The Pub in the Woods

An overcast day at the end of January saw me travel to areas I'd not previously explored in Oxfordshire and visit two of our Good Beer Guide listed pubs...

The Black Horse (Checkendon, RG8 0TE)
This is a pub that has eluded me for some time, perhaps because it's relatively remote by Oxfordshire standards.  It's popular with walkers and cyclists, but in the end I took advantage of having the use of a car for the weekend to get there.
The Black Horse still tried to evade technology, with our sat-nav proudly announcing "you have reached your destination" when we were half way down a muddy, pot-holed, lane in the middle of nowhere. 
I resorted to asking passing horse-riders for directions and we pulled up at this wonderful rural pub on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.  

Black Horse, Checkendon, Oxfordshire

Retro lounge at the Black Horse

Taking us somewhat by surprise, we found it bustling with visitors.  One room was full of cyclists sporting mud-splattered bare legs and Lycra, the quirky lounge housed ramblers with pots of tea, whilst the locals hung out closest to the bar and a warming log fire.
The Black Horse has been in the same family since 1905 and is some 350 years old.
Beers are served straight from the cask and brought from the cellar, with two available from West Berkshire Brewery and one Rebellion beer.  I grabbed a 'Mr Chubb's Lunchtime Bitter' and we settled on a bench along the wall near the fire.
There's a cordial atmosphere around the bar, with talkative regulars and a chunky dog called Charlie doing the rounds on the hunt for any unwanted crisps.  The chap sitting on the other end of our bench told us he'd been coming here for 40 years and when you walked through the door it hadn't changed a bit.  Which is the real charm of this pub.
 

We'd started our day some 13 miles away at Chalgrove, south-east of Oxford.  With old cottages, thatched roofs and a brook running alongside the high street, it's a pleasant village.  It has a healthy total of three pubs: two Greene King houses and the Good Beer Guide listed Red Lion which we were headed to.   

Chalgrove Village Green

Red Lion (115 High Street, Chalgrove, OX44 7SS - website)
This village pub is owned by St Mary's parish church and dates back to the 16th century.  It's set back from the main street with a nice front garden and cracking traditional free-standing pub sign.  

Dark skies loom over the Red Lion, Chalgrove, Oxfordshire

Step inside and there are thick stone walls, a front room divided into three cosy areas plus a small restaurant extension to the rear.  To the left of the bar a wood burning stove in a large hearth warms the room on a winters day and the large round table next to this looks to be the locals table - the only one where a few folk sipped their pints.  All other tables were being used for Sunday lunch dining on this visit.

Beers on the bar were Butcombe Best and Fullers 'London Pride', with a guest ale from Rebellion: 'Contact', a 4.2% copper ale in a themed Aviator series.
Picking the Rebellion beer we grabbed a table to eat and stayed to enjoy a filling, tasty lunch. With us arriving at midday, they were still printing the menus and it took a while for the kitchen to get underway and the food to be served. But all was fresh-cooked and worth the wait.


We obviously saw the Red Lion with the kitchen in full-swing, but the food was drawing the punters in. With all tables occupied, this can't be a bad thing in these days of the beleaguered village pub. 
I would guess that it would a fine place to call into for just a beer at different times and it also has a large garden to the rear for the warmer months.


I plan to make a concerted effort to get to more Good Beer Guide entries for Oxfordshire in 2019.
Having discovered the Peyton Arms, Stoke Lyne and The North Star, Steventon in the past couple of years I can add the Black Horse to this list of slightly eccentric, historical and wonderful pubs in the county.
I just hope that there are more that I'm yet to stumble across.