The new normal!

It has been an eventful month or so since my last post, quite a few ups and downs but I will not dwell on them. My partner and I have been to a few pubs since my last post, most of them are observing social distancing, and managing the new guidelines quite well. But there are a few establishments, who are making it unnecessarily complicated to enter their premises just to have a drink. You would think they would be more accommodating in these uncertain times.

The first pub we visited, was The Malborough Arms in Cirencester. We were very impressed with the precautions taken, by the staff, yet they have still maintained the laid back atmosphere of the pub. The Malborough has an outside space, but it it is an enclosed courtyard. We spent a considerable length of time here, and were relieved to be out and about doing what we love. A week or so later, we went to the Twelve Bells in Cirencester. They are fortunate to have a reasonably sized garden, with a temporary marquee in place. This is another pub that we were quite happy to linger in, we had a very nice lunch here.

The Malborough Arms, Cirencester

We took advantage of the Eat out to help out scheme, on my birthday in August at the Kings Arms in Prestbury Cheltenham. The pub closed in 2019 and for a while the future was uncertain, because the building needed maintenance. Fortunately Raymond Blanc added this place to his portfolio, and has certainly raised the standards. I have very fond memories of this pub, I used to live in this area as a child, and must have passed it countless times, whilst shopping with my Mother. It wasn't until my late twenties, that I started going there with family and friends, it was a much more down to earth boozer when I first visited, it even had a pool table. The pub had associations with the Jockey Fred Archer, there used to be a whimsical sign on the front entrance of the pub which mentioned him. Looking at recent photos of the exterior of the pub, I think the sign has been removed, maybe it is inside the premises? 

The Kings Arms, Prestbury April 2020

Whilst we were in the area, we also visited The Plough, which is in Mill Street, a hop skip and a jump from The Kings Arms. We have visited this pub on many occasions, it is a characterful pub, with a really large beer garden. The have had some really good beer and cider festivals in the past, hopefully it won't be too long before they can have them again.

The Plough Inn, Prestbury 2011

On Saturday, we cycled to The Mill Inn at Withington which is about 6 miles from Cheltenham. The journey to the pub by cycle, is certainly an endurance test, there is a very steep hill that we ended up walking on instead of cycling. But it was well worth the effort, because The Mill Inn is a delightful country pub, with an extensive beer garden and the River Coln running through it. We had a lovely lunch, and I got to taste my first fruit beer. According to my partner, Withington used to have a railway line and station. You can still see part of the railway bridge, further on up the road from the pub. It was dismantled because of the cost of maintaining it. We walked a little further from The Mill Inn (having left the bikes in the car park) and had a look at the former Kings Head, which has been closed for a few years, it is a shame to see it unoccupied and unloved. It does look like there might be some sort of building work going on there though.

The Mill Inn, Withington

Samual Smith's organic strawberry fruit beer

It was nice to see The Mill Inn so busy when we visited, village pubs are community assets and deserve our support to help them continue to survive, especially in these difficult times.