Cotswolds Line Pub Explorations

Part 6 - Moreton in Marsh
Back on the First Great Western trains again, in which I aim to call at the station stops between Malvern and Oxford - amble around for a while, and end up in the pub.

Forming the queue for 11am opening at the Bell.

Traveling from Worcester, this is the first time that the Cotswolds Line actually crosses into the Cotswolds.  Moreton in Marsh, home to around 3,500 souls, is one of the principle towns in the north of the region.  The main street is lined with historical buildings and a number of old coaching inns, most of which have now been converted into swanky looking hotels.

I'm following a railway line, it's about time I included a picture of a train...

Train.

The Oxford to Worcester railway line was built between 1845 and 1851 by the OW & WR (Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway) company.  
The first trains stopped here at Moreton station in 1853.  

Bilingual signage at the station confirms
that we've reached the Cotswolds proper. 

It's Tuesday - market day in Moreton and the place is heaving.
For all the pictures in the press of youngsters gathering around bars in city centres, the older generation were replicating this pretty well to attend a Cotswold market in the sunshine. 
It's a slalom along the High Street to avoid bumping into folk.

Not long after arriving in this tourist mecca, I was keen to escape the town and enjoy the peace and quiet of the local countryside.

I joined the Monarch's Way footpath, walking south-west from the town, along pleasant tracks and across the fields to the village of Longborough.  

Coach & Horses (Longborough, GL56 0QU - web)
The village pub sits on a corner at the top of a gentle hill, with views from the front patio looking back over the Cotswold stone cottages and the church.
It's a thoroughly charming spot, and they're not shy to make a point of if on their website - the view is "like something out of a period film drama" it says.

The pub is owned by Donnington Brewery, who brew their beers in the village of the same name, which lies about a mile south of here.
Donnington beers get a bit of stick sometimes, but my pint of 'Cotswold Gold' was most enjoyable - ideal for sipping in the sunshine after the -ahem- exertions of my short walk. 

I took a slightly different route on the walk back to vary the scenery.
To be honest, I would have been quite content sticking to Cotswold villages if there were more like Longborough to explore in the vicinity.  I would have called into Bourton-on-the-Hill had the Coach & Horses not been closed on a Tuesday.

Arriving back in Moreton in Marsh, I figured I'd patronise the pub that sits on the edge of the town, figuring it may be too far for many of the tourists walking the main drag.

Inn on the Marsh (Stow Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0DW)

Most customers in the pub had picked the outside tables, leaving the few folk like myself, sitting inside, with a room each - now that's social distancing.
This was a pub that I really liked - the original bar and adjoining room were full of charm, old battered furniture, and lots of quirky decorations, including boxes and boxes of 7" singles.

Ooooh...T'Pau!

Beyond where I was sat was a dining room which looking to be a more recent addition, but the plethora of baskets hanging from the ceiling (Moreton used to be big in the basket weaving world) gave this space some character too.

Shame about the Marston's beers.  A pint of Ringwood 'Razorback' was just....okay.

Heading back up the High Street, the market stall-holders were packing-up and many of the visitors seemed to have moved on to pastures new.
I made my way back to the Bell Inn, the local Good Beer Guide entry, where the door looked well and truly shut at 2.45pm.  It transpired that they'd not opened indoors, with entry via the archway leading to a sizable back garden and garden bar. 

The Bell Inn (High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0AF - web)
The pub's claim to fame is that JRR Tolkien visited and used the inn as his inspiration for The Prancing Pony in Lord of the Rings.
That sounds worthy of a plaque...

Tolkien woz ere.

I doubt that Tolkien would have gained much inspiration from being stuck in the back garden though.  It's a real shame not to be able to see inside this old coaching inn.  I can't really comprehend why they wouldn't open inside at all - not even for a reduced number of socially distanced customers.  Especially as cold days encroach on us and garden bars become less appealing.

With two real ales on offer (Purity and Prescott) I took my pint of 'Hill Climb' in a plastic pot, to the table in the garden closest to the colony of wasps living in the hedge.
Despite lacking a proper glass, no complaints about the beer - cool, crisp and in great condition.

Making another death-defying crossing of the busy road that runs through Moreton (yes, there is a crossing, but not in the spot on the road that I ever wanted to cross), I headed to my fourth and final pub of the day.

Black Bear Inn (High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0AX - web)

A big sign on the front door, asking you to read and familiarise yourself with the rules. 
Then a choice of restaurant to the left or bar to the right.
I headed into the bright and spacious bar, with a few tables occupied by solitary drinkers who all seemed to know the barman by name.

This was my second Donnington pub of the day, and I figured I'd go for the 'BB' here, rather than a second pint of the Gold.
Possibly a mistake.  Definitely not my favourite.

Whatpub tells us little about the Black Bear, other than it has a "very active poltergeist called Fred".
What??  If you had a spirit making things go bump in the night and moving stuff around would you really decide to call it Fred?

Sadly no paranormal activity to report from my short visit.
I drank up and headed around the corner to train station.  Next stop, Kingham.

Honeybourne - Lost in the Strawberry Farm

Lost in the Strawberry Farm - it's not quite what the Clash sang about, is it?

This was the fifth stop on my journey by train along the Cotswolds Line.
And I've gotta admit that Honeybourne hadn't stood out as one of the destinations that I was really looking forward to.

Unwelcoming station signage

But, it's just a couple of miles away from the village of Bretforton, which boasts a wonderful Heritage Pub owned by the National Trust.

It'll be a lovely walk on the footpaths across the fields, thought I.

Then it started to rain and the paths turned out to be pretty poorly marked.

The route took me down a muddy track past row after row of polytunnels of strawberries.

Strawberries.

I missed an obscure turn that the footpath took and managed to get completely lost.
I eventually had to attract a passing farm worker, telling him that I'd mislaid the footpath.

"You're on a farm", he answered, quite unhelpfully.

I don't think he could quite get the concept that I'd been trying to follow a public right of way. 
Perhaps he thought I was willfully trespassing, stealing strawberry secrets.

Instead of quickly pointing me in the right direction, he had a sudden thought that anyone lost on the farm should be wearing a face-mask.
In the middle of a wide open space.
The world was a little bit bonkers anyway, but it's really lost the plot in 2020.

I managed to get directed to a nearby exit and a gate through which I could have just let myself out and no-one would have been any the wiser.  Ho hum.

I was behind time, a little bit wet and muddy and fed up when I reached the Fleece and stood dutifully at the 'Wait here to be served' point.

Fleece Inn (The Cross, Bretforton, WR11 7JE - web)

This fantastic rural pub is owned by the National Trust, who tell us on their website that it "has developed a reputation for traditional folk music, morris dancing and asparagus".  None of which were available today, although I would have just settled for the asparagus."

Wye Valley Brewery beers and Purity UBU on the bar.
When I heard a West Midlands accent excitedly proclaiming to his companions "oooh!  They've got Butty Bach!" I kinda regretted my choice of the best bitter.
But, it was a decent pint in fine condition.

I suspected I'd be stuck outside in the rain, with the place being surprisingly busy for a midweek lunchtime.
But the staff showed me to a table in what's known as the Brewhouse Room.  I was the odd one out: not over 60 and not ordering a meal.  And the one with muddy boots.

The Fleece Inn dates back to the 17th century, occupying an old farmhouse building.  The old furniture (including fabulous big wooden settles), collections of crockery and pewter dishes, wooden beams and uneven flagstone floors, make this a glorious slice of pub history.

More info on the pub heritage site here.  I especially like the story that the last private landlady in the 70's, who lived in the pub her whole life, wouldn't serve you whilst Coronation Street was on!

Time to move on and make my return journey to Honeybourne.

I braved the strawberry farm again, it being clearly the most direct route to walk.  Starting from Bretforton, I could easily find the path I should have been on earlier and see where I'd gone wrong, missing the barely visible way-markers.
Stick some better signage up and you're less likely to find waifs and strays on bits of the farm they shouldn't be on!

Arriving in Honeybourne's old village centre (the station is 10-minutes away from this, surrounded by new build homes), I was looking for a thatched roof.

The Thatched Cottage (12 High Street, Honeybourne, WR11 7PQ - web)

Almost all sources had suggested the the Thatched Cottage was closed, including their own website, but I was happy to see the open door.
Okay, it's overshadowed by the Fleece nearby, but the Thatched Cottage has it's own brown 'C13th Thatch Tavern' road-sign.
The current timber-framed pub is Grade II listed.

Personally, I'd have black beams inside the pub - I'm not sold on that olive paint... 

There were more Wye Valley beers on the bar.  This time I went for the 'HPA' - possibly not on the best of form - cask ales in quiet pubs midweek lunchtime are something of a lottery.

There is a second pub in the village, The Gate, but with trains departing every 2-hours, I wasn't about to hang around waiting for the 4pm opening time for a pint of keg.
Anyway, it looks like this...

Next stop - further down that line somewhere - Moreton-in-Marsh...

Evesham - Ferry Across the Avon

Cotswolds Line Pub Explorations - Part 4.

Evesham looked promising for pubs, and I spotted that it was possible to make a short trip out of the town to a village with a Good Beer Guide listed hostelry at Elmley Castle.

But best of all, no need to wait for 12 noon opening, 'cos they've got a 'Spoons!

Old Swanne Inne (66 High Street, Evesham, WR11 4HG)

The dubious spelling of 'swan' is down to the Wetherspoon folk going back through the history books and reverting to the name of a 16th century inn on this site.  
A fine pint of Oakham 'Citra' accompanied my veggie breakfast - a good start to the day.

With a little time to spare, I ambled through the streets of Evesham, looking for the sights.

 

The town was founded around the 8th century abbey, which was once one of the largest in the country, until Henry III came along.
The abbey park, leading down to the River Avon is a nice spot to relax, whilst the handful of buildings between the market square and church yard are full of historic charm.

To get to the village of Elmley Castle to tick off the GBG pub located there, I hopped aboard a local bus.
This was the kind of village hopper where the driver knows everyone by name.
"Going to the Queen Elizabeth, are you?" he asked, when I checked the bus went to Elmley Castle.  Crikey, everyone knows what I'm up to.
Handily, the bus stops right outside the pub, just after midday.

Queen Elizabeth (Main Street, Elmley Castle, WR10 3HS - web)

Located in the heart of the village, the Queen Elizabeth is now community owned, with 26 local residents having clubbed together to save it from closure.
Their website boasts a string of accolades, from being in the Beer Guide, to winning a Worcestershire certificate of excellence and being Evesham Journal's pub of the year.

It's success probably comes from being a bit of everything for everyone - part restaurant, cafe and pub with a good range of local ales.
I initially sat inside, but found myself alone by the bar where I felt I was intruding, ear-wigging the bar staff conversation about weddings during pandemics.  So I took my pint of golden ale from the local Hop Shed Brewery out into the back yard.

With buses being infrequent, I'd decided to walk back across footpaths from Elmley Castle to Evesham.
Reaching Hampton, I followed a trail along the banks of the River Avon which led me to the Hampton Ferry.  This crossing dates back to the 13th century when monks established it to travel between the abbey and a vineyard.
It's a chain link ferry, meaning a young man has to raise a chain and manually pull the ferry across the river, in exchange for some coins in his collection box.

Now on the right side of the river, it was just a 5-minute walk up Boat Lane to the next planned pub.  

The Trumpet (13 Merstow Green, Evesham, WR11 4BD - web)

A Hook Norton pub, this was a trad, two-roomed boozer.
I should have just gone for the 'Hooky' which the chap before me had.  But, ever the tragic ticker, I opted for the commemorative brew 'VJ75', a red ale which wasn't on the best form and wouldn't have been my favorite even if it had been.
 

I sat in the front room, with an enormous TV showing the golf and a poptastic soundtrack.
Ahh...Rory McIllroy and Katie Perry...

Lovin' those coasters!

Just a few steps around the corner from the Trumpet is the olde-worlde looking Olde Red Horse.

Olde Red Horse (17 Vine Street, Evesham, WR11 4RE)

Possibly the oldest pub in town, this 15th century timber-framed coaching inn is a listed building and full of character.
Stepping into a wonderful corridor that runs through the centre of the inn, there are rooms leading either way from this.  I settled in a window seat in the bar, hops hanging from the beams on the ceiling; the rustic feel scuppered a little by the fruit machine.

 

I don't recall what the choice of ales was, except that I picked the one from a brewery I'd never heard of - the Bakehouse Brewery 'James's Spaniel'.
Absolute Radio provided a soundtrack of reasonable indie music, that is until the inevitable Mumford & Sons track came on.

Always leave when Mumford & Sons come on.

This left me with one final pub to visit in the town.
(I would have liked to have called in to the BCM craft ale bar, but they had limited opening and were shut on the day I visited).

I'd left the 2020 Good Beer Guide entry until last...

Red Lion (6 Market Place, Evesham, WR11 4RE)

This looks every bit the old traditional pub, so it's a surprise to read that it's only been open since 2014.  That said, it was a public house from 1728 to 1910,  so great to see it back to that use again.

 

The Red Lion is marvelously basic - no TV's or food to distract - just a simple wet-led pub, with three characterful drinking areas and a couple of benches outside on the market square.
Unusual brews on the bar from Cannon Royall and White Rabbit Breweries, who both share a site at (my next stop) Honeybourne.

I tried the Cannon Royall 'Arrowhead Bitter', then couldn't resist finishing on the 7.3% White Rabbit 'Old Bertram' stout.
Both fine, both a little bit home-brewy, but I was more than happy with that.

I arrived in Evesham having never visited before, and was pleasantly surprised by the town, thoroughly enjoying the pubs I'd chosen today.
Not so much choice at the next station stop, Honeybourne, coming up soon.

Pershore - Good Enough For Me

Cotswolds Line Pub Explorations - Part 3
Yep, this was the third stop on my travels along the Cotswolds Line - from Malvern, making my way back to Oxford.
Pershore is around 10-miles from Worcester, sitting on a bend on the River Avon, home to some 7,500-or-so folks, 7 pubs (if I'm counting right) and an annual Plum Festival.

It's also home to Toyah Wilcox, Robert Fripp and Nigel Clarke of Dodgy (hence the post title - always a bit rubbish when you've got to explain the obscure link in the post title).

The first thing that struck me about Pershore was just how bloomin' far it was from the train station to the town.

It would also be the last thing that struck me, as I rushed back later in the day, seconds away from missing my train home.

Walking toward the centre, the first hostelry you reach is the town's Good Beer Guide listed pub.  Too far for me to recommend hopping off the train for a swift half, though.

Pickled Plum (135 High Street, Pershore, WR10 1EQ - web)

This is one of those pubs where the interior designers have been busy, making a 'feature' of exposed old wooden beams, picking furniture with checked patterns, leafy wallpaper and chandeliers.  All the kind of stuff that would get it a rave write-up by the Telegraph pub reviewer.

It's a popular dining pub, but as I arrived mid-afternoon when food wasn't been served, I had half the place to myself.

There were just a couple of real ales on offer today, my pick being the North Cotswold Brewery best bitter, brewed near Moreton-in-Marsh. A perfectly respectable pint, without being anything to rave about.

Finishing my beer, I wandered on down along Pershore's main thoroughfare, lined with elegant Georgian buildings.

Looking down the High Street

The remaining bit of Pershore Abbey

Of the pubs that I'd seen whilst exploring, my pick was this one...

Star Inn (23 Bridge Street, Pershore, WR10 1AJ - web)
A great looking, old coaching inn, the Star has a pleasant front bar with a rear room set up for dining.  They do have a riverside garden, but it's a helluva long way to carry your drinks down from the back door to the parasols by the Avon.
I enjoyed a decent pint of Wickwar 'BOB' here, a beer I don't see very often.

I did stand on the threshold of the Angel Inn, pictured at the top of the post.  Apparently it used to be a good bet for beers from the local Pershore Brewery, but this has sadly recently stopped brewing.  
It's a dilemma when you need to wait at the door to be seated, without being able to scope out the inside.  I feared before I knew what was happening, I'd be allocated a rubbish table and have ordered a pint of Doom Bar...

As I'd got a bit of a walk to the next planned pub, I opted to give this one a miss today.

The map below shows my planned route to the village of Wyre Piddle and Lower Moor beyond...

As always, further than it looked on the map...

Anchor Inn (Main Road, Wyre Piddle, WR10 2JB - web)
This is a pub that doesn't look like it wants you sitting inside at the moment, knowing that it can happily direct customers to some corking outdoor seating whilst the weather is still good.
There were parasols on decking, some nice tables to the side on a hilly bit of garden and benches right down at the riverside.  All in all - great garden.

Back up there, somewhere, is the pub.

On the bar there was a South West double-act of real ales - St Austell Tribute and Exmoor Gold.  I went for the lesser-seen Exmoor and carried this down to the picnic bench next to a moored barge on the river. 

Next up, another footpath away, was the village of Lower Moor.

Old Chestnut Tree (Manor Road, Lower Moor, WR10 2NZ - fb)
Looks good, doesn't it?

This impressive timber-framed inn dates back to the 16th century.
According to the entry on WhatPub, it has several interesting features, including a priest hole in a "massive chimney structure" and the smallest designated ballroom in the country.
Now I really feel like I missed out. 

Instead of bringing you exciting pictures of small ballrooms, I give you a photo of my pint on the bar...

I sat at my table, working out how long it was going to take me to get back to the train station and realising I was gonna have to down the beer pretty speedily and walk pretty fast.
The HPA didn't deserve knocking back quite so rapidly - it was magnificent here - the best pint of the day.

The journey along the Cotswolds Line continues, with the Worcestershire town of Evesham the next stopping point.
My report of trekking across the fields and visiting random pubs there, follows soon.
Cheers.