The Hatchet Inn - Newbury

Visited 10th December 2011.

Well, we made it to Newbury slightly behind schedule, but not to much and after meeting up with our friends we made our way to 'The Hatchet Inn' which was not open when we did our last Wetherspoon visit to Newbury. The pub was very busy but we had no problem getting a table or having our order taken, but when the food arrived one of the meals was a little later than the other three. I had a surf and turf with Mrs. S opting for a jacket potato. We had a great time with loads of chat, catching up on almost a years worth of gossip. Sadly the evening came to an end all to soon and we had to leave, we still had another hours drive home. Not a bad day, five pubs visited, old friends seen and Mrs S. managed to do some Christmas shopping!

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The Silk Mercer - Devizes

Visited 10th December 2011.

Following another drive in the country we finally made it to Devizes where Mrs S. immediately spotted the pub. We missed the car park and ended up driving out the far side of Devizes before we were able to turn round and head back. We finally managed to park and were then swiftly across the road and into the pub. We both liked the layout and style of the pub but the bar staff were not keeping track of who was waiting. This meant that we had a fair wait before being served our two large lattes. We didn't stay long as we still had a bit of a drive ahead of us. The plan is to meet some friends in Newbury around seven for dinner.

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Sir Isaac Pitman - Trowbridge

Visited 10th December 2011.

The 'Sir Isaac Pitman' turned out to be, quite literally around the corner and a complete contrast to the previous pub. By now we were both feeling a little peckish so we ordered a large Nachos to share and a Pepsi for Mrs S. I had a Buffalo Trace and Pepsi. We stayed a while, mainly to allow Mrs. S. to rest her feet - all the dancing last night was catching up on her. It was while I was looking up at the ceiling, which had an interesting kind of light feature going on, when Mrs S. who had been staring out of the window spotted a pharmacy and decided it was time to leave as she wanted to buy some sticky plasters for her blisters. And we were off, again.
 
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The Albany Palace - Trowbridge

Visited 10th December 2011.

After eventually getting out of Bath we saw some countryside en route to Trowbridge, actually quite a lot of countryside, it seemed to take forever to get there. The never ending journey did eventually complete and after parking up and taking a short walk in to town we found 'The Albany Palace'. We took a couple of photos and then entered in to a large, dark space. We had no trouble finding somewhere to sit as it was not very busy but even so the booth we sat in had not had it's table cleared of food plates and wasn't cleared during our visit. Mrs S. once again opted for a large latte while I ordered a Buffalo Trace and Pepsi. There is a small dance floor with a large mirror ball overhead, although the floor was covered by tables while we were there. It looked as though the place could get a bit lively. Asking at the bar we were told that the 'Sir Isaac Pitman', our next stop, was just around the corner, so drinks finished off we set.
 
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The King of Wessex - Bath

Visited 10th December 2011.

Yesterday was the company Christmas party and they had kindly put myself and Mrs Sinner up in a very nice hotel in the Cotsworlds. We had a great evening and the breakfast this morning wasn't to bad either. We have arranged to meet up with some friends in Newbury tonight so we have to decide whether to drive home, almost passing through Newbury and then drive back or find something else to do to pass the day... Hmm, a little Christmas shopping in Bath maybe?
We hadn't been to Bath for many years and the one thing I remembered about it was that it was not the most car friendliest of cities. As it turned out it has got worse, but we eventually managed to find somewhere to park only about half a mile away from our target 'spoons. A bit of a walk later and we are sat down with a pint of Pepsi for me and a large latte for Mrs S. The pub was one of the narrow but long pubs with some booths along the right hand side and some purple mood lighting in the ceiling. It was pretty busy but we got served quickly  and with a friendly smile. We didn't stay to long as Mrs S was keen to take a look around the city, which was heaving with people. We found the Christmas market and bought a few small items before heading back to the car. We still had a busy day ahead of us, lots of pubs to visit before meeting our friends in Newbury .
 
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