The Lord Moon of the Mall - London, West End

Visited 14th September 2009.

It's busy at work and I find myself on one of my rare trips out of the office. Today I've been sent to see some clients in Central London to perform a little troubleshooting. The train and tube is running with no problems, I get the client sorted in a couple of hours and now it's lunch time. I have a couple of hours before my next appointment to I decide to take a walk and see a few of the sights London has to offer. My walk takes me past the Houses of Parliament and along Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square. Just before I reach Nelson's Column over on the left I spot my target (more on targets later). First problem is getting a photo, it's busy and I wait several minutes for a gap in the traffic. Done. Now to find somebody to photograph me. I spot a tourist laden with their own cameras and home in. My attempts at mime pay off and then I enter into a "traditional English pub". Wetherspoon's words not mine. OK, so they were fairly right. I waited a while to be served although the bar staff did not appear to be to busy, there was no sense of urgency even though I was attempting to look as thirsty as possible. Eventually I had my pint of "Bear Ass" and was able to spend a few minutes relaxing and decor. I generally like old style pubs and I did feel comfortable but for a real traditional English pub feel it needed to be just a little darker. Cheers and toodle-pip!

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The Moon and Spoon - Slough

Visited 31st August 2009.

It's taken a while but I have finally managed to get back to Slough. You may remember that the last time I tried to have a drink in Slough it was closed, the pub, not Slough. As it was a bank holiday free parking was available right outside, always a bonus! It was a warm, sunny day so it was reasonably busy but I just cannot find anything exciting to say about "The moon and Spoon". The bar staff were friendly and efficient. The kitchen staff got the order right. I passed away several hours in there. In fact it was all very pleasant... just not... exciting! I think I have been spoilt by my recent visit to Cambridge.

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The Regal - Cambridge

Visited 29th August 2009.

A friend of mine asked if I could help him out by collecting two arcade games machines that he had purchased on eBay. I would like to say that I immediately offered to help but memories of the last time I helped him to move a very large, heavy sofa from the fourth floor of a block of flats where the lifts were to small for it came flooding back, along with an instant backache!
"I'll buy you lunch", he said, "at a Wetherspoons, if there's one nearby".
So, into the van and off to Cambridge where he acquired two linked racing machines without to much sweating and then a short ride into town. And back out again as we couldn't find anywhere to park. About a mile and a half away we found a side street to park in (pay and display) that would let us stay for more than an hour. As you can probably guess from the photos I'm not big on walking, but needs must and all that...
What can I say, it was worth it. The picture house frontage, the doors and film posters, I loved it. As with many Wetherspoon pubs it is a lot, lot bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Inside we have a DJ box, high ceilings, sweeping staircases, nice toilets and a lot of people. I had a long look around the place, even out the back and really like it. The bar staff were well trained and very efficient with just the right amount of friendliness and humour thrown in. I noticed a few people seemed to be oddly dressed (grass skirts) and found that there was going to be a Hawaiian beach party that evening. I'm sorry to say we had to leave before it started but if I had known before hand I may have been tempted into dusting off my own, somewhat tatty grass skirt and coconuts.
For me the place is not "just around the corner" but even so I could easily be talked into a return visit.

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The Claude Du Vall - Camberley

Visited 16th August 2009.

A quiet day... Bored...
Roadtrip! Yes! Where to?
Camberley? What's in Camberley? Answer, The Claude Du Vall.
Myself, Mrs Sinner and a couple of friends who are also starting to buy into the idea of "The Wetherspoons Challenge" hop into the car and set off for the wilds of Surrey in search of Elvis. OK, not so wild. Admittedly it was a quiet early Sunday evening but this pub was without a doubt the quietest Wetherspoon pub I've visited so far. That said the food was good as were the bar and waiting staff. No complaints from any of us! A pleasant evening and we went off home satisfied although our search for Elvis ended as a massive FAIL.

© John Sinner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of John Sinner. All rights reserved.

The Falcon - High Wycombe

Visited 9th August 2009.

What can I say, we were hungry, the kids were hungry and nobody felt like cooking. Only one thing to left to do then - pub lunch! So we all bundled into the car and headed off to The Falcon. Parking was a cinch but only because it was Sunday, most of the time the road we were in is closed to regular traffic. But the weather was nice and we were in good spirits, even the kids were behaving. What could go wrong? Actually, nothing. We all opted for the Sunday roasts which arrived swiftly and they even had one of my favourite beers available, "Rebellion Blonde" which to quote www.rebellionbeer.co.uk is a "4.3% blend of both lager malt and bitter malt. When combined, they offer the unique qualities of both a lager and bitter, within the same bottle. Serve chilled to savour it as a light, thirst quenching alerternative to a continental style lager. Let it wam up to cellar temperature, (10-14 Degrees C), and the complex falvours of the bitter malt are liberated and the product becomes a light, easy drinking bitter, with a dry finish and a delicate hop aroma." All I know is it tastes great. Well done Wetherspoon, a good choice!

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The Reeds Arms - Burnham-on-Sea

Visited 28th July 2009.

For those of you that have been following our wedding adventure we are now on our way home and I'm sure we will need to stop for a refreshing break.
Yes, I was right... We are about half way and Burnham-on-Sea is beckoning. Just time for a quick coffee and an opportunity to see if our initialed loyalty card will be accepted. It was, without a second glance. The system (at least in this instance) works.
A busy, popular pub. In fact it was so busy we found it a little tricky to find somewhere to sit at first and ended up lurking and watching ready to pounce on a table as soon as somebody, anybody moved.
Maybe it was just me but there seemed to be a lot of doorways.

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The Imperial - Exeter

Visited 28th July 2009.

Today is the last day of our mini-break, but before we leave Exeter we have just one more pub to visit. As it turns out it is just a short walk from the guest house, in fact it's even in the same road. The Imperial is a huge pub set in a large, well cared for garden and it even has a free car park, although you are limited to three hours. Inside it was a strange mixture of dark panelled walls and a large green-house type structure with several bars tucked away. Look out for the statue on the stairs, I loved it!
Time for a moan. People that know me will find it difficult to believe how little of this I have been doing in this blog but... dirty cutlery... enough said.
I was reading a letter in the June/July 2009 issue of wetherspoonnews about getting your coffee card stamped and how often the stamp was lost or unavailable and the staff would just initial the cards. Our card was initialled so we will see how well the system works at the next pub we visit.

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George's Meeting House - Exeter

Visited 27th July 2009.

Just around the corner from The Chevalier Inn is George's Meeting House which is where we went next after a little more shopping. George's Meeting House is a great example of one of the reasons I am doing this (apart from the beer). Built as a Unitarian chapel in 1760 and named after George III with the pulpit (allegedly) built in 1687 and moved to George's in 1760. OK, so I read some of the wall plaques. But I like the idea of recycling buildings, especially if they are being conserved, restored and turned into places where I can have a drink!
I would recommend a visit although I cannot guarantee there will be any women showing off their cleavage. (Cleavages? Cleavai?)

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The Chevalier Inn - Exeter

Visited 27th July 2009.

Having now left South Devon we have decided to spend a couple of days in Exeter visiting a very good friend. During the obligatory shopping spree, surprise, surprise, we found a Wetherspoon pub that was not on my list (and how new looking is that sign). We went to the bar to order our drinks when the lights went out. And back on again a few seconds later. The 'light show' continued for the hour or two that we were there along with an impromptu alarm test which everybody in true British fashion ignored.
Mrs J tried a Jerry Sailor for the first time and this has now become her tipple of choice. I had the Guzzler which wasn't bad either. A nice, new pub, larger upstairs than down with enthusiastic bar staff who inadvertently through no fault of their own kept us all entertained.

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