The Bell - Amesbury

Visited 23rd December 2012.
 
Another wedding, another weekend away and a chance to visit anther pub. Yesterday we spent the day at a friends wedding where we had a great time. Lots to eat and drink and a boogie too. Today we are moving a bit more slowly and only visiting one pub. As it turned out 'The Bell' was a bit of a mixed bag with a nice and interesting interior {check out the cool loos), a friendly barmaid and a warming log fire. So why was it so quiet? It was almost empty inside during what should have been a busy Sunday lunchtime. Could it have been due to the Sunday club roasts being £8.25 for the basic meal? Definitely more expensive than I've seen it anywhere else. I had a large Pepsi with Mrs S. opting for her usual one shot latte. Somewhat reluctantly we finally left the pub and headed home following another great weekend.

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The Thomas Lloyd - Warwick

Visited 15th December 2012.
 
For our final pub of the day we had to drive a bit further but at least it was in the general direction of home. We arrived in Warwick just as the market was starting to close and just as we were starting to lose the light so we hurriedly took a few photos and then went for a look around the town. We ended up buying a lot of sweets and some Christmas lights before returning to the pub for a drink. I liked this pub a lot, mainly due I think to it being a lot larger inside than it first appeared with what seemed to be lots of side rooms or "alcovey" bits. Again it was busy and it took us a few minutes to find somewhere to sit. We did eventually and I was then promptly dispatched to the bar to purchase another couple of hot chocolates, our drink of the day it seems. We sat and read the Wetherspoons magazine while consuming our drinks before deciding it was finally time to leave the warmth of the pub and once again brave the rain. It had been quite an exhausting weekend with a Christmas party and five pubs visited. I wonder where we will be this time next year?

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The City Arms - Coventry

Visited 15th December 2012.
 
A short drive from the city centre and we arrived at 'The City Arms' where to our amazement we found an onsite car park with, even more amazingly one free space, which wasn't free for long. We took a few photos and then went and got a beer and some some lunch. Mrs S. had a Pepsi and I had a half of Plum Pudding. It was quite dim inside and again it was another busy pub. We couldn't decide what to have for lunch as we were still recovering from the large "full English" that we had back at the hotel so opted instead for a bag of Hula Hoops each. Another decent pub with the added bonus that we didn't have far to walk back to the car.

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The Flying Standard - Coventry

Visited 15th December 2012.
 
Another short walk (once we were going in the correct direction) and we were at 'The Flying Standard'. An impressive looking pub that was equally as nice inside. It was also very busy but Mrs S. managed to snag us a table while went to the bar and ordered two hot chocolates along with some toffee waffles and mignon wafers (living the high life). The very polite barmaid kept apologising for keeping me waiting but didn't actually keep me waiting very long considering how busy it was and how many people were waiting to be served. So far we were doing well, three pubs and all pretty decent.

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The Earl of Mercia - Coventry

Visited 15th December 2012.
 
We somehow managed to walk through the market and escape without buying anything, it was a close run thing however. Mrs S. has been looking for a batwoman costume for several weeks now and although she did find one in there it was not quite what she was looking for. We made it to 'The Earl of Mercia' and after the obligatory photo session headed inside where it turned out to be very busy. Unable to find an empty table downstairs Mrs S. ascended the stairs while I went to the bar and ordered two large lattes. I gingerly climbed the stairs, a coffee in each hand, looking for Mrs S. who had managed to find a table in the corner of the room just about as far away as it was possible to get from the stairs. Unnecessarily so, as in contrast to the room below almost every table upstairs was devoid of people. While drinking our coffees we stared out of the window at the rain as I pointed in the direction of the next pub on the list while telling Mrs S. about my uncanny sense of direction. We finished our lattes and left heading, as it turned out, in completely the opposite direction to the one we wanted! Our second nice pub of the day.

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The Spon Gate - Coventry

Visited 15th December 2012.

Yesterday Mrs S. and I drove to Birmingham for my company Christmas party. We had a bit of a boogie, a few beers and spent the night in a very nice hotel. We decided to take advantage of the situation and spend to day visiting a few 'spoons (wow, I bet came as a bit of a surprise!) The first pub on my list was 'The Spon Gate' in Coventry. Actually it wasn't, the first was meant to be 'The Flying Standard' but after parking and asking a police lady for directions, she thought it would be easier to point us to 'The Spon Gate'. It was fairly dark inside and had a dance floor at the far end. It was also fairly busy with about half of its tables occupied. Mrs S. had a Pepsi and I had a Buffalo Trace and Pepsi. We both quite liked this one but had a busy day ahead of us so we were off as soon as we had finished our drinks.

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The Rising Sun - Redditch

Visited 17th October 2012.

The Rising Sun was a good deal bigger inside than it appeared from the outside and was also fairly empty so I had no problem getting a table. I did have a bit of a problem getting served though as it seemed to take quite a long time before I was noticed... and I'm not small! I ordered a hot chocolate and sausage and mash. When it eventually arrived I was a bit surprised to only get two sausages but it seemed it was due to the new menu which had only just been introduced. Only two as they were bigger and more flavoursome, at least that's what I was told. Sadly my sausages were a bit overdone so I was unable to appreciate the new flavour (and I still would have liked three). By the time I left the pub it was raining more heavily and I was quite wet by the time I reached the car. The rain continued to get heavier and heavier and I was pleased to get home without any mishaps. So all in all, although I managed to visit quite a few pubs I missed out on my night away. Maybe next time... 

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The Royal Enfield - Redditch

Visited 17th October 2012.
 
I left Stourbridge and a little way out of town I pulled over in to a lay-by and fired up Google on the phone. How hard could it be to find somewhere cheap to stay the night? After downloading a couple of Apps, and calling several numbers it turned out that it was quite hard. I increased the amount I was willing to spend and tried again. I had set myself a hard limit of £40 as at that point I felt I might as well drive home. Another couple of calls and still no luck - so much for all these offers I was finding of cheap rooms for the night! As soon as I tried to book, the offers seemed to disappear and the B&Bs and hotels would try to charge full price which always seemed be at least £70. A new plan was made, I would visit two more pubs and then head for home, good ol' "Plan B". A bit more driving and I was in Redditch which according to my pub list had two 'spoons, "two birds with one stone". I parked up and headed in to 'The Royal Enfield', a converted cinema. I ordered a regular Pepsi and sat and took a look round. The pub was large and not very busy but it had a couple of nice features including a Royal Enfield in the corner. I had a brief, but friendly chat with the barman to get some directions to the next pub followed by a not so brief but still friendly chat with a native about motorcycles. The next pub was within easy walking distance so off I set. There were a couple of drops of rain in the air so it was quite a brisk walk but I made it relatively dry and ready for something eat. 

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The Chequers Inn - Stourbridge

Visited 17th October 2012.

I still had a little time where my car was parked outside 'The Edward Rutland' before the space turned in to a taxi rank, so I walked up the road to 'The Chequers Inn'. It was busier than the previous pub and myself and several other people were kept waiting for a long time before we were served by the severely overworked barmaid. She did apologise for the long wait while she was pouring my small Pepsi. This was a nice looking pub, both inside and outside but as I had only a limited parking time and it had taken so long to get served in the two pubs it was all a bit of a rush and I had to leave a bit sharpish. As it was I made it back to the car slightly over time but appeared to have not incurred the wrath of any cabs drivers wanting to complain about my tardiness, mainly, I expect, due to fact that there were no cabs waiting for customers (or indeed any customers waiting for cabs). So, one day and eight more pubs to tick off my list, now it was time to find somewhere to stay for the night!

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The Edward Rutland - Stourbridge

Visited 17th October 2012.

By the time I got back to the car I was cold and windswept and ready for another coffee. A quick scan of my pub list and I'm off and heading to Stourbridge where the last two pub of the day were awaiting me. I made it to Stourbridge uneventfully and managed to find a parking space almost directly outside the 'The Edward Rutland' having already driven past my final pub of the day a few hundred yards up the road. It was quiet inside, definitely the least busy pub of the day. While I was waiting at the bar I had a look around the room and saw several tables still with dirty plates and glasses on them. Several minutes standing at the bar and I was still waiting to be served. I was listening to the manager who was on the phone telling someone how busy they were and how understaffed they were... Eventually I was served a large latte. The pub did hold one surprise for me though. I had sat drinking my coffee in a fairly traditional setting but when I walked through to the back of the pub I had to go down a short corridor and emerged in to a much more modern looking room complete with disco lights and another bar, although there was still nobody in there. Not a bad pub but a shame about the lack of service. 

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The Waterfront Inn - Brierley Hill

Visited 17th October 2012.

'The Waterfront Inn' is, according to the Wetherspoon website about a third of a mile away from 'The Abraham Darby' but walking there it felt a lot further. Somehow it seemed to be all uphill and there was rather a brisk wind blowing. By the time I got to it I was cold, sweating, windswept and most deffinately ready for a drink. It seemed busy, although this could have just been because of the apparent smallness inside. I ordered an Apple and Mango J2O and sat drinking it while I recovered from my walk while comtemplating the walk back to the car. Two more pubs on my list to visit today and then I need to look for somewhere to stay for the night. What can go wrong? 

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Abraham Darby - Brierley Hill

Visited 17th October 2012.

In complete contrast to the previous pub I am now in 'The Abraham Darby'. It is on the edge of a shopping centre and I have just spent a considerable amount of time wandering around the lanes looking for it. For some reason there didn't seem to be any maps or signage for where the various shop were and I eventually had to resort to asking people. Nobody seemed to know until I asked a security guard who didn't know but did ask a cleaner who from somewhere on his cart produced a map which he kindly gave to me. Map in hand I then walked almost the entire length of the centre (again) to the pub. I treated myself to a large Pepsi, after all the walking I felt that I had earned it. Another moan here, if a pint of beer was pulled and there was 3/4 of an inch gap between the top of the beer and the top of the glass there would be a huge fuss created (as there was when Wetherspoons tried to introduce oversize glasses). So why do so many bar staff think it is OK to do the same with Pepsi? 

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The Moon Under Water - Cradley Heath

Visited 17th October 2012.

In contrast to the previous pub, 'The Moon Under Water' is more traditionally styled. It's long and narrow, darkly paneled and with a booths along the left hand side. As my regular reader will know this is very much in the style I like. It was not busy and and I had a pleasant chat with the very nice bar lady that served me my Pepsi. I finish my drink and once again I'm quickly on my way. 

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The Britannia - Rowley Regis

Visited 17th October 2012.

I had a plan, at least for the first eight pubs that I intended to visit today and the main part of that plan was that all the pubs would be reasonably close together. Obviously this was to save time and allow me to cover more pubs so I was kicking myself at spending far to long finding 'The Britannia'. I parked and turned left from the car park, walking in the general direction of the town and then proceeded to wander in circles looking for the pub. I finally hit upon the idea (following one of those 'Doh' moments) of looking for increasing door numbers to find the pub, being fairly sure I was in the correct road. I ended up walking only a few hundred yards past the car park I was using to find the pub bathed in glorious sunshine just waiting for me to enter. I did and on this occaision really felt that I had earned the large latte that I settled down with. The pub was fairly busy but had a nice relaxed atmosphere, helped I'm sure by the cool, greenish interior and the friendly barstaff. I didn't tarry as I knew I had a busy day still ahead of me so as soon as I had finished my coffee I was on my way back to the car and on to the next pub.

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The William Shenstone - Halesowen, Birmingham

Visited 17th October 2012.

After a few miles on the road I arrive in Halesowen where I start looking for 'The William Shenstone'. I end up driving past it and then have to find somewhere to park as all the (very) short stay places outside are taken, so I end up parking at Adsa's which is only a short walk away. This 'spoons is in a more traditional style and was pretty busy but I didn't have to wait to long to be served my Apple and Raspberry J20. The toilets were much nicer and after taking care of business it was back to the Asda car park and back on the road. Busy, busy, busy. 

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The Black Horse - Birmingham

Visited 17th October 2012.
 
Following my week away I have another week to go before I have to go back to work so I've decided to spend a day visiting a few 'spoons. Birmingham here I come!
The plan is to try and visit eight pubs on the first day, find a cheap hotel or B&B to stay over and then follow up with another six pubs on the second day. Everything starts well and I find myself at the first pub on my list in time for breakfast. From the outside 'The Black Horse' looks impressive and it is just as nice inside although I did trip over the step on the way in while looking at the sign that says to mind the step. I ordered the large breakfast and a large latte which arrived promptly and with the eggs cooked just the way I like them. The place even has its own car park where you can stay for up to three hours. The only downside were the toilets, they were in a bit of a state to the point where I was reluctant to use them. I tripped over the step again on the way out although I was a little preoccupied thinking about how far it was to the next pub on my list and would I be able to use the toilet when I got there. 

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Wetherspoon Express - Crawley

Visited 4th October 2012.

On the way to the boarding gate we have to pass a Wetherspoon Express. Not much to report on this one other than it was expensive. I stopped and asked for a glass of Pepsi (as I'm playing the game to my rules and my rules say that I have to buy something at each 'spoons visited or it doesn't count) but surprise, they did not sell Pepsi by the glass and I was forced to buy a bottle. I imagine they don't sell many as it was way more expensive than the same bottle of Pepsi on sale in the shop across the aisle! 

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The Red Lion - Crawley

Visited 4th October 2012.

Something a little different today. I'm off on my hols with the family. The photo is of myself and Ms S. junior. The Red Lion is at Gatwick airport airside and was very busy. Which given the prices I was totally surprised at. Over £9 for a burger that did not include a beer. Between us we had three chicken burgers, three Pepsi', one cheese and ham panini and a pint of Abbot ale. The bill was well over £40 making this easily the most expensive 'spoons I've visited so far. The staff were friendly, chatty (as much as time would allow) and obviously hard working but I did leave feeling a lot lighter in the wallet! 

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The Drabbet Smock - Haverhill

Visited 9th September 2012.

The sun is still shining and it's pleasantly warm as we walk across the square to a modern looking 'Drabbet Smock'. Inside it's a lot more traditional and comfortable looking. It is however very busy and it takes us a few minutes to find a table. By now I am feeling a bit more with it and order a Buffalo Trace and Pepsi for myself and a Pepsi for Mrs S. Mrs S. is also feeling a little peckish so we have some chips and onion rings too. Another pub with a nice relaxing atmosphere and again we stay a while before heading back to the car for the journey home. Two nice pubs today and a great wedding yesterday - not a bad weekend. 

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The Corn Exchange - Bury St Edmunds

The happy couple

Visited 9th September 2012.

Mr and Mrs S. have been invited to a wedding. Stiggy, who has been with me on several 'spoon' visits is getting married. As usual, any special event that involves a trip somewhere different involves much planning. As it turns out there is no way we will have time on the day of the wedding to visit any 'spoons but we are going away for the weekend so there is always Sunday.
The wedding was great fun and it was nice to see that Stiggy scrubbed up so well, who'd have guessed? But the wedding was yesterday and today we have to get down to the serious business of pubbing. We are only a couple of miles away from Bury St Edmunds so thats where we head for our first pub of the day. And it turns out to be a pretty decent looking pub. We go in and immediately find out that we have to go upstairs, so we do, where the first things we see is a very interesting view of the sky. Nice ceiling! We had breakfast at the hotel we stayed at overnight so were not hungry and I had rather a lot to drink at the wedding reception so we settled on a Pepsi each. We stayed a while as it was a nice place to sit and chill and boy did we (I) need that. We had already had a bit of a look round Bury St Edmunds while looking for a parking spot and it looked to be a very interesting place. We had walked in the Abbey Gardens and saw Abbey Gate, the usual touristy things, very unlike us really but it was relaxing and a place that we would like to revisit one day. I had a list of four pubs that I thought would be good to visit but had seriously underestimated how exhausted we would be so following a look at the map and a bit of a rethink the new plan was to visit just one more pub that was in the general direction of home. 

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The Royal Oak - Dorchester

Visited 2nd September 2012.

Our final pub of the day was a few miles up the road in Dorchester, a town that I spent a lot of time in some thirty years ago and I was curious to see how it had changed. As it turned out I was able to recognize quite a bit but not 'The Royal Oak' which was opened several years after I left. Mrs S. took the group photo. Usually it's a bit of a mission to get anybody to stand with me for the photo session but today I was surrounded by budding models. It was very busy inside and we ended up sitting around a couple of tables outside. Bizarrely we all ended up having Pepsi to drink, much to the bemusement of the barman who served us. We sat chatting for a while but it was soon time to head for home. It had been a good day and we had packed a lot in but we were also feeling a bit sad as we knew it would probably be a good while before we would get the chance to all get together again. Pub of the day was, for me anyway, 'The Man in the Wall', I thought the bar was great!

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The William Henry - Weymouth

Visited 2nd September 2012.

Our third 'spoons of the day and we have all decided to get something to eat. This pub does allow children, so we all troop in, push a few tables together (not easy as it was very busy) and start looking at the Sunday roasts. Most of us opt for the roast beef and head off "en masse" to the bar to order and then return to our seats to choose again after being told they had run out of beef. A few minutes later and we are back at the bar but ordering the chicken roast where we had much better luck. We stayed longer than we expected, mainly because the food took quite a while to arrive but when it did it was fine. We then left and went and found a funfair, seriously, we'd just eaten...

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The Swan - Weymouth

Loads of detail and all made from matchsticks!

Visited 2nd September 2012.

Next stop, Weymouth. Having parked we didn't immediately head off to a 'spoons but took a little time out and went and had a look around Nothe Fort. We ended up spending several hours there, much longer than we expected. This was partly due to meeting a man who had spent most of his life making scale models of ships out of matchsticks and was exhibiting some of his collection at the fort. Not everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed it. We left and headed back to town and 'The Swan' where we found that it was a pub for over 18s only. The first Wetherspoons I have come across that doesn't allow children. Not a problem as there was a Subway across the road where most of our party headed while the boys went for a beer! The decor had definitely seen better days but did not seem to deter the punters (including us) as it was very busy inside. I had a pint of 'Old Thumper', my brother a Fosters and our friend a pint of Carlsberg. We lost track of time while we sat reminiscing and eventually had to leave as a response to Mrs S. hammering on the window telling us to "Get a move on". We did "move on", but only to the other end of the road where we found another 'spoons...

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The Man in the Wall - Wimborne

Mr Sinner with his brother and his family.

Visited 2nd September 2012.

My brother and his family have come to visit from a foreign land and he would like to visit a few old friends. A quick check on Google Earth and we decide to head to Weymouth where we will meet up with one of his old school friends and his family. Come the big day and it's an early start as we have to pick them up on the way. As it was such an early start we had decided to stop off on the way to Weymouth at Wimborne where we would have a bite of breakfast. Having parked up we took a bit of a wander and eventually found the pub in plenty of time for a fry-up. Having said fry-up I was then persuaded to try something different and ended up having the eggs benedict and a large latte with Mrs S. having pancakes and a cup of tea. The staff were very helpful and were happy to supply us with a glass of milk for my niece. This was a nice pub with great staff and a couple of neat features. You can't see it in the photo but the bar was very unusual, well worth a visit, my niece spent several minutes looking at it. Next stop, Weymouth.

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The Wagon Works - Eastleigh

Visited 27th August 2012.

Our second pub of the day was in Eastleigh which was only a short drive away. As it was a bank holiday we were able to park outside, which was handy! We liked the decor and found the pub quiet and relaxing. A perfect setting for us to sit and have a drink. I had my first Buffalo Trace and Pepsi for about a month with my driver knocking back a Pepsi. We also had a pleasant walk around the town before heading off back home. Not a bad day.

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The Old Gaolhouse - Winchester

Visited 27th August 2012.

If you are a regular reader of 'The Beer and Burger' you may have noticed a dearth of posts recently. I've not been very well and this has meant (apart from a short stay in hospital) no beer! Happily this situation has now been rectified and I feel the need to get back into the swing of things again. The August bank holiday seemed to present the perfect opportunity. Mrs S. and myself hopped into the car and set off for Winchester. We are going to a wedding in a few weeks time and Mrs S. felt the need to do a little handbag shopping and having struck out at all the local shops is setting her hopes a little further afield. We arrived at 'The Old Gaolhouse' in plenty of time for breakfast, which was the plan after all. I had a large breakfast and large latte with Mrs S. opting for the standard breakfast along with the obligatory large latte. They had no clean cups so we had to settle for our coffee being served up in paper takeaway cups. Just not the same. It was quite busy and there seemed to be a distinct lack of staff resulting in a pretty long wait at the bar. Having said that I quite liked the place although Mrs S. was not so easily pleased. We stayed only long enough to eat breakfast as Mrs S. was keen to get on with her handbag shopping. And the quicker we got the shopping out of the way the quicker we could get to the next pub!

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