Visited 6th February 2012.
It is nearly thirty years since I last visited Bognor Regis and it didn't seem to have changed a bit. We parked up and walked around the corner to the 'Hatter's Inn'. By now it was lunch time so we ordered a Pepsi for Mrs S. and an Apple and Raspberry J2O for myself and as we were feeling only a little peckish a plate of Nachos to share. The pub itself was scruffy and run down but the staff were friendly and efficient and obviously popular as it was pretty busy. We finished our Nachos and drinks and left intending to have a bit of a look round the town. As it happened we ended up on the beach where I was totally unable to persuade Mrs S. to dip a toe in the water. As we were walking back to the car we saw a bookshop selling second hand books, something we are always unable to resist and ended up making several purchases. We drove back home to the snow, which was still hanging around. Not a bad weekend and if I had to choose I would pick 'The William Webb Ellis' as our favourite pub of the last three days. I wonder where we'll end up next...
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Visited 6th February 2012.
Half a mile away from the cathedral we found 'The Gatehouse', about as much of a contrast from 'The Dolphin & Anchor' as you could ever find. Inside it was full of purple and neon. It was big, airy and modern but somehow still managed to have a relaxing atmosphere about it. I ordered a pint of John Smiths for me and a Pepsi for Mrs S. and we sat and drank while forming a plan for the rest of the day. Eventually we decided we would do one more 'spoons before heading back home.
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Visited 6th February 2012.
Following breakfast we checked out of the hotel, who were kind enough to allow us to continue using their car park while we went exploring. The first 'spoons on our list was easy enough to find (actually we had found it last night during our wanderings). It is situated opposite Chichester cathedral so you can't miss it really. We went in and ordered a couple of large lattes. Although it was still fairly early and a Monday it was busier than we expected. We sat and drank our coffees while looking at our slightly unusual surroundings. For some reason neither of us could relax so we were soon back out in the cold and in search of Chichester's second 'spoons.
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Visited 5th February 2012.
We had one more pub to visit on our list before we reach Chichester and that was 'The First Post'. We arrived in Cosham and managed to park down a side road almost opposite the pub and as it was starting to get quite cold by now the sight of the pub was very welcoming. The pub was dark and narrow but went back a long way, it was also fairly empty so Mrs S. had no problems getting us a table while I went and got Mrs S. a Malibu and Pepsi and an Apple and Raspberry J2O for myself. We stayed a while, long enough to warm up at least before deciding we really were starting to get hungry and in the mood for pizza.
We
made it to Chichester and the hotel with no sign of any snow other than
that we left at home and after dumping the car and bag went for a walk,
looking for something eat. There are two 'spoons in Chichester but we
were both a bit 'spooned out so we had a wander and ended up in Prezzos
where we finally had the pizzas we'd been craving. By now we were ready
for bed so it was back to the hotel for a good nights sleep ready for
whatever tomorrow might bring.
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Visited 5th February 2012.
Our next stop of the day was 'The Sir Alec Rose'. which unexpectedly turned out to be in a nice location overlooking a marina. The downstairs area was very quiet but it was a bit busier upstairs. We ordered a hot chocolate each and sat outside drinking them overlooking the boats. Yet another bag of Monster Munch was consumed by Mrs S. I settled for a bag of salt and vinegar, we really needed to get some food. Maybe at the next pub.
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Visited 5th February 2012.
Our second pub of the day was also in Fareham and was even in the same street. 'The Lord Arthur Lee' was a very different style of pub but was almost as busy. There was a Christening party going on and there were a lot of very children running around the pub playing chase. Mrs S. went to the bar while I secured us a table which as it turned out was right opposite the bar. With a regular Pepsi in each hand Mrs S. turned from the bar and almost tripped over a small, unsupervised child. Luckily her balancing skills were turned on and with only a small amount of Pepsi juggling she made it to the table. Both her and the child had survived unscathed but with so many children running loose it was not a very relaxing atmosphere. We finished our drinks and bags of Monster Munch and left, ready for whatever the next pub held in store for us.
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Visited 5th February 2012.
Mrs S. had booked a night away staying in a hotel in Chichester for us. The big question is, with all the snow on the ground do we make the trip? We spent a fair bit of time looking out the window and checking the weather forecast and online travel maps before loading up the car with a spade, old carpet, torch, water, stiff broom and a million other things plus one small traveling bag with our clothes in. As it turned out we needn't have worried, by the time we were on the M3 all the snow had disappeared and we didn't see any more until we returned home. And the roads were amazingly empty! Our first pub of the day was 'The Crown' in Fareham. Fareham turned out to be a larger town than we expected and were very protective over their parking spaces, we ended up having to pay - on a Sunday. A short walk and we found the pub. Inside it was warm and welcoming but very busy, almost everybody was eating a Sunday roast and we thought, at first, that we were not going to be able to find a table. I went to the bar while Mrs S. hovered. Then she pounced and a table was ours - for as long as it took to drink two large lattes. We didn't stay long as we were on a bit of a tight schedule. Due to the snow at home we had left a lot later in the morning than we had originally planned so what was going to be a long leisurely day pub hunting had become a lot more condensed. Fortunately the next pub is just down the road, at least that's what the barman has told us...
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Visited 4th February 2012.
The challenge was to get from 'The Moon on the Square' in Feltham to 'The William Webb Ellis' in Twickenham in time to see the second half of of the France v Italy 6 Nations rugby game. Luckily we had a local with us who 'knew' the way and said we wouldn't be needing Mrs SatNav. Sadly, we listened to him and didn't even get close to seeing the second half. Still, on the bright side, we did get there eventually, we did find somewhere to park and when we got in to the pub we did manage to get a table with a very good view of one of the many screens. We ordered some food and drinks (not sure why but I suddenly had a craving for a beer and a burger, well a double burger beef gourmet and guest ale actually with the traditional chicken burger and Pepsi for our designated driver) and settled down to watch the game. The pub was busy with a lot of England fans and as far as I could see both of the Scotland fans, Duffy being one of those. Towards the end of the game I received a text from Stiggy, who wasn't able to make this trip, saying that the snow was starting to settle pretty thickly back home and not to leave it to late so we had a quick look out of the window, couldn't see any snow, so carried on watching the game. We liked the pub, the food, the warming fire, the atmosphere, the staff, Duffy getting hooked on Buffalo Trace and for two out of three of us, the final score. By the time we left the pub it was snowing and the walk back to the car was a little treacherous. The car was covered by the time we reached it and the journey home, while uneventful, took longer than expected and Stiggy was right (she usually is), the snow back home was about 10cm thick. We made it home just in time. This might have big implications for tomorrow though...
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Visited 4th February 2012.
The plan was to meet up with Duffy in Feltham, have a beer, watch the France v Italy game and then to move on to Twickenham for the big one. Mrs S and myself made it to 'The Moon on the Square with plenty of time to spare, well a couple of minutes anyway, but received a text from Duffy saying he was running late due to self inflicted transport problems, so I got the beers in with Mrs S. opting for a Pepsi. The pub was busy (but we didn't see anyone eating) and from the booth where we were sitting we couldn't see the rugby - the screen we could see was only showing a menu of channel options. I went back to the bar to ask if the channel could be set but was told "maybe I will, maybe I won't". As it turned out, he didn't. By now Duffy had arrived and we had found new seats where we could almost see the one screen that was displaying the game. So a change of plan was required. We drank up and headed back to the car intending to try and get to the next venue in time for the second half. This is one pub we won't be returning to. Check out the next post to see if we made it...
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