At the tail-end of September a group of folk from our Oxford CAMRA branch squeezed into a minibus to make a trip around six pubs in the local Oak Taverns chain.
And we even managed to fit in a heritage classic while we were at it.
We met outside the Lamb and Flag; battled Oxford traffic to get out of the City; picked up the rest of group in Abingdon; then were pulling up at the George in Sutton Courtenay just as the clock chimed midday.
Timed to perfection - we loitered for no more than 30 seconds before landlord Rodney unbolted the front door.
I first visited The George a year ago when it made its debut in the Good Beer Guide, so I'll brush over it here. The George has been in the Oak Taverns chain since December 2019. It's an attractive two-roomed pub with wooden beams, fireplaces, stone floors and a deli section in the doorway.
The same two real ales were on offer as when I was here last time: a Loose Cannon 'Abingdon Bridge' and a most enjoyable Amwell Springs 'Rude Not To'.
With the first pub under our belts, we made the nine-mile journey to the Thames town of Wallingford.
This is a pub transformed since my previous visit a couple of years ago. Back then it was a little bit dingy and unwelcoming, serving up a pint of Brakspear in a near empty pub.
This time around it's buzzing with customers, full of character, and offering a great range of beers...
A house beer from XT, Tiny Rebel 'Cwych Gold', a Loose Cannon 'Never Gonna Give Brew Up', and Dead Brewer's Society 'LX Ale'.
The Dead Brewers Society is an organisation that holds archives of original recipes and information required to recreate beers not seen for many years.
They've teamed up with Oak Taverns, with the beers then being brewed at XT. The one on offer on this occasion was an 1888 recipe from the long-lost Shillingford Brewery of Bicester.
I'm a sucker for these recreated ales, so of course I picked it and enjoyed it.
And I'm also a sucker for a Rick Astley pun, so I had a half of 'Never Gonna Give Brew Up' as well.
The Cross Keys was made up of four rooms - two either side of the front door, a smartly furnished rear lounge, and a snug up a couple of stairs from the bar.
After a bit of exploration I settled in the snug with it's Bass clock and cabinet full of games.
Follow the Thames for 11 miles from Wallingford and you'll reach Whitchurch on Thames, right at the southernmost reaches of the county.
I did set foot in Whitchurch a decade ago on a riverside ramble, had a pint and brought a couple of bottles from a man in a shed from the now defunct Hen House Brewery.
So I thought I'd already been to today's target, the Greyhound, but it turns out my pint back then was in the (currently closed) Ferryboat, a little nearer the toll bridge.
Here's the Greyhound - picturesque if only you could edit the parked cars and pizza hut out of the photo.
The Greyhound (High Street, Whitchurch on Thames, RG8 7EL - web)
This pub was previously owned by Punch, prior to being brought and reopened by Oak Taverns in August of 2021.
It's actually quite smartly furnished within - an L-Shaped main bar and small snug to the right of the front door. Our group being 16-strong today, it took a while for everyone to get served - leaving me to have a wander looking for those subtle indicators of a good pub.
Aha! Always trust somewhere with Van Goor's Anatomische Wandlatten hanging on the wall...
Next up - a deviation from the Oak Taverns theme, with the plan being to cross into Berkshire for a heritage gem which also happens to be a two-time National Pub of the Year.
Our journey was made that little bit trickier by the bridge at Goring being closed for roadworks, meaning we had to travel all the way back to Wallingford to cross the Thames.
This made for the longest trip between pubs and I was beginning to regret not popping to the WC in the Greyhound before departing
Straight into the outdoor gents in the Bell then - they come with a warning!
The Bell Inn (Aldworth, RG8 9SE)
The building dates back to the 15th century when it would have been a village manor house before becoming a pub. It's now Grade II listed and in the National Heritage Pub inventory.
Step through the front door and there's a servery with sliding glass partitions, handwritten signs promoting the homemade rolls, and pump clips decorating the wooden walls.
Fourteen miles across the Berkshire Downs, through some picturesque countryside, we found ourselves in the familiar territory of Wantage.
There are enough pubs in this busy little market town to keep you content for a whole afternoon, but just the one for us today as we pulled up outside the chip shop and crossed the road into the Kings Arms.
The Kings Arms (39 Wallingford Street, Wantage, OX12 3AU - web)
Nice black and white frontage, minimalist sign, old Morland tile at pavement level - and a whopping great white shutter...who put that there?!
This was formerly a quite unremarkable Greene King pub. Old Beer in the Evening reviews slated it as having 'lairy locals' and being a 'bit chavvy' before directing you across the road to the Shoulder of Mutton instead.
Then in 2018 Oak Taverns moved in and people started to say much nicer things about the Kings Arms..
There are basic seating areas either side of the front door, with a fireplace to warm drinkers in the winter months (and a pleasant garden out the back for the summertime).
The bar is in the middle of the pub where things get a little bit smarter with a polished wood floor and a Brunning and Price vibe to the decor.
The Kings Arms website tells us they aim to get "stuff you don't see at every pub" and they've certainly succeeded as far as pubs in the Vale of the White Horse are concerned.
Arbor 'ZZ Hop', Verdant 'Penpol Pale Ale', Red Willow 'Reckless', Thornbridge 'Artisan', and more of the Dead Brewers Society 'LX Ale',
Decent choices on the craft taps (although I wanted the ones advertised as 'coming next'), plus ciders from the box which helped this win the local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year award.
I thoroughly enjoyed my hoppy pale Arbor ale in the Kings Arms before we moved onward to Faringdon.
The Swan (1 Park Road, Faringdon, SN7 7BP - web)
The Swan has a prominent spot looking out over a road junction and the baptist church.
The writing above the front windows still advertise it as being the home of the Faringdon Brewery, although the brew kit hasn't been used for a few years now.
The pub is split into two, with the bar in the front section and a more moodily-lit rear area down a couple of steps.
Plenty of people in for a Saturday teatime in a pub that doesn't do live sports or food.
The Crown (1 Packhorse Lane, Marcham, OX14 1NT)
This was previously a Morland pub, although it was more recently run by Admiral Taverns.
Their last appearance in the Good Beer Guide was in 2019 when it was listed as selling Bombardier, Doom Bar and Loose Cannon beers.The pub closed midway through 2022 and almost became a community pub, except the application to run it as such was turned down by the local council.
The good news is that Oak Taverns stepped in, refurbished it, had a little difficulty with the 'n' on the pub sign, then opened the doors to the public on the 28th September.
And I'm also a sucker for a Rick Astley pun, so I had a half of 'Never Gonna Give Brew Up' as well.
The Cross Keys was made up of four rooms - two either side of the front door, a smartly furnished rear lounge, and a snug up a couple of stairs from the bar.
After a bit of exploration I settled in the snug with it's Bass clock and cabinet full of games.
I did set foot in Whitchurch a decade ago on a riverside ramble, had a pint and brought a couple of bottles from a man in a shed from the now defunct Hen House Brewery.
So I thought I'd already been to today's target, the Greyhound, but it turns out my pint back then was in the (currently closed) Ferryboat, a little nearer the toll bridge.
Here's the Greyhound - picturesque if only you could edit the parked cars and pizza hut out of the photo.
This pub was previously owned by Punch, prior to being brought and reopened by Oak Taverns in August of 2021.
It's actually quite smartly furnished within - an L-Shaped main bar and small snug to the right of the front door. Our group being 16-strong today, it took a while for everyone to get served - leaving me to have a wander looking for those subtle indicators of a good pub.
Aha! Always trust somewhere with Van Goor's Anatomische Wandlatten hanging on the wall...
XT 'Four' and Timothy Taylor's 'Landlord' on cask, alongside two lesser-seen brews from Broadtown Brewery of Wootton Basset.
I went for a half each of the Broadtown beers - dangerous territory at 5.8% for the wheat beer and 6.2% for the Belgian dark. But both quite delicious and a little bit special.
I went for a half each of the Broadtown beers - dangerous territory at 5.8% for the wheat beer and 6.2% for the Belgian dark. But both quite delicious and a little bit special.
Our journey was made that little bit trickier by the bridge at Goring being closed for roadworks, meaning we had to travel all the way back to Wallingford to cross the Thames.
This made for the longest trip between pubs and I was beginning to regret not popping to the WC in the Greyhound before departing
Straight into the outdoor gents in the Bell then - they come with a warning!
The building dates back to the 15th century when it would have been a village manor house before becoming a pub. It's now Grade II listed and in the National Heritage Pub inventory.
Ales available were all local: Indigenous 'Baldrick', Arkells 'BB' and Amwell Springs 'Chairman Dave'. But I went for the most local of the lot - the 'Five Giants' brewed 'round the back of the pub...
The handled mugs seemed just right for the location - the beer an easy-drinking dark malty bitter which went down a treat.
Most folk gravitated outside in the warm weather, but I really wanted to soak up the historic interior - the two rooms featuring giant fireplaces, stone floors, a rocking chair, lots of black and white pictures on the wall, and a random collection of CAMRA magazines from far and wide, dropped off by the groups who make the trip to this marvelous pub.
Most folk gravitated outside in the warm weather, but I really wanted to soak up the historic interior - the two rooms featuring giant fireplaces, stone floors, a rocking chair, lots of black and white pictures on the wall, and a random collection of CAMRA magazines from far and wide, dropped off by the groups who make the trip to this marvelous pub.
Fourteen miles across the Berkshire Downs, through some picturesque countryside, we found ourselves in the familiar territory of Wantage.
There are enough pubs in this busy little market town to keep you content for a whole afternoon, but just the one for us today as we pulled up outside the chip shop and crossed the road into the Kings Arms.
Nice black and white frontage, minimalist sign, old Morland tile at pavement level - and a whopping great white shutter...who put that there?!
This was formerly a quite unremarkable Greene King pub. Old Beer in the Evening reviews slated it as having 'lairy locals' and being a 'bit chavvy' before directing you across the road to the Shoulder of Mutton instead.
Then in 2018 Oak Taverns moved in and people started to say much nicer things about the Kings Arms..
The bar is in the middle of the pub where things get a little bit smarter with a polished wood floor and a Brunning and Price vibe to the decor.
Arbor 'ZZ Hop', Verdant 'Penpol Pale Ale', Red Willow 'Reckless', Thornbridge 'Artisan', and more of the Dead Brewers Society 'LX Ale',
Decent choices on the craft taps (although I wanted the ones advertised as 'coming next'), plus ciders from the box which helped this win the local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year award.
I thoroughly enjoyed my hoppy pale Arbor ale in the Kings Arms before we moved onward to Faringdon.
The Swan has a prominent spot looking out over a road junction and the baptist church.
The writing above the front windows still advertise it as being the home of the Faringdon Brewery, although the brew kit hasn't been used for a few years now.
The pub is split into two, with the bar in the front section and a more moodily-lit rear area down a couple of steps.
Plenty of people in for a Saturday teatime in a pub that doesn't do live sports or food.
The real ales available on our visit represented Oxon/Berks/Bucks: XT '4', Renegade 'Good Old Boy', Hook Norton 'Hooky', Little Ox 'Dark and Seedy' and White Horse 'The Don's Dark Ale'. The Don's Dark is a lesser-seen White Horse beer - a malty, full-bodied trad bitter.
Which went down a treat with a curried egg - the £1 cost of which all went to charity, which is nice. Just don't pay too much attention to the slimy gloop in the jar that the egg's fished out from.
Which went down a treat with a curried egg - the £1 cost of which all went to charity, which is nice. Just don't pay too much attention to the slimy gloop in the jar that the egg's fished out from.
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| Things you don't see everywhere: Dark beer, curried egg, and a CASH TRANSACTION! |
Which left us with the daylight fading and just one pub remaining on the itinerary.
Twelve and a half miles took us to the village of Marcham, just to the east of Abingdon, and famed for being the home of Denham College, founded by the Women's Institute.
And the recently reopened Crown...
Twelve and a half miles took us to the village of Marcham, just to the east of Abingdon, and famed for being the home of Denham College, founded by the Women's Institute.
And the recently reopened Crown...
This was previously a Morland pub, although it was more recently run by Admiral Taverns.
Their last appearance in the Good Beer Guide was in 2019 when it was listed as selling Bombardier, Doom Bar and Loose Cannon beers.The pub closed midway through 2022 and almost became a community pub, except the application to run it as such was turned down by the local council.
The good news is that Oak Taverns stepped in, refurbished it, had a little difficulty with the 'n' on the pub sign, then opened the doors to the public on the 28th September.
We bowled in two days later, the whiff of fresh paint in the air, finding the place doing a roaring trade, most tables full and the drinks being served at a rate of knots.
And what's that on the bar?
There's an interloper amongst the local beers...
Take a wild guess if the XT '3' was being poured for me, or if I was waiting to order the Bass.
I do believe that's the first time I've seen Bass in Oxfordshire in the ten years I've lived here.
The lady who served me told me it had proved popular and they were considering making it a permanent ale. Do it!
Bass in a newly reopened pub full of happy punters - a fine way to end what had been a grand day out.
And what's that on the bar?
There's an interloper amongst the local beers...
I do believe that's the first time I've seen Bass in Oxfordshire in the ten years I've lived here.
The lady who served me told me it had proved popular and they were considering making it a permanent ale. Do it!
Bass in a newly reopened pub full of happy punters - a fine way to end what had been a grand day out.
Bass!!! Magnificent find Nick...I've not heard of Oak Taverns before but looks like they are doing a cracking job - are they just Oxfordshire way?
ReplyDeleteThanks BB!
DeleteOak Taverns are superb - they've just taken over another Oxford village pub in Yarnton (more Bass please!) and seem to be on an upward trajectory.
They're Oxfordshire-based with 5 of their 15 pubs in neighbouring counties. All wet-led and I haven't been to a dud one yet.