Up the Saucey City!

In which we make a return pub-crawling visit to the city of Worcester, taking in historic inns, pub dungeons, gorgeous tiles, and Belgian beer.

I've made a few visits to Worcester in the past couple of years, but was tempted back when several members of the Oxford CAMRA branch announced a Saturday trip by train. 

A delay of 20-minutes, due to some doors that refused to close at Parkway, meant we'd developed a thirst by the time we alighted at Shrub Hill.  Fortunately it wasn't far to our first pub...

The Firefly (54 Lowesmoor, Worcester, WR1 2SE)
The Firefly wasn't a very traditional pub to start the day, but was instead a stylishly decorated bar with animal heads and large 'launderette' signs on the wall. 
There were just a couple of cask ales available when we visited, with the craft and continental keg range being more impressive. Including - oooh - a Verhaeghe 'Duchesse Chocolate Cherry'.
Was that too decadent a choice for first beer of the day?  Probably.  I stuck with the cask 4% Wylam ale brewed with citra and amarillo hops. 

I was rather pleased that the planned itinerary for the day didn't include too many repeat visits for me from my 2020 Worcester weekender.  But one place I was keen to go back to was the King Charles II, where we'd missed out a bit last time due to the pandemic rules stopping us wandering around much.

Two pubs in one in this pic

King Charles II (29 New Street, Worcester, WR1 2DP - web)
This looks the business from outside with it's tudor beams and overhanging top floor rooms in the gables.  

Stepping inside it doesn't disappoint either, the striking woodwork surrounding the fireplace being the first thing to catch the eye.
Leaving the rest of our group trying to make their picks from the big range of beers, I had a wander upstairs to check out the tipsily uneven floorboards, big bench seating, and piano.

Back at the bar and last in line, I opted for a pint of the dark stuff - a 'Blackheath Stout' by Fixed Wheel which had won a gold award at the national 2020 winter beer fest.  And it was lovely - a robust flavoursome beer served in good condition.

A couple of customers asked the bar staff about the dungeon, at which point tables were moved to reveal a hatch and a grilled entrance to the depths of the building.  The family sitting next to this seemed quite happy at the disturbance and kindly shone a torch light into the murky darkness.

Discovering the dungeon at the King Charles II

It wasn't  too much of an arduous journey to the next pub, as we stepped out the King Charles and into the Swan next door.

The Swan (28 New Street, Worcester, WR1 2DP - web)
Hmmmm...
I'm not quite sure why this was on the list today, although I was content to be visiting somewhere new.
"Many original features", it says on What Pub, but I'm not sure where they were.
It's an historic building, but has been opened up and purged of any olde worlde character.  Toward the back is a spacious venue with it's own bar and stage in the corner, and a patio area beyond.

On cask at the bar was a Wye Valley 'HPA' or Hobsons 'The Manor'.  I went for the Hobsons which was enjoyable enough, just about, in the sunshine out back.

The rest of the group strolled down the road to the Cardinals Hat, but I diverted at this point, planning to meet up with them again at the next pub.
This was because I was determined to see what lay beyond the glorious exterior of the Eagle Vaults...

Eagle Vaults (2 Friar Street, Worcester, WR1 2LZ - web)
I'm completely in awe of the incredible tiling on the exterior of the pub.  Okay, so it doesn't offer a wide beer choice, but the sole cask, Banks's Amber, was drinking well.
We took this from the bar room into the adjacent saloon, with banquet seating and a large eagle statue looking down upon you.
Football on the TV's in the bar, with a bit of Arcade Fire in the background from the speakers.  Followed by Steely Dan.  'I'm a fool to do your dirty work..oh yeah' was stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend.

  

Onward, to the Plough.
Not an especially photogenic pub, it sits on a corner with a largely plain white wall and relatively anonymous doorway.
So here's my attempt at a shot of the pub sign with Worcester cathedral in the background... 

The Plough (23 Fish Street, Worcester, WR1 2HN)
Up the small flight of steps from the front door is the bar counter, with small, comfy rooms leading off either side.
It's one of those great places that dishes out German pilsners for lager drinkers, proper ciders and a pleasing selection of real ales.  Of the six on offer, I picked the Salopian 'Sunlit Uplands' golden ale, on top form in this beer guide regular.

We settled in the comfy left side room, with it's selection of paperbacks on the mantelpiece and bottle of Worcester Sauce in a case on the wall in pride of place.
The toilets are outside, with the route to them revealing a small hidden sun-trap patio.  All-in-all, great pub.

Troublemakers

'You were so close to Triple B's, you must return' commented Mappiman on my 2020 Worcester post.
So return we did...it just took me a couple of years to follow up on this recommendation.

Trippel B Belgian Beer Cafe (9 Copenhagen Street, Worcester, WR1 2HB - web)
I have to admit to being a bit skeptical of a Belgian beer cafe in the UK, but this was great.
There was a good crowd of folk in, but enough space inside for us to get a large table at the back.
Several of the group returned from the bar looking very happy with themselves with their Kwak in it's distinctive glassware.
I went with a 2019 vintage of an old favourite on tap - De Struisse 'Pannepot Reserva', a proper Belgian ale weighing in at a hefty 10%.  The beer list was pretty superb, with some fine bottles on offer, but you're in risky territory if you start ordering double-digit ABV bottled Belgian brews as part of any pub crawl.

We also popped into the Oil Basin Brewhouse.  The Oxford posse were ending the day on this street - and with a choice of Belgian ales or brewpub beers right next door to one another, I can't blame them for deciding to count down the clock to the train home here.

But I decided to stick around a little bit longer, planning to visit somewhere that I'd not been before, just beyond Foregate Street.

Sociable Beer Company (6-8 Britannia Road, Worcester, WR1 3BQ - web)
This bar is tucked down a side street, in a building once housing the local police lost property store.  It's a hip kinda place, a concrete floored room with the bar to the rear and a decent sized stage to the side.  I'm sure it's great later in the evening with live music and a crowd of folk.
There's also some neat retro monitors above the bar...

Brewing equipment is visible through windows at one end of the building, although no Sociable Beers were available whilst we were there.
The three hand pumps in use were all dispensing different varieties of pale ales by Ledbury Brewery.  I picked the 'Hop Development Series CF302 Townend Farm', cos' I'm a sucker for an experimental hop.
Retro hi-fi on display en-route to the toilets...

We also managed to pop into the Craft Inn opposite Foregate Street - one-for-the-rail.
Before making the evening train trip back to Oxford, happy with a job well done of exploring Worcester's pubs.  Again.

Jubilee Beers in South Oxon

A trek into South Oxfordshire yields three Jubilee themed beers, Union Jack bunting, and knitted post box toppers.

I headed to the villages of South and North Moreton, which sit between the Thames market town of Wallingford and the delights of Didcot.
The 2½ mile walk from Wallingford wasn't a bad one, although it was overgrown enough to leave us brushing grass seed and twigs off clothing to make ourselves presentable when we reached pub number one.

The Crown (High Street, South Moreton, OX11 9AG - web)
We needn't have worried too much.  The Crown was a pretty down-to-earth village pub that was as welcoming to scruffy ramblers as bank holiday diners.
There were three areas to the pub with a mix of regular dining room furniture and deep sofas that would require someone to come and pull you back out of them.  We stuck to the safe option of the picnic tables out front.

This was previously a Wadworth pub, before closing down and eventually being opened by the local community in 2019.  We do like a community pub in Oxfordshire.

Three beers from local breweries (Loddon, Amwell Springs and Loose Cannon) - better than Wadworth 6X, I feel.
This provided me with my first Jubilee brew: Loddon's 'Platinum Jubby'.  A name that could only be worsened by calling it Plat Jubes, but was actually a very nice hoppy pale ale.

The next leg of the walk was a much shorter one, retracing our steps back under the railway line and along the edges of fields to North Moreton.  Although if you can locate the footpath that takes you right to the pub, you're a better map-reader than me.

The Bear (High Street, North Moreton, OX11 9AT - web)
The Bear has undergone more moderisation than the Crown which you see at a glance with the wooden floors, writing on the wall above the bar, and general shininess.
There's a dining room to the rear, although the front bar has casual seating around a fireplace, occupied by a handful of locals.

They offered up a good choice of four more unusual beers for Oxfordshire - including Fuggle Bunny, Ramsbury, Chiltern Brewery and something honey-orientated from Bristol.
I stick to the theme and order the Chiltern 'Jubilee Ale'.

Next to the pub's outdoor tables is the village cricket field, where we sat eating sandwiches watching the North Moreton ladies team in action.
Which I think is a great way to spend the most British of Bank Holiday weekends - better than squeezing along the mall to get a glimpse of Rod Stewart playing the Jubilee concert.

Where Prop Up the Bar tried and failed miserably to explain the rules of cricket

Well, it makes a change from pictures of pubs, doesn't it?

We set about returning to Wallingford on a different route which mainly took us on gravel farm tracks before leading us into a maze of housing estate paths when we reached the town.
Successfully coming out the other side, we stopped for a refreshment break at the George, easily tempted in by all the balloons in the entryway.

The George Hotel (25 High Street, Wallingford, OX10 0BS - web)
This is a lovely looking 16th century coaching inn, with the various buildings of the hotel and bar surrounding a courtyard.
No Jubilee beers here, so I caved in to the idea of a sweet still cider from the box. 

Leaving Wallingford, we walked along the Thames path northward, reaching the weir and lock at Benson.

Benson provided another Good Beer Guide '22 tick by way of the Crown.  There's a niggling feeling that we've been here before on our way back from the pub in nearby Roke.  But if we did, it's had a makeover since, having been purchased - in a rare venture this far south of the county - by Hook Norton.

Crown Inn at Benson (52 High Street, Benson, OX10 6RP - web)
Inside, the bar is in the back room, with smaller cosy areas directly by the door to the main road.  There was much hustle and bustle, with table bookings for diners at a premium and a fair-sized crowd of folk drinking in the courtyard.
And, wow, they could make a racket.
Footy songs were led by the least likely of folk, taking particular delight in Scotland's World Cup play-off fate - 'there'll be no Tartan army in Qatar'. 
I'm not really sure it's in the spirit of Jubilee weekend to mock the other home nation's football upsets, but never mind.

Jubilee Beer #3, Hook Norton's 5.2% (see what they did there) Jubilee Ale

With the evening wearing on and grey clouds overhead, we made a chip-stop at The Village Plaice, then caught the X40 bus back home.
(I make it sound so easy - we had to sit by the Thames for some time, having missed a bus by 30-seconds - the exact amount of time Mrs PropUptheBar spent patiently cleaning curry sauce off my t-shirt before we started walking to the stop).

Her majesty calls into Witney beer festival

Cleethorpes Pub Crawl

In which I enjoy a fine day at the seaside in Cleethorpes, visiting not one, but two pubs at the railway station, a fine Wetherspoon's, and a brew pub; before drowning my sorrows over all the 2p pieces I lost in the amusement arcade with a Plum Porter.

No.1 Pub (Railway Station, Cleethorpes, DN35 8AX)
This isn't the most obvious of pubs - arriving by train you could walk along the platform and not know it's here.  The entrance is on the other side of this old railway building, although that's still not marked especially well.

Inside is a great railway themed bar which reminded me - just a little bit - of the old Head of Steam pubs.
Sporting a bit of a brown theme, the walls are adorned with old photographs and railway notices and signs (not all authentic I suspect, having just spotted the two above the bar - 'nobody gets out sober'?).

Handpumps served up an Ossett 'Blonde', Morland 'Old Speckled Hen', and two beers from Hook Norton.

I may have come a long way for Oxfordshire ale, but I quite fancied the 2.8% Hook Norton mild, served to me in a Bass glass.
Then I spotted the blackboard advertising a couple more ales from the back bar including Bass itself.  Oh well, I'll be reporting on a visit to Derby shortly in which I got more than my fair share of Bass.

On the day I came to write this post, I came across an article from the Grimsby Telegraph in which an outraged Pete from Derbyshire states he "may never return" after being stuck in Cleethorpes for 3 hours due to cancelled trains.  (Slow news day?)
I can sympathise with the rail frustration, but y'know, it could be worse.  At least you've got TWO station pubs to visit whilst you wait.

The second is at the end of the platforms, by the station entrance. 

No.2 Refreshment Room (Station Approach, Cleethorpes, DN35 8AX)
Of the two, this has the longer list of awards and is described by What Pub as a 'little gem'.
Although I preferred No.1
It's a comfortable enough little L-shaped room, with cushioned bench seating around the edges and stools at the bar.  But points deducted for any pub with suspended ceiling tiles.

On the bar were beers from Rudgate, Robinsons and Sharps, whilst I picked the Hancock's HB.  Originating in Somerset, the 'HB' session bitter was first brewed in the 1920's.  The brand has changed hands a few times and is now owned by Molson-Coors and brewed at Brain's in Cardiff.  Have these retro bitters always been around, as I seem to be seeing a lot of them recently.

No childish snickering at the back about number 1's and number 2's.

We're off to check out Willys...

Willy's (17 High Cliff, Cleethorpes, DN35 8RQ)
I enjoyed the stroll along the promenade with views across the Humber Estuary, before calling into this mock Tudor corner pub, a regular Beer Guide entry promising home brew.
There were two guest ales on from Twisted Wheel and Settle Brewery, but I figured I'd try the Willy's Original Bitter, the brewing kit visible through a window toward the back of the room.

So, not the most traditional of places: cafe-style furniture, large patio windows and drinks promos scribbled across the beams.
But it's a bar well worth visiting...
A good mixed crowd, from the ale drinker to the fish 'n' chip pensioners and holidaying families.
Great bar staff, with the landlady giving a delivery driver a right earful when he said he didn't have time to wait while she checked for breakages.
And some fantastic value food.

Well fed and watered I decided to call in at the town's Wetherspoon's.
Which makes for a good picture...

Coliseum Picture Theatre (26-28 High Street, Cleethorpes, DN35 8JN)
As the name implies, this was a cinema at one time, although it's had several different tenants over the years and you'd never know from the interior lay-out that it was once set up for movie goers.
Downstairs is a pretty regular Spoons design, with high tables lined up adjacent to the bar and booths along the left-side wall.  It's more interesting upstairs, brightly lit via the skylights, with elaborate light fittings and an ornamental balcony where two statues stand either side of a mural of the pier.

A further flight of stairs leads to a roof garden, which I was surprised to find empty considering the blue skies and sunshine.

Here are a couple of lesser-seen 'Spoons features - the ale cellar visible behind a glass screen and some Roman fella getting ready to celebrate the jubilee...

  

There was time for one more pint in Cleethorpes, for which I headed to a pub which I knew had appeared in recent beer guides.
And how wrong can you go with somewhere named after Nottingham, with a grand Tetley's logo and etched glass windows?

The Nottingham House (7 Seaview Street, Cleethorpes, DN35 8EU)
This proved to be a great proper pub. 
The entrance provides a conundrum of picking the right or left doors - I headed left into the lounge, whilst there is a bar and snug in the other direction.
The lounge was pretty perfect: leather buttoned burgundy bench seating, some proper pub stools, and old pictures of Cleethorpes on the wall.

There were four ales available, but the Plum Porter was jumping out at me.
I don't think this is the best beer to rate a pub on, as I reckon it's pretty difficult to serve a bad pint of the stuff.  It was just what I needed at this point in the day and went down a treat.

The Nottingham House was my last port of call in Cleethorpes, as I hopped aboard a bus back to Grimsby waving goodbye to the British seaside.

It's a place I've quite fancied getting to for some time and it didn't disappoint.
Nice walks along the front, amusement arcades, the world's smallest pub (I'll stick my pictures of that on another post later), beer in the railway station...all in some great May sunshine.
The beach didn't quite look like this when I visited, though...

Grimsby Pub Explorations

Where next after enjoying a great start to the week in Nottingham?
I opted to catch a train into the top corner of Lincolnshire to visit Grimsby.
In the week prior, I'd discovered that you get met with some blank looks when you tell your work colleagues you're going to Grimsby on your holidays.  

Straight off the train, I headed into the Yarborough Hotel, handily next door to the station.  This was my home for two days - my first experience of a Wetherspoon hotel.

Yarborough Hotel (29 Bethlehem Street, Grimsby, DN31 1JN - web)
I got to know the sprawling multi-sectioned layout of the ground floor bar quite well over a couple of days, calling in here for beer, evening meal and breakfast.

Beer-wise, the Yarborough is a regular local CAMRA award winner, and featured a showcase of Oakham Ales on this occasion.

After dropping my bags off and grabbing a bite to eat, I followed a rather long route through town and into New Clee...

And the Crow's Nest in Cleethorpes somewhere off the bottom of the map

To begin with, a stroll through Grimsby's main shopping arcade, emerging onto a square where you'll find the buses to Cleethorpes and a pub on a barge.

The Barge (Victoria Street, Grimsby, DN31 1NH - web)
Apart from a small snug on the upper deck, the majority of the seating and the bar counter are located down in the depths of this old grain barge.  Handily empty for a photographic opportunity, with the early afternoon custom enjoying the sunshine on the picnic tables on the quay.

There were two real ales on offer - Charles Wells 'Bombardier' and my pick: Navigation 'New Dawn'.  Which was fine, although I reckon everyone else was on the lager and dark fruits cider.
I was quite content, sitting at the side of this nautical bar, enjoying the grunge soundtrack.  I  vowed to come back in the evening to see it when it was busier - but I never did manage to.

From the Barge I walked up past the Tesco Extra, over the railway lines on a pedestrian bridge and onto Freeman Street.  I'm afraid I'm too timid to go exploring the select pubs of Freeman Street, even though that would probably make for a much more interesting blog post.

Turning right at the top of the road, I headed down Cleethorpes Road until finally reaching an alleyway with a sign pointing me to the Rutland Arms.

Rutland Arms (26 Rutland Street, Grimsby, DN31 3AF)
I saved the external pub picture for my departure, with quite a crowd of folk in the doorway and hanging around outside, none of whom looked as though they'd especially want to be in my photo.
Here's the beer line-up in the Rutland...
A 'Grimsby Mild' for me, at a budget-friendly £2.70 a pint.

The punters who'd been stood outside returned back to liven up the place.  A chap made his jukebox selections and realised his mistake when he returned to the table, The Police pumping out the speakers.
"Aw...I've picked the wrong fuckin' Roxanne, haven't I?"
Turned out he was after something by Roxette, but this didn't deter him belting out the chorus enthusiastically along with Sting.

The next song had everyone on the three tables around me singing along with gusto.

Finally Meat Loaf appeased the old boys table in the corner, with some diligent foot-tapping and nodding of heads.

A quiet moment in the Rutland Arms, pre-jukebox singalong

Oh, and the mild was gorgeous - a great easy-drinking dark ale in good condition.
And I never did let Roxanne/Roxette man know it wasn't Guinness, as he seemed very sure that I'd traveled miles for the best pint of Guinness in the region.

After some entertaining music, someone had to pick Ed Sheeran...time to move on.
I had a 1.1 mile walk into suburban New Clees to reach the next Beer Guide entry.

The Spiders Web (180 Carr Lane, Grimsby, DN32 8LN)
This is apparently a three-room pub, but not being open-plan I only got to see one of them.  Not wanting to disturb the ladies nattering in the right-hand doorway, I entered through the left-side which left me stuck in a bar room with pool table taking pride of place in the middle.

Not really the choice of local ales I was hoping for: Sharps 'Atlantic', 'Doom Bar' or Wychwood 'Hobgoblin'.  I really didn't fancy any of them, so ashamedly ended up with a pint of big brand fizzy cider.  Ho hum.
Well, a bit of Rancid blasting out the music system will improve the pub visit, won't it?  Except the bar staff decided it was too noisy and switched it off midway through to be replaced by some turgid pop.  Bah.
 
A further ½ mile walk took me across the border into Cleethorpes and my next pub...

The Crows Nest (Balmoral Road, Cleethorpes, DN35 9LD)
Arriving at the entrance, I was struck by the dominant signage...
"No One Under 18",
"Cash Only",
"Mobile, Tablet and Laptop Free Zone"? 
Who do they think they are, Sam Smiths?

Oh, they are.

Yep, I'd completely forgotten that this was Samuel Smith house.
And a completely different one to those I've encountered previously which have been in old historic buildings.

Instead, this is a large estate pub dating back to 1957.  It's rather lovely inside, spacious rooms with fitted seating curving around the walls and the bay window.

The cask 'Old Brewery Bitter' was on pretty good form here.
The main room in front of the bar was where the regulars were sat in a line along the back wall.  I took my beer through to the comfy but quiet side room.
And having taken my couple of illicit pictures, I diligently observed the digital ban for the rest of the visit, sitting quietly, supping my ale.

From the Crows Nest, I walked the short distance for my first glimpse of the sea at Cleethorpes.  As I was pottering about I realised that the last remaining Grimsby tick closed at 9pm, so hopped aboard a bus to get back to the brewery tap in time.

Docks Beers (The Church, King Edward Street, Grimsby, DN31 7JD - web)
Docks Beers began brewing in this converted church back in October 2018.
They had two cask beers on offer, alongside a fair number of kegs and fridges full of cans with funky designs on them.
And friendly staff, helpfully pointing me in the direction of the fruitiest craft ale in a can to take home to Mrs PropUptheBar.

Most importantly, Docks Brews provides May's shiny brewing equipment picture...

I opted for one of cask ale options - a 'Humber Bitter' which was nice enough.  But nicer still was the 'Graveyard Shift' milk stout on keg, which I popped back to the bar to order before closing time.

And that brought my days explorations to an end.  Time to had back to the Yarborough for a good nights rest, as I had Cleethorpes to tackle the following day.