Peterborough Pub Crawl

A Sunday excursion to Peterborough, which would take us to micro pubs, a barge, evening meal in Spoons, craft beer, and a heritage pub.
Look at the lovely midday sunshine and blue sky.  Just our luck that it'd be raining by 3 o'clock.

After a short trek around the city centre, we set off south across the River Nene and into suburban Fletton where our first micro pub of the day awaited... 

The Wonky Donkey (102C High Street, Fletton, Peterborough, PE2 8DR) 
On our arrival there was just one couple sat at a table tucking into a cheeseboard - "I'm setting aside this knife as it's contaminated with brie" was the announcement that greeted us.  I'm assuming it was communal micro pub cheese, although they seemed like they were undertaking a challenge to demolish the lot.

A chap trudged back and forth from the rear room/garden, loading his car with his northern soul and 2-tone DJ booth and catering paraphernalia.  Apparently we were one day too late for the Pirate Party.  A fair few locals trotted in, filling all the front room tables, all complaining of sore heads from the previous night's frivolities, although that wasn't putting them off ordering bottles of German lager.
I picked the Leatherbritches ale, guided to it by the Queen connection and 7" style pump clip, rather than the Jester, Chinook, and Citra hop mix.

Good value at £4.40 a pint, with plenty of other ale and cider to pick from if you're fussier than me.
A decent start in a very local micro pub.

Moving on, we headed back to the riverside and to Charters Bar, spectacularly situated on a Dutch barge which dates back to 1907. 

Charters (Town Bridge, Peterborough, PE1 1FP)
This used to be always be a port of call for me on football visits, being just a couple of minutes from London Road.  The difference now is that the outdoor area has dramatically multiplied in size.
We climbed the gang-plank, a Thai restaurant in the top section, the bar in the depths of the boat.  It's a bar that I love - full of character and serving up a choice of beers that could keep you here all afternoon.

One bank of hand pumps serves four local Oakham ales at very reasonable prices; another bit of the bar features the guest beers, as well as  there being some decent keg and cider on offer.
As it was, I opted for the strong (6%) Xtreme 'Xporter', a marvelous dark brew, accompanying a platter of Thai food.

Departing from Charters, we back-tracked on ourselves, venturing into a quiet side street to seek out the Coalheavers Arms.

Coalheavers Arms (5 Park Street, Peterborough, PE2 9BH)
This is a characterful little pub, open-plan, with dividing walls creating three distinct areas.  Most of the punters were settled in the middle part, on bar stools and tables in front of two TV screens showing Sunday afternoon footy.

An interesting fact about the Coalheavers is that it's the only pub in the city to have been hit by a WW2 bomb - this penetrated through to the cellar but didn't explode - the pub opening as usual later the same night.
Cask ales on offer included a couple of Greene King seasonal brews and a Goffs 'Jester 31'
The Goffs for me - top tropical murk...

We took the beer and settled on benches in the rear corner, surrounded by a selection of motorbike racing pictures and memorabilia.  The staff flicked the TV nearby us onto the football and I found myself hooked on the north London derby.
Half time - a quick trip to use the facilities...

Then we were off, making the 5-minute walk to Oundle Road in a handy gap in the rain showers that had come out of nowhere.

Yard of Ale (72 Oundle Road, Peterborough, PE2 9PA)
I was cheerful to see screens in every direction on which I could follow the second half of the footy in the Yard of Ale.  Tough luck if you don't like football, although a couple of chaps defiantly sat reading their books in front of the TV.  There was a nice split of people supporting both sides, plus a man in a Forest shirt in the back room (we won a game, donchaknow!).  I got chatting to him on the way back from the loos leading Mrs PropUptheBar to think I'd absconded through a back door.
 
There was a great selection of cask at the Yard of Ale, from which I opted for the Black Lodge Brewery 'Anytime Cowboy', a viciously strong and fruity 'proper' IPA.

One omission from this Peterborough pub crawl was the Palmerston Arms, just a couple of doors down from the Yard of Ale.  But the rain seemed to have stopped again, and we wanted to try and get back to the centre and check into our hotel without getting drenched.
That done, we ventured back out to our second micro pub. 

The Bumble Inn (46 Westgate, Peterborough, PE1 1RE)
Opened in 2016, this micro is located in a former chemists shop.  It has been a hit with the local CAMRA folk who've named it the branch Pub Of The Year in 2024.

It's a micro of the authentic variety - one room, one WC, no distractions - talk to each other etc etc.
Cask ale on the bar came from Rudgate, Daleside, Hobsons, Thirsty Moose, and Black Hole Brewery.  A sensible 3.4% Thirsty Moose 'Belta Blonde' session ale for me.  

Without football on a telly, we just had the woodland scene on the opposite wall to stare at, with it's hidden ewok and bambi.

Right, enough of these Beer Guide places. 
What we needed next was some sour beer whilst listening to Audioslave.

Blind Tiger (11-13 Cowgate, Peterborough, PE1 1LZ)
This modern central craft bar is well worth a visit.  Seating ranges from the comfy cushioned bench I was on, to high stools, or those rather tragic swing seats suspended from the ceiling.
We arrived to a Sour Beer Showcase, so decided to go with the flow.
Now, here's some proper beer.... (!)

 

All very colourful stuff.  All pretty good as well, although we reached our sour beer capacity for the day with four 1/3 pints between us.
The bar was quiet, just half a dozen other customers, the barman looking thoroughly bored as he counted down the clock to the 8pm closing time.  At least he had a decent grungy alt rock soundtrack to listen to.
There is also some (short-lived, in my case) entertainment to be had from the arcade machines and a table-top Ms Pacman console.  Seriously, is it even possible to get past level 2?!

Leaving the Blind Tiger, we called into the Drapers Arms Wetherspoon branch for a bite to eat and a ginger beer.  A bit of sustenance and fizzy pop gave us the energy to make a 20-minute walk north into the suburbs of Peterborough, a heritage pub our target.
Dusk had fallen by the time we arrived, the un-illuminated frontage plus parking cars making for a tricky pub picture.

The Hand & Heart (12 Highbury Street, Peterborough, PE1 3BE)
It looked so dark on approach that we feared it may not be open, but there was light spilling from the doorway.
This leads into a corridor, with an off-sales counter and doors to the Bar, Smoke Room, and back yard where you'll find the outdoor gents.  The back room was locked, so I didn't get to see that.  Which left us joining the handful of Sunday evening customers in the front bar.

It's an outstanding pub room.  No nonsense seating around two walls, fireplace with darts above it, bookshelf full of beer guides, and a TV showing Allo Allo.
At the end of 2023 we found ourselves in the St John's Hotel in Hull watching Steptoe and Son.  The Hand & Heart provided my second classic British comedy in a pub experience, all the punters keeping at least half an ear on the show and chuckling at the latest mess René had gotten himself into surrounding the stolen Madonna with the big boobies.

There were three cask ales available, with a couple more pump clips turned around.  Mine was a reasonable pint of Brewsters 'Outsanding in their Field'.  A handwritten 'cash only' sign took away the "cash-card-which do you prefer-either" exchange and ensured the staff member got back to his game of cribbage quickly.

A great pub.
Leaving us with just enough time - and barely enough room - for one last beer in The Ostrich.  Another dubious night-time picture.

The Ostrich is somewhere I'll have to visit earlier in the day next time I'm in Peterborough.  I suspect it would be one of my favourite pubs had I started there, or visited when they had live music on.  But this time, I was ready to drink up and make for my bed.

Peterborough had been a winning destination on this occasion - a good variety of places visited and a whole lot missed which should necessitate a return visit.

Taunton Pub Explorations

A Somerset trip where we get to sit in front of the Ian Botham picture, meaning I could tell Mrs PropUptheBar how he challenged us to eat three Shredded Wheat in the '80's.  Which is better than trying to explain anything about cricket - a subject I'm a bit hazy on.

We found more than cricket in the Somerset county town...we found a dalek, a ghost Spoons, some annoying table service, and the best pint of the day in a sports club a hefty trek from the centre.
But let's keep up the regular habit and start the day in Wetherspoon's...

Perkin Warbeck (22-23 East Street, Taunton, TA1 3LP)
This is an enormous branch of the chain, stretching waaaaay back from its entrance on the shopping street.  You know the score: booths and high benches along the side, regimented tables-for-four down the middle, those precarious tall perching spots for the hardened drinkers in front of the bar.
And the whole place was almost full - we traipsed the length looking for a suitable seat, marveling at the Perkin Warbeck's ability to attract the fair folk of Taunton on a Saturday lunchtime.

When we eventually found a free table next to an eccentric lady with her cider and chips, we ordered beer and food on the app.  I opted, perhaps unwisely, for the Exeter Brewery 'MC6' - a wicked 6% dark old ale which was a meal in itself - a cracking beer.  You'd be bold to go back for a second at lunchtime, though.

Fed and watered, we headed back into the sunshine to wander the streets of the town a little more.
Our route took us to Taunton Minster, with its striking 40 meter high tower, built at the beginning of the 16th century when the town was prospering from the wool trade.

A few quiet back streets took us from the minster to the beer-guide listed Ring Of Bells.
Which absolutely looked the business from outside as I took the picture - church tower, cricketing floodlights, hanging baskets, and mobility scooter.

The Ring Of Bells (16-17 St James Street, Taunton, TA1 1JS)
The problem was the 'please wait to be seated' podium greeting us at the front door.  To be fair, the young man welcomed us heartily, told us we could sit where we liked, and held the floor, chatting to us and a handful of regulars.
But I was perplexed as to why they figured table service for drinks was best.

You can look at the current pump clips on the wall, but some high tables are strategically placed to stop you getting anywhere near the pumps themselves.

No complaints about my Otter Brewery 'Twelfth Man', a special for the pub  
I just never got over the odd fact that it had to be brought to my table by a legion of staff that was threatening to outnumber the customers.

I'd hate to suggest that Taunton isn't a great pub town, but we were feeling a bit short of options at 3pm in the afternoon.
We contemplated catching a bus up to Bishops Lydeard and the Quantock Brewery Tap, although we'd been there a couple of days previously and probably didn't a return visit so soon.
So instead, we ambled into the Musuem of Somerset.

I'd recommend this highly - lots of interesting exhibits in the old castle buildings, keeping us occupied for much longer than I expected it would.   Roman mosaics, fossils, coins from the Frome hoard, plus a Doctor Who exhibition.

  

The dress-up section was definitely not just for kids and I looked great as a Tom Baker era Doctor.  Mrs PropUptheBar is under strict instructions not to release the picture.

Right, time for more beer.
We back-tracked almost all the way to the railway station to the Plough...

The Plough Inn (75 Station Road, Taunton, TA1 1PB)
This was a pub I really liked.
Entrance is via the alley to the side, with a door to the right taking you into the bar, or straight on to the back room.
It's a proper cider place as you can see from my picture of the shelved boxes behind the bar.  There was just the one cask ale - a St Austell 'Tribute' racked to one side.  The cask was tapped especially for me, making for a quality fresh pint, served straight from the barrel.

 

We settled down in the more basic back room: wooden benches as opposed to battered sofas in the front.  A top notch pint of beer, friendly staff, and bench seating picture of the month...

Heading back toward the centre, we passed what used to Taunton's second Spoons.
After several years standing empty, it reopened this July as an independent venue, so we figured we'd investigate.

The Coal Orchard (30-32 Bridge Street, Taunton, TA1 1UD)
The odd name comes from the fact that an orchard once stood across the road from this site. It was later cleared to make way for a landing stage on the River Tone for boats shipping in Welsh coal.

It didn't have the crowds that we'd encountered in the Perkin Warbeck, but hopefully that'll pick up.  Real ale choices were Tim Taylors Landlord or Boltmaker, Wadworth 6X, or - my pick - the Severn Brewing 'Double Hopped Pale Ale'.  A well kept beer at a bargain weekday happy hour price.

 

It doesn't look like much has changed since the Spoons days in terms of decor, signage, and big upstairs WCs.  There was a distinct lack of furniture creating much more open space to admire the carpet design.  And the new owners didn't have the kitchen up and running, which I guess made a difference to how busy it was.

We just had one last place to go to.
I didn't want to come to Taunton and not visit all the Beer Guide entries (3), so we'd had to wait for a 6pm opening time for the Wyvern Club.

We reached the Club just before six, satisfied we'd clocked up a good step-count for the day, and seen more of Taunton housing estates than the average visitor.

Wyvern Social Club (Mountfields Road, Taunton, TA1 3BJ)
This is a club without any panic of trying to find your CAMRA membership card, or checking if your copy of the Beer Guide is enough to grant you entry.
The door is wide open and a sign noted that this operates as a regular pub.

The beer range offered a couple of South West regulars and a local Doonicans brew - 'Bollotics', the Houses of Parliament featuring on the pump clip.

That Doonican's beer was delicious - packed full of flavour with a bitter, hoppy finish - beer of the day.

Arriving at opening time, and unable to hang around for too long if we didn't want to miss our train, we didn't get to the see the Wyvern in full swing.
It was somewhere I was comfy, sat on the cushioned banqueting bench seating which ran under the big windows looking out on the sports fields.

The Wyvern Club was our last port of call on a day out in Taunton.
Somewhere that doesn't have the strongest line-up of trad pubs, but had never-the-less provided us with a good day and a few decent pints.

Through the Nettles to the Black Horse

On a grey overcast August weekend, we decided to stay local and seek out a couple of Oxfordshire pubs that we'd not previously visited.
First things first, we navigated the never-ending works at Botley Road, caught bus 44 up to Cumnor, then set out on foot.
Here's the route...

A footpath took us south to Besselseigh - where we resisted any temptation to call into the Brunning and Price - then onto a nice, easy to follow path, emerging from the woods into Appleton churchyard. 
A short way along the road is the village pub...

The Plough Inn (Eaton Road, Appleton, OX13 5JR)
This is the last remaining pub serving the 950-or-so folk of Appleton.  The Thatched Tavern and Three Horseshoes are now private residences with nothing but their house names to remind us of their previous incarnations.

We arrived at The Plough at a quiet time - not a soul sitting inside and just a couple of visitors on the picnic benches in the garden.  I guess the locals were out in the metropolis for the day.

There were two hand pumps in action, one serving the ever-unreliable Morland 'Original', the other offering this stuff...

It was a bold move going for the beefy 6% black IPA at lunchtime, but this was a superb pint.
Served to us by a nice chatty fella in tartan trousers and a Lamb of God t-shirt.
Top marks go to The Plough for the food we ordered - not the cheapest, but almost certainly the best pub lunch I've had for some time.

Our onward journey took us across the A420 and onto pleasant paths through Hitch Woods.
Pudding available to be picked to the side of the path...

Then into the pig farm, where the residents didn't seem overly happy with our presence...

It was more by luck than judgement that I found the unmarked route through the pigs.  In the next field there was no clear path and it took a bit of investigation to locate a style hidden in a tangle of nettles and brambles.  I think we must have been the first souls to cross that path in the summer of '24.

I just hoped the pub on the other side of the road was going to be open.  The Black Horse at Gozzard's Ford is a former Greene King inn which closed the doors a few years back, described in the Oxford Mail as one of the forgotten pubs of the county.  They've recently reopened under new ownership, but the scantily updated social media mentioned a closure to fix some dodgy pipes and didn't indicate whether this had been resolved.

I was glad to see a light on, striding in the side door just slightly disheveled with scratches and nettle stings.

The Black Horse (Faringdon Road, Gozzard's Ford, OX13 6JH)
This is a big whitewashed roadside inn, dating back some 350 years.  Through the door, there is a long room on three levels, trip hazard steps between each one, the bar in the central section.  A half dozen punters were settled at the far end, where the ceiling is higher and a TV on the wall was showing footy.
Local Loose Cannon beers were on offer.

We were warned by the chap serving us that the 'Miller Queen' hefeweisen was nearing the end of the barrel and that he'd be happy to change it should it not be up to scratch.  I did wonder why he couldn't just check it himself, but we gave it the thumbs up (just about) and settled on a table at the side of the room.

The Black Horse also has a large restaurant in the back, plus a meeting room somewhere, and a garden to the side.  It just needs some customers.

We made a bit of a slip-up...'someone' turned the wrong way out of the Black Horse and started walking down the road in the wrong direction into the wilds of West Oxfordshire.  One about-turn later, and we were going the right way towards the village of Shippon and it's one pub...

Prince of Wales (60 Barrow Road, Shippon, OX13 6JQ)
This was an odd little village pub.
Not least because of the portable heating arrangements...

The pub itself is located in the front extension of a much older-looking rural cottage.  It's divided into two rooms with a bar counter straddling both of them.  We headed right towards the hubbub of conversation, into a rather ramshackle dimly lit room that was in need of a good tidying-up session.

The cask selection offered a relatively rare sighting of Butcombe beer in the county.

We took our drinks out to the patio, where there were a few more locals on the benches in front of the Covid-era marquee.
It turned out one of them had driven past us whilst we were walked in the opposite direction down the road, causing him a little intrigue.
He did recommend a pub that we'd have reached had we kept going that way.  Then told us we'd missed a short cut between Gozzard's Ford and Shippon across the airfield.
"The airfield with the chained gate and strictly no admittance sign?"
"Oh, don't worry about that", he said dismissively.
I know the airfield is infrequently used these days, but it would be just my luck to have to dodge a light aircraft landing and be chased by angry aviation folk.  Would have made the blog post more interesting though.

Shippon is only separated from Abingdon by the presence of the A34.  We moved on, strolling across the road bridge and through outskirts of the town, making our way to the Brewery Tap.
Looking good in the afternoon sunshine...

The Brewery Tap (40-42 Ock Street, Abingdon, OX14 5BZ)
This pub was opened in 1993 by Morland, who converted three town houses to create an outlet for their beer on the periphery of the brewery.
As it is, the pub has outlasted the brewery by a number of years.  Morland brought Ruddles in 1997 and shifted production to Oakham.  Then Greene King snapped up Morland three years later and the brewery closed for good, destined to be converted to flats.

The Brewery Tap has a big fireplace and a couple of nice rustic areas in its L-shaped layout, not that you'd know it from my unflattering picture.

The keg wall wasn't too exciting, featuring Red Stripe and Amstel.  But the Brewery Tap can be relied on for some well kept cask - six to pick from on this visit, everything except the Tim Taylor Landlord coming from surrounding counties.
I stuck very local with LoveBeer 'Not on your Nelly', brewed a couple of miles to the south of Abingdon in Milton.

Just the one pint on this occasion, as our table was reserved for the musical entertainment for the evening who'd be setting up soon.
I just glanced at the Brewery Tap's Facebook page and spotted that they've released their Christmas menu.  On the 9th September...oh dear.  Summer's really over, isn't it.