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.