Distance - 3 Miles
Geocaches - 2xAdventure Lab Cache
Good Beer Guide Pubs - #756 - #757
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Out with the old, and in with the new.
Year 5 of my Good Beer Guide Ticking means that transferring ticks takes an increasing amount of time. Not aided by the 2023 version being organised by regions, rather than counties. Does anyone else class Bedfordshire as "The East"?
 |
| 2022 moves onto 2023 |
What else has changed? Early days but having successfully "greened" Worcestershire, my work needs to resume with 8 new entries. Black Country Ales are taking over the West Midlands and beyond. And of course, in my home town, the best pint can be found in the pub that has lost it's place after at least 3 years.
To be fair, its hard to class Stourport's Swan as a pub anymore. A Mediterranean restaurant, often closed after 9pm. But you should see the Wye Valley HPA. It's like normal beer but in HD.
My first trip with the new guide takes me for a couple of ticks in Cambridgeshire.
Huntingdon - John Major's constituency but you will find more effigies of Oliver Cromwell.
A bit of psychogeograpgy through Adventure Lab Caching takes us to Godmanchester and back. All things worthy of looking at are looked at. The graveyard providing the item of most interest.
 |
| An Interesting, if not ghoulish read |
Onto the pub. Two ticks available and a fine representation of the variety available in the bible. Nowhere - from the dirtiest spoons to the hard to admit affiliation to Conservative Members Club - is excluded if the beer is good.
Admittedly, the Old Bridge Hotel did not look like our sort of place.
 |
| Ivy clad, with bolt on wine shop |
And so it transpired. We found the rear entrance, observed many immaculately laid tables and before we made headway to the lower level bar, were pounced on by liveried staff, demanding answers.
No tables for those without reservations and even the bar area was out of bounds. We were offered the opportunity to wait outside in the drizzle for a table to become free but I think all parties just wanted us to bugger off.
Which we did - onto the Falcon. A proper pub, where you could feel the history dripping from the walls.
 |
| Coaching House, Jail, Cromwells Recruiting Station |
A roaring fire in a low ceiling main room, with long bar offering double digit hand pulls and a surprisingly high representation from Marstons.
A lively Saturday lunch atmosphere, with good hearted banter as attempts were made to change the TV channel from racing to rugby.
 |
| Looking to the bar from a side room |
The uniqueness of a British historical pub visit will need to carry us for a week.
The onward journey is to Stanstead Airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment