For the last three
weekends, my partner PJ and I have been cycling around some very
picturesque parts of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. PJ recently
bought the cross bar version of the electric cycle that I purchased
last year. This weekend was the first really warm and sunny weather
we have had this year, so we decided to make the most of it.
My partner is an
experienced cyclist and motorcyclist, he has travelled extensively
around England and Wales, so he knows all the picturesque (and
safest) routes to travel along. We decided to cycle to Broadway,
calling in at other pubs along the way. Our first port of call, was
The Mount Inn at Stanton, which is a Donnington pub. Stanton is
notable for it's lovely buildings and stunning views of the
surrounding countryside, especially from The Mount Inn. The pub was
fairly busy on our arrival, so we sat outside by one of the back
entrances. Another reason for doing this, was so that we could keep
an eye on our bikes! We stayed for one round of drinks, because it
was becoming fairly busy, unfortunately there was no S.B.A. which was
a pity. I took some photos of the pub, but although it was sunny, the
light was rather harsh.
The Mount Inn at Stanton
A view from The Mount Inn, December 2012
Our next destination
was Broadway, we called in at The Crown and Trumpet. There are still
tables outside, so we positioned ourselves at a table at the front.
We wondered whether the long serving landlord was still running the
pub, we did not see him. During our visit to the C&T, we were
approached by quite a few people, enquiring about our bikes, we get
this quite a lot. Even though they have been around for a fair while,
I guess electric cycles are still a bit of a novelty. Personally I
think they are the best innovation since digital photography.
After we had finished
our drinks, we decided to visit The Snowshill Arms in Snowshill,
which is another Donnington pub. A rather random piece of Trivia
about the Snowshill Arms, is that it was featured in the opening
episode of the third series of the ITV drama Unforgotten. In the
scene there are tables set up on a small patch of lawn opposite the
pub. In reality the lawn does not belong to the pub, and has never had tables on it.
The Snowshill Arms 2015


We parked our bikes by
some benches in front of the church, and ate our lunch which
consisted of sandwiches. We had arrived at Snowshill at exactly the
right time, because the sun was glistening on some of the buildings,
creating a very tranquil and scenic place to sit. In fact it was so
tranquil, that I did not want to move from this ideal position.
Unfortunately the pub was due to close at 3.pm (opening again later
on) so we didn't go in. We will never know if they had any S.B.A. –
well until our next visit!
The Snowshill Arms, March 2022
Our final port of call,
was The pheasant Inn at Toddington, our final Donnington pub along
the route. We travelled along a really picturesque route, riding
along narrow country lanes, and roads surrounded by serene fields. At
one point, we travelled along a rugged country lane, with nothing but
the wind blowing through the trees, it was rather soothing to listen
to.
We arrived at the
Pheasant, and sat in front of the pub with the glaring sun in our
eyes. The Pheasant used to be a freehouse, but was taken over by
Donnington in March 2016 and given a splendid makeover of the
interior. It now resembles a country club, which is quite appealing.
If it hadn't been so pleasant outside, I would have enjoyed sitting
in the comfortable surroundings. We ordered drinks, but alas S.B.A.
was not amongst them!
The Pheasant Inn pub sign 2014
I have photographed the
Pheasant over the years, there used to be a shop attached to it, it
has now been integrated into the fabric of the pub. A more recent
photo taken in 2016, was published on a fairly well known travel
website, and subsequently ended up on the cover on The Pheasant's
Christmas menu! Of course it would have been nice, if they had asked
my permission before using the photo.
The Pheasant Inn, May 2016
It was not our
intention to have a Donnington themed pub crawl, but I am glad that
it worked out that way, because it was a very enjoyable day. Ironically the best drink of the day, was Lilly's Mango Cider, which was purchased at The Crown and Trumpet in Broadway.