugby and football on two screens at the same time, I do feel a lack of distractions here. 
Perhaps I'll have to resort to talking after all.
As is often a micro-pub feature here, just the one toilet.
But the beers are undeniably great.

Any pub crawl of Banbury should really include Ye Olde Reine Deer, a cracking historical Hook Norton pub.  Having made a number of trips there in the past I skipped it on this occasion, otherwise it would have been an essential stop.
I understand some people have mixed feelings about micro pubs, but I'll be back to drink in both these establishments in the future based on the good choice of well-kept beer on offer and the friendly enthusiastic owners.