The Robert Fitzharding - Bristol

Visited 1st April 2012.
 
After leaving 'The Berkeley' we set off at a gentle amble back down the hill, across Queen Square and back to Temple Meads. As soon as we were in the car Stiggy removed her shoes to give her feet a rub. After a very vocal protest from me and Mrs S. she put them back on again, but it was far to late, she had already reaffirmed why she had the nickname Stiggy. We drove from Temple Meads to Clifton where we had a walk across Clifton Suspension Bridge and took a few more photos. If you have never seen it, it's well worth a visit as there are some spectacular views and the bridge itself also looks good. Having done our "culture" for the day it was back to the car for the drive to 'The Robert Fitzharding', our last pub of the day. We managed to park just around the corner, no problem parking at that time of night. It had been a long day and by now we were all starting to feel a little weary, so much so that we almost collapsed in to some window seats. We sat with our large lattes and biscuits balanced and warming on the top of the cup and chatted about the bridge. It was the first time that Mrs S. and Stiggy had seen it and both agreed that it had been worth the trip. (I wonder what they'll make of the Queen Elizabeth II bridge when we eventually get round to visiting a few 'spoons out Dartford way? Oh crap, Bluewater is out that way too.) It was a peaceful journey back, no chatter, the only noise being the gentle snoring of my passengers... Pub of the day? V-Shed.

© 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 Berkeley - Bristol

 











Visited 1st April 2012.
 
Once again we trusted our luck to Google and once again it failed us miserably. We eventually ended up doubling back on ourselves before being pointed in the direction of a steep hill. The pub was at the top but luckily (for some) there was a "must visit" shop about half way up where we paused for a break. A little more retail therapy obviously did the trick as the girls were happy to do a little modeling before our next drink. By now we were starting to wimp out a little and breakfast was starting to wear off. Two small Pepsis, one large, a bag of monster munch and two bags of crisps seemed to do the trick while we sat and eased our aching feet. It was quite dark inside and on first impressions seemed like quite a small place but there was a surprise for us as we took a look around. Not obvious from the entrance was the ceiling piece, our second of the day. The staff were very helpful and also brought us a small pudding to try - "new on the menu", they said. Having been 'fed' and watered we felt ready to head back to the car. Next stop, Clifton.

© 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.

V-Shed - Bristol

Visited 1st April 2012.
 
We followed the directions we had been given, passed the fountains and soon spotted the V-Shed. Easily the busiest pub we had visited so far today. Stiggy had been telling me how to "feed the pony" en-route (a phrase I'd never heard before) much to Mrs S. disapproval. Mrs S. took some photos, just me this time as Stiggy had legged it into the pub before I had a chance to grab her. The inside of the pub pub was divided up into three floors and we headed straight to the top where the girls grabbed a table and I was dispatched to the bar to order two sticky toffee and custard puddings, a crumble and custard, two lattes and another refreshing larger shandy for myself. The girls sat and chatted while I was left to work out how to get to the next pub on my list. We all liked the great location of this pub along with the view, certainly our favourite of the day so far, but we still had two more to go...

© 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 Commercial Rooms - Bristol

Visited 1st April 2012.
 
We had a plan, a list of pubs, a smart phone with Google maps, what could go wrong? As it turned out Google maps walking directions is still in Beta and led us on a bit of a mystery tour before the girls said enough was enough and just started walking in what turned out to be an almost homing pigeon like example of how to get to the shops. I decided to let them have their way on this one as it seemed to have a calming effect on them both. Several shops and many bags later I was instructed to find the next pub as they wanted a drink and a rest. Google said 'The Commercial Rooms' was the nearest so we followed the directions and after only one "shortcut"  ended up at the entrance where my companion Stiggy reluctantly joined me for the obligatory photo session. If her expression in the photo looks a little strained it was because she was being wedgied. Inside was a large, high ceilinged room with an unusual yellow and orange paint scheme. Stiggy and I had a larger shandy each with Mrs S. supping on a Pepsi. I then had a chat with a friendly barman who pointed us in the direction of the next nearest 'spoons... and we're walking...

© 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 Knights Templar - Bristol

Visited 1st April 2012.
 
I was starting to suffer from withdrawal symptoms from not having visited any Wetherspoon pubs during March. This definitely needed to be rectified so a day trip to Bristol was planned. The plan was to allow the girls to do a bit of shopping, visit a few pubs and also take a look at Clifton Suspension Bridge. As it turned out Biggles couldn't make the trip so it was just me, Mrs S. and Stiggy. We were up early and made good time in getting to Bristol but, as usual in the big cities parking turned out to be a bit of a problem. Anyway to cut a long story short we found a car park near to The Square but then couldn't get the 'Pay by Phone' service to work and as it was the only way to pay gave up and went in to Bristol City centre where I refused to pay £20 to park and ended up driving to Temple Meads railway station where we managed to find a pay machine that not only took coins but also worked. I was able to enter an almost zen like state to these frustrations but unfortunately the girls couldn't and tempers seemed to be getting a little frayed. The ladies abandoned me and went in search of the pub, leaving me to complete the parking process... By the time I caught up with them Mrs S. had ordered three breakfasts and three small lattes and they seemed a little more chilled. The pub itself was modern, bright and surprisingly busy given its location. The breakfasts were fine and we left the pub in much better spirits ready to tackle the rest of Bristol.

© 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 Van Dyke Forum - Bristol

Visited 18th September 2011.

The last pub on my list for today was a bit of a surprise, something a little different. The outside certainly didn't prepare me for what was to come. It was a bit barn like inside but but I loved the green metalwork and especially loved the fish. I sat drinking my large latte and reading my book, determined to finish it before heading home. Fortunately by now there was not much book left to read and I finished reading at about the same time I finished drinking. As I left I stopped for my last photo-shoot of the day and headed back to the car. And for once, it wasn't raining (so glad I left he bike at home). Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon and I know I'll be back as there are still five more pubs in the city centre to check out.

© 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.

St Georges Hall - Bristol

Visited 18th September 2011.

All of the pubs today are within one or two miles of each other so I am making good time, or at least I was until I arrived at 'St Georges Hall'. As it turned out this one provided me with the trickiest parking and I had to drive past the pub several times before parking down a side road. I entered and ordered a large Pepsi. There seemed to be some building work going on in the pub as an area near the bar had been taped off, or the rain had been harder than I thought. I found an empty table and settled down with my book. Then my phone rang. By the time I had finished the call and answered two unrelated texts I had consumed my beverage. Time to move on, one to go.

© 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 Jolly Sailor - Bristol

Visited 18th September 2011.

Pub three and it's still raining. This one is more in the style I like, lots of dark paneling and a mixture of yellow and burgundy paint. I went upstairs and got a table number and waited for some bar staff to appear to take my order. Eventually a young lady came and took my order for sticky toffee pudding and custard (always have to have custard with sticky toffee pudding). The pub was busy with a mix of all ages and it took a while for my pudding to arrive. I sat and ate, while reading my book. Only a few more chapters to go, hmm, should I stay and finish it or pace myself as I still had two pubs to go. I decide to pace myself. By the time I had dried out it was time to set off again. By the time I had taken a little self-portrait it had stopped raining. Woohoo! Time for pub four.

© 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 Kingswood Colliers - Bristol

 

Visited 18th September 2011.

The second pub of the day didn't take to long to get to and there was a car park within an easy walk off the road behind the pub. I ordered the beef roast and a pint of 'Old Speckled Hen', a beer that reminds me of my youth, like me it seems to have been around a long time. It seemed as though I had hardly sat down before somebody was bringing me my food, talk about express service. Once again I'm sat in a large room, only this time the main paint scheme is burgundy. I think I prefer it to the yellow. I ended up sitting for quite a while, eating and reading a book I had with me, and then, over coffee sat and did a little people watching. It appeared that everybody was to busy eating for me to badger into taking my photo so once again it was a self-service. It started to rain as I walked back to the car, once again I was happy I had made the right call on the bike.

© 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 Staple Hill Oak - Bristol

Visited 18th September 2011.

I was sat at home thinking that I hadn't taken the bike out for a while and that it would be a nice way of spending the afternoon checking out a few 'spoons. A quick look at the map showed a cluster of unvisited pubs around Bristol and so that became the target. However, am hour and more sat on the bike just blatting along the M4 would make for a pretty boring ride. A quick look from the front door and a view of some very dark clouds made me think car. As it turned out this was the correct decision as it started to rain just as I was nearing Newbury and by 'started to rain' I mean 'absolutely pissed down'. I had decided that my first pub of the day would be 'The Staple Hill Oak'. The car was parked and following a short walk I was soon sat in the pub drinking a large latte checking out the yellow walls and rain bucket in the middle of the floor. The pub was one large room, full of a mainly older clientele tucking into the Sunday roast. Despite being pretty busy a very friendly, chatty barman spent a couple of minutes telling me about an upcoming charity cycle ride covering two hundred Wetherspoon pubs. Coffee drunk, time to make a move as the plan is to visit five pubs today.

© 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.