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Exploring Oxford's Pubs
We arrived at noon, thirsty after our trip by minibus from Solihull. The bus deposited us near our first stop, the Lamb & Flag. Here we were met by Matt Bullock, a former editor of the "Solihull Drinker", who now lives in Oxford, and other members of CAMRA's Oxford branch, who were to be our guides for the day.
The Lamb & Flag is a 15th century coaching inn and offered a warm welcome after our journey. There were beers from Skinner's and Palmer's (including a house beer), alongside the better-known Spitfire, London Pride and Theakston's. We stayed a while, discussing plans for the day and savouring the beers before moving on.
Almost directly opposite is the Eagle and Child, another of Oxford's historic pubs. Either side of the entrance are intimate seating areas with wood panelling and glass, while in the main bar area is a plaque commemorating the fact that for many years this was the favourite pub of a group of literary figures including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. We certainly appreciated the beers on offer; Hancock's HB, Hook Norton Old Hooky, Taylor's Landlord and Draught Bass.
By now we were beginning to feel hungry, so we made our way to the King's Arms, an unspoiled, multi-roomed pub popular with students. Here we found a range of meals and snacks available, as well as Smile's March Hare, Wadworth's 6X, and a range of Young's beers (Special, Bitter, Winter Warmer and Waggledance. Unfortunately the Harviestoun Belgian White had just run out!
We were fortunate to have some local people to take us around, or we might not have found the next pub, the Turf Tavern. It is tucked away along a maze of little alleyways close to the Bridge of Sighs. We arrived at a real gem of a pub, in a quiet secluded setting, with patio areas outside, and two low-ceilinged bars inside. The pub offers a range of guest beers, including, at the time of our visit, Flower's Original, Caledonian Deuchar's IPA, Hop Back Back Row, Ringwood Fortyniner, Brain's SA & Bitter, Fuller's London Pride and Gale's Swing Low. We sampled a variety of beers between us, and then reluctantly found our way through the alleyways back to the bustle of Oxford.
Our next pub was the White Horse, a small, busy pub with a long narrow bar. Here we were again presented with a variety of beers, including Badger Tanglefoot, Tolly Original, Smile's March Hare, Fuller's London Pride, and, for me, undoubtedly the best beer of the day, Caledonian Six Nations.
We then moved on to the Bear, another classic old pub. The walls are adorned with a collection of over 3,000 ties, and anyone who ventures in wearing a tie may be persuaded to "donate" it! Our group was casually dressed, so nobody was required to remove articles of clothing! Here, the beers were Hancock's HB, London Pride, Young's Special and Coach House St Patrick's Leprechaun Ale.
We then made our way to the Hobgoblin, an attractive old building adorned with flowers outside. Here we found Milton Constantine, and Aphrodite, Black Swan Dark Mild, Brakspear Brass Monkey and Butt's Jester. A further hand pump announced "Hors de Combat" - was this a new brew we had discovered? No, just the landlord's witty way of saying that pump was not in use!
As we left the Hobgoblin it had started to rain, so we arrived at the Wharf House absolutely drenched. As we dried out we were able to sample some of the beers on offer: RCH Pitchfork, Hook Norton Best Bitter, Boat Black Pearl, Vale Hadda's Headbanger and Doghouse Staffy Stout .
When the rain eased off, we headed off to the Far From the Madding Crowd, a fairly new pub, and with a more modern décor than the others we visited. We found another good range of beers: Taylor Landlord, Wadworth 6X, Tom Hoskin's Cat, Springhead Roaring Meg and Black Sheep Bitter. Here we were met by our minibus driver, and after sampling a quick half, it was time to thank our Oxford branch guides for showing us such an excellent selection of pubs during the day,and to bid them a fond farewell as we climbed back on board our bus. However, there was one final treat in store before arriving home.
The Cottage Tavern at Ashorne in Warwickshire was our final destination. This was voted Warwickshire CAMRA pub of the year 2003, and it lived up to its reputation. We received a warm welcome, and enjoyed some of the beers available, which were John Smith's Bitter, Holden's Golden Glow and Cairngorm Sheepshagger's Gold. The meals looked delicious too!
Everyone agreed it was another successful trip, and we all look forward to the next one! Thanks to Bob, the organiser, and of course to Matt and his colleagues at Oxford CAMRA for giving us such a thoroughly enjoyable day.
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