In search of S.B.A.

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.

 

Getting from A to B

One of the few advantages of being in lock down in 2020, was that I managed to save enough money to upgrade my mode of transport to an electric cycle. I have had it since August 2021, and I love using it. I have been on a few long distance journeys, some with my partner and some solo journeys. We cycled to Cirencester, which is about a 30 mile journey, there and back, it was really enjoyable.

On Tuesday I ventured out on the cycle on my own. It was still quite gusty from Storm Eunice and Franklin. My intention was to cycle to the House in the Tree, which is a pub on the outskirts of Cheltenham. I have fond memories of the House in the Tree, it was one of the first pubs that I visited as a teenager. I owned my first Mo-ped, it was a Garelli quite a horrendous thing really, but I managed to upgrade after a while!

The journey to the pub was a little precarious, because the road was closed. Apparently some trees had blown over and caused an obstruction. Luckily as I approached the no entry signs, some men were in the process of removing the signs to allow traffic to use the road. I was a little nervous travelling along the road, because of the possibility of more fallen trees, but it was OK. The journey didn't take long at all, but when I arrived there the pub was closed.

Maybe I will attempt the journey again, I hope there will be some more interesting long journeys in the near future, I'm still getting used to my bike.

The House in the Tree, February 2022