Regular readers will be aware I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing technology wise, and this blog is largely indebted to Pub Curmudgeon and my 15 year old son Matthew for the advice and support necessary to maintain it in any sort of shape. Mrs RM has quite addled my brain with DropBox/Google Photos/One Drive switches in recent month.
So it was I only found my Tetbury photos last night. I could have lumped them in with Cirencester but it’s very parochial round here.
On our walk up Snowdon we were chatting to a couple from Melbourne whose next stop was Tetbury. I confidently told them about that Cotswolds town’s charms, confusing it hopelessly with Lechlade. They’re probably still looking for the Crown Inn.
Tetbury is decently hilly, particularly the famous Chipping Steps, which gives the place a slight Shaftesbury feel. Those were too steep for the busloads of gentlefolk concentrating on the marketplace and antique shops, forlornly hoping to catch a glimpse of Charles and Camilla no doubt.
An impressive collection of coaching inns all seemed to have “Hotel” on the outside and “Butcombe” on the bar, which is OK.
Simon’s mum’s dodgy ankle would have balked at either route down to the Royal Oak, but as in Anchor she’d have missed a real cracker of a Pub of the Year.
If I can call modern bars “classic” then I feel confident labelling the Royal Oak as “Old School”. That’s more to do with the genial landlord than the modern interior though.
Probably because it’s closer to the “normal” housing, it felt like a local, but with a pitch for visitors and diners too. Much livelier than you’d expect on a weekday lunchtime, and mostly drinkers too, of all shapes and sizes. Compare and contrast with Cirencester.
Unfussy and irreverent, I’d be happy with it as my local, and so would Mrs RM. The beer range comfortably mixed the trad (Bath, Stroud) with the craft (Moor So’Hop, NBSS 3, albeit slightly hazy).
The only question, how much is that car worth ?
retiredmartin 
Great post. This one really made me laugh. Thanks.
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Thanks Dave. Any clues on the car ?
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I haven’t even figured out what it is!
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I will take a stab of GBP 150000
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I think I will reconsider that number and go with GBP 35000
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No idea. That sounds right ballpark !
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I don’t know much about technology – I just have a keen eye for spotting when things have gone wrong 😉
In the early 80s a friend lived in Tetbury for a year or two and I spent a few weekends there. Our favoured local pub was the now-closed Crown on the delightfully-named Gumstool Hill. That was in the days when you would be happy to find a pub in that area whose sole real ale was Whitbread West Country Pale Ale.
According to WhatPub? there are only five open pubs in Tetbury itself, whereas you would expect double that for a town of that size, and the only one that isn’t hotelly is the Royal Oak.
We also used to go to the Trouble House on the A433 north of the town, which in those days was a basic Wadworth’s pub with a “reverse Tardis” interior. It’s now described as “a gloriously upmarket breakfast and luncheon venue”, which is unusual, but doesn’t exactly make me want to rush to visit.
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To answer the quiz, I would say that the worth of the car is a very subjective question. To me personally, whilst it is very attractive, it is worth precisely naff all as I’m not interested in that sort of thing. To its current owner, I suspect that it is worth a great deal of sentimental value connected to all the hard work in keeping it is such good visible, and probably mechanical, condition. To them it would likely seem unfeasible to sell it and as such to them it won’t have any monetary worth as such. To somebody who actually wants to buy the car, then the question becomes tricky, as I don’t know how scarce that model of car is. I would imagine to them it is worth quite a lot of money, probably more than the Dacia Sandero I saw advertised on the television in the Gathurst Station Inn yesterday.
As for the chaps in the pictures, I’d say they look like they are from somewhere like Tetbury. I’m going for yes, they are regulars.
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I’m so glad you’re back Tom. I thought something terrible had happened to you in Wigan after Si criticised Crooke Hall.
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