Pubs of Cricklade

I'd have passed through Cricklade on my Thames Path walk some time ago if I was a bit better at being active and lacing up my hiking boots.  As it is, that's kinda stalled at New Bridge for the time being and I find myself in Cricklade by way of Stagecoach buses on a chilly winter Saturday.

What's brought us here is a beer festival at the Red Lion (74 High Street, Cricklade, SN6 6DD) a much respected pub and home of the Hop Kettle brewery.

The Red Lion at Cricklade - sunshine, blue sky, but sub-zero temperatures

The superb festival beer list was what tempted me to make the journey into Wiltshire.

There are a few things on a beer list which turn visiting a festival from being a vague idea to absolutely essential for me...  "brand new brewery", "smoked chilli porter" and "the only cask in existence" being three of them.
The brand new brewery on this occasion was Ashton, located just 3½ miles from Cricklade.  They've only been brewing for a matter of weeks and have so far posted just three times on their Facebook page - although that's more posts than I've managed in three years.  Their 4.5% golden ale was a tasty, enjoyable brew.
Elusive Brewery supplied the chilli porter.  Clocking in at 6% and named 'Aztec Challenge', this is a collaboration with London-based Hop Burns and Black.   I scored this beer a perfect 5 out of 5.  Yup, I liked it.
The "only cask in existence" was provided by Tiley's, a brewery based at the Salutation pub in Ham, Gloucestershire.  This lovely looking pub also seems to be somewhere I should be visiting....the list gets longer.  The beer was an Extra ESB, with a strength of 6.3% and also scoring pretty high on my ratings.
We also supped some of Hop Kettle's own beers and a tasty keg ale from cuckoo brewer Velvet Owl as well as having a couple of fine pizzas.
I can't comment too much on the Red Lion itself as we sat ourselves in the heated marquee next to the brewery out back, where the festival beers were being dispensed from.  Just briefly passing through the pub it seemed like a comfortable, characterful place with a roaring fire in the hearth on this cold day.  

With a decent number of ticks on the beer list and all our tokens spent, we moved on to check out the other two pubs in the town, both handily located along the High Street.First up we called into Arkells pub, The Old Bear (101 High Street, Cricklade, SN6 6AA).  This was once a coaching inn although apparently the front was rebuilt in the 1930s after a fire.  It's a good old fashioned pub design - bar to the left, lounge to the right.  The bar is busy today with folks hooked on the screen showing Six Nations rugby. The Six Nations mean a proliferation of oval-ball themed beers appearing everywhere....'Dirty Rucker', 'Filthy Tackle', 'Crafty Flanker', and the like.  In comparison other sports related beer names are few and far between, aren't they?I shun the sports and settle in the quiet lounge bar although I've ended up with a rugby-themed Arkells beer, 'Big Hit'.

Completing the trio of pubs, we visited the White Hart Hotel (High Street, Cricklade, SN6 6AA). 
More Arkells here.  And more rugby.  The White Hart is another old coaching inn that traces its history back to the 17th century, although, like the Old Bear, this was rebuilt in 1890 as it transformed into a more prestigious hotel.  There's more of an emphasis on food here, with a number of the tables set up with cutlery.  Just two cask beers available on the bar, both from Arkells - 3B and a Wiltshire Gold, but both well-kept and tasty.

Inside the White Hart Hotel

Cricklade church

We caught an afternoon bus back to Swindon where we grabbed a bit to eat in 'Spoons then finished the evening with Hop Back beers in the wonderful Glue Pot.
The news is full of stories of the 'Beast from the East', bringing Arctic temperatures and snow to the country for the week ahead.  We seem to get lots of weather warnings these days, so I decide it'll never happen....