Roving Reporter goes out and about around our Branch area and beyond; reaching the furthest pubs not always accessible by public transport and in need of our support! RR is a valiant campaigner who wants you to follow his paw prints and visit these pubs. So...
Where has Roving Reporter
been this time?
Spring 2011
What else to do on a rainy bank holiday?
Why not use the bank holiday weekends in
April and May to visit some of the interesting
country pubs in Shropshire?
You may recall that I often use Bridgnorth as
a forward operating base and as the traffic can
be bad on Bank Holiday Mondays, you may
want to go on the Saturday or even consider
booking accommodation for the night. There
are plenty of hostelries offering competitively
priced rooms in Bridgnorth. Those travelling
by public transport may find this easier to
negotiate on a Saturday also.
Expect typical bank holiday weather- last
year I was punished by blustery headwinds
and rain, so dress accordingly! This of course
makes the pub an even more inviting place
to be! One that I have been recommended
in Bridgnorth is the Hare and Hounds. This
is situated just a short walk away from Low
Town on Bernard’s Hill and stocks LocAle
from Hobson’s and Enville. The landlord
suggested he may have a beer festival in the
summer so take a peek at their website to see
their planned events: www.hareandhounds.biz
Once the delights of Bridgnorth have been
consumed, the next area you may wish to
visit is Craven Arms. You may know the
railway station here- Central Wales Junction,
known for the scenic but under-served line
to Swansea. Craven Arms has the Shropshire
Hills Discovery Centre so you can have a
break from the beer or if you have children,
then this is perfect for a day out, ending with
a visit to one of the many family friendly
country pubs in the surrounding area.
Nostalgic adults should try ‘The Land of Lost
Content Museum of Popular Culture’, which is
located in the old market hall. Those of us of
a certain age will be delighted to be reminded
of domestic ephemera and artefacts from the
whole of the 20th century, including many
wartime exhibits. If you ever wondered where
your favourite toys got to, they may well be
here! So you can combine your rove around
these country pubs with a CulturAle aspect!
North of Craven Arms in Wistanstow, lies
the Woods Brewery whose popular beers
are widely distributed around the region.
Why not book a tour around the brewery, as
Wolverhampton CAMRA did last Autumn?
Of course, another popular local destination
is Bishops Castle. The Six Bells brewpub is
at the south end of town, close to the church.
You will be able to fi nd Big Nev’s and their
other ales. It’s a place full of character and
characters! At the north end of town, up a
steep hill presides the Three Tuns, selling
ales from the Three Tuns Brewery which
lies next door and supplies the pub. Visit the
gardens round the back whilst you are there-
maybe you will be lucky and it will be sunny
enough to sit outside! Apart from the drinking
pursuits, Bishops Castle has a museum
dedicated to the eccentric Craven Arms to
Bishops Castle Railway, long gone but fondly
remembered. Oh and for food, a good fish and
chip shop lurks at the top of the town! I can
recommend their chips!
So whether on a pub crawl or a family day
out, these are my alternative suggestions to
traipsing around the retail parks or doing
D.I.Y. Certainly, a more enjoyable way to
spend the bank holiday weekends!
An Autumnal trip to Cleobury Mortimer
Some places can only be found with a bit of
insiders knowledge and the Stable Tavern is
one such pub! Find the small car park just
north of the High Street. Walk down the
passage joining it to the town centre and you
will fi nd your objective! The pub has four
drinking/dining areas on different levels and
a spacious outdoor seating area. They had
Banks’s Bitter and Wye Valley Bitter at £1.25
a half during my visit.
Fronting the High Street is the imposing,
black and white half timbered Talbot Hotel.
In spite of the Greene King sign outside, they
had some unexpected beers in their cosy bar:
Batemans XXXB and St. Austell Proper Job.
At the east end of the main street lies the Old
Lion. Rather bare inside but stocking a range
of Hobson’s ales. I had half a Mild at £1.08. On
the south side is the Bell - lots of old CAMRA
stickers on it but the door was jamming (not in
the Jazz sense) and the windows were thickly
curtained so I first presumed that it was shut.
Persisting, I found real ale in the lounge
- Banks’s Bitter and Mild as well as Ruddles
County. I relaxed, watching the aquarium.
Keep going west and you will come across
the Royal Fountain Inn, rather a wholemeal
restauranty sort of place but they maintain a
good bar area. I had Woods Special (£1.35 a
half). It’s worth going into the back yard to
see the giant grapevine on the back wall.
The Kings Arms is opposite the historic St.
Mary’s Church with its twisted spire (that of
the Hobson’s beer). I deliberately
went there last knowing how
difficult it is to leave; see how I
suffered to cover all the town
pubs for you! They act as the
Hobson’s brewery tap and serve
the full range but I had a half of
the eponymous Twisted Spire
at £1.30.
As you see there is a lot to
do in Cleobury Mortimer
on the beer front, but if
you are with people
who do not wish to
partake or cannot
because they are
driving, then there’s
the historic High
Street shops, tea
rooms, church and the architecturally
interesting side streets to enjoy.
Beyond the call of duty, on my way back to
Bridgnorth I called in at the Eagle and Serpent
in Kinlet. They had a good selection: Enville
Ale, Hobsons Town Crier, Wye Valley HPA
and Banks’s Bitter.
Winter 2010
My Annual Rove to Linley
On crossing the Severn at Coalport, I came
across the Woodbridge Inn. A very pleasant
location that has featured in the soap opera ‘Neighbours’. They only had one ale, Charles
Wells Bombardier, but it was in good form.
The second pub was the Pheasant at Linley
serving Ludlow Gold, also in good condition.
A 1956 car park photo close to the window in
the pub is a must for classic car enthusiasts!
The Black Swan in Jackfield was the next
destination, a popular area with a view of the
Severn Rapids. The pub displays photos of
Jackfield in its industrial heyday and
serves Hobsons Twisted Spire, Hobsons
Town Crier and Everards Tiger as regulars.
My last call of the day was the All Nations
at Madeley. I had Coalport Dodger Mild
at £1.05 and Dabley Ale at £1.15.
A wonderful day out with views of
our glorious countryside to marvel at.
Northward Bound!
Norton in Hales was the first port of call
on my venture North and I popped in to the
Hinds Head, where the former landlady
of The Swan in Brewood sent her
greetings to Wolverhampton. They
only had Bombardier on but as you
would expect, it was in good condition.
Sitting outside, you can admire the bijou
village setting. Norton in Hales used to
have a railway station on the Market
Drayton to Stoke line and the buildings
are well preserved as private dwellings.
Crossing into Cheshire, I arrived in the
North of England! The town of Audlem
is best known for the Shropshire Union Canal,
along which you will come to the Shroppie
Fly. Named after a type of canal narrowboat,
the bows of which serving as the bar. On offer
were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Bombardier
and Titanic Anchor. I also visited the Lord
Combermere in the town centre. It has had
something of a minimalist makeover since my
last visit but has plenty of room inside and out.
Roving in Rugeley
First pub of the day, the Vine on Crossley
Stone features Quartz ales and does indeed
have a vine growing on it. Do beware of
the low doorways should you frequent this
friendly hostelry. Next was the Yorkshireman, located on a dangerous
bend on the entrance to Rugeley Trent
Valley Station. I was pleasantly surprised
to see Blythe Bagot’s Bitter 3.6% and
Palmers Poison 4.5% both at £1.40.
They also had local organic Freedom
Lager which CAMRA frustratingly does
not allow at beer festivals. I tried the lager
as I believe in supporting local products.
The pub was rather posh and foody- it
did not sell crisps!
Oakengates
First up is the Station Hotel, where
multiple rooms surround a central bar
that is decorated with an endearing folk
art frieze of a train. Serving Empire
Brewing Tempest 5.1% at £1.30 and
Gwynt-y-Ddraig Black Dragon 7.2%,
which is a cider and not a stout as the
name suggests! The Old Fighting Cocks
is a joint venture between Everards and
Ironbridge with a full range of the latter.
Summer 2010
During May, I stumbled across the annual Beer Festival at Telford AFC featuring 18 ales and 3 ciders. How nice to see so many younger people enjoying Real Ale at this family friendly event. I also went to Gayton Village Hall’s 3rd Beer Festival where they had nine summer themed Real Ales including Gayton Summer Ale by Summerskills. All well priced at £1.10 a half.
I paid a visit to Essington Fruit Farm whose shop has a good selection of bottled beers
and ciders including Hobsons, Beowulf
and Henneys. You can purchase a 4 bottle boutique Wobbly Gob cider presentation
pack from Hamstead Brewing Centre,
Great Barr - you can’t get more exotic than that!
I decided to embark on a trip across the wilds of Stone and Stafford. On my journey, I came across the sad sight of a closed pub, The Antelope in Holmcroft. I have never been inside this pub but it has got a magnificent exterior, especially the realistic antelope statue (actually a kudu) acting as its sign.
Upon arrival at Stone, I found that The Talbot had run out of ale- a sign that an England world cup game had taken place the night before! I made the short distance to The Royal Exchange, a Titanic pub also featuring guest ales. The walls are decorated with memorabilia of the Titanic disaster. An excellent port of call. However, if the Royal Exchange is a port, I then stepped into the storm outside to be met with thunder and lightning whilst rain water poured down the streets in torrents.
Not wanting to be swept away, I sought shelter in The Old Post Office. This is a very good example of the Wetherspoons estate, a fine
building saved for public
use. I had Batemans
Salem Porter (98p)
whilst I waited for the storm to subside before
making my way to The
Swan Inn. The many
handpulls included
Limestone, Acorn, Joules,
and Nottingham ales. There
were also four Real Ciders in a
chiller cabinet behind the bar.
I followed the deluge to Stafford and arrived at the Tap and Spile, Peel Terrace - known locally as “The Cottage by The Zambezi!” This hostelry is a good traditional local serving Alton Blonde.
I made my weary way over to Joxer Brady’s, Stafford. I can recommend it for the atmosphere and interesting characters who do so often really make a pub. My final destination was The Shrewsbury Arms where they have a house beer called Deb’s Delight named after their landlady who was indeed a delightful character!
An interesting day out roving around Stone and Stafford. I strongly recommend that you try it out though watch out for storms!
January 2010
To bring in the new year it was time for a
walk a very long walk in the snow via the aptly named Chillington to The Crown in Codsall Wood. The sunlit public bar at the front was very pleasant. Real Ale here included Brakspear Oh be Joyful £1.30 along with Banks’s Bitter & Original.
A week later and the thaw had begun, there was a great deal of standing water and
concretions of ice in the lanes. The Dog and Partridge at Calf Heath was very cosy with Marston’s Pedigree and Black Sheep Bitter. This was followed by a very pleasant
surprise. The Elms at Shareshill. The lounge at the front has Real Ale handpumps and the price was most reasonable with Highgate Old Ale 5.3% at £1.30 for a half. They also had Marston’s Pedigree for those who didn’t
want stronger ale on Saturday afternoon.
Upon leaving, I found that Shareshill
has some commendable modern
architecture a working Post Office
and had a public Christmas tree!
Now for a bit of spooky serendipity…
I came across a pile of melting snow
that had sculpted itself into the shape
of a headless chicken and I thought that
this was an apt symbol of the Schools and
the media response to a normal pre global warming winter snowfall.
The rest of the month then tied into beer
festivals. Redditch Winter Ales Festival was
excellent with a good selection of strong ales. This was followed by a slight delve in to the Scottish Real Ale scene at the Burns Night Scottish Ales Festival at the Anchor in Digbeth, Birmingham where they had some unusual Scottish ales. I spied members of Wolverhampton CAMRA supporting both events- well done!
Other beer festivals I attended were Coombs Wood Social Club in Halesowen and The Court House in Dudley, where I enjoyed
forcing the Vice Chair of Wolverhampton CAMRA work hard whilst serving my chosen ales. Again, those who like their ale strong and dark would have been happy as would those who like beers that are not always found
in these parts such Punk IPA by Brewdog.
To conclude my month of
unusual ales, I came across
the continental grocery,
Casper Stores on the
corner of Rugby/
Fawdry Street in
Whitmore Reans.
It has a good
selection of
Polish bottled beers,
including some dark ones.
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