WORRIED IN WANTAGE

 

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Well, not quite Wantage, exactly, but Letcombe Regis,which I predict only Tim Thomas and Duncan have ever heard of.

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It feels daft to say it’s the posh suburb of Wantage, which isn’t exactly Wigan, but that’s how it feels. What Pub tells me the closest pub is the all-conquering Royal Oak, as good a boozer as you’ll get in the Home Counties.

Just look at these houses near the Greyhound.

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1678 – the last CAMRA war ended

And a rather gorgeous churchyard.

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Bucolic England

The Greyhound looks just as you’d expect, and your friends who don’t like scary boozers hope that all pubs are like this.

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An apt pub name

Three more beers the average punter will never have heard of (and I bet you’ve only seen the Salopian once this year)

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What’s on that slip of paper

As I take my half of Ramsbury (surprisingly not the Gold) on a tour, I’m getting a sense of “Oxfordshire dining pub” deja-vu, all over again.

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Note Burford Kindling Box

It was a struggle to find a table that wasn’t set for dining, so I took the seat nearest the bar, where absolutely nothing happened for 12 minutes, I need Simon’s patience.

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More gastro thin glass atrocities

To be fair, it was a decent half (NBSS 3) with a proper scummy head, as they say round here.

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Scum

And some decent lacings,

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The “banter” was all about cruises, and a lady holding court to a group of gentlefolk shouting “I haven’t finished my funny story“.  Madam,it wasn’t funny.

Elsewhere, tales of knocking £2k off the asking price and a group confirming they had a reservation for four. “Us three. And the dog. Don’t forget the dog“.

How could we forget the dog ?  It was bigger than me.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

16 thoughts on “WORRIED IN WANTAGE”

  1. I’m a big supporter of letting dogs in Pubs. But, te first thing the DPS should have been saying here was, ‘Get that thing outside!’ Same rules as kids should apply – too big, too loud, not well behaved, smelly, dirty, seen and not heard, and should never get under anyone’s feet

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  3. “but Letcombe Regis,which I predict only Tim Thomas and Duncan have ever heard of.”

    I know Regis Philbin, does that count?

    “Three more beers the average punter will never have heard of ”

    That Amstel on the left looks familiar. 😉

    “It was a struggle to find a table that wasn’t set for dining”

    Are most places that, um, particular in just having a beer at a table set for dining?

    “Madam,it wasn’t funny.”

    Maybe because she hadn’t got to the punchline. 😀

    Ok, back to perusing Colton’s articles online while I wait for the ferry home.

    Cheers

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  4. Hop Twister is a funny one, it’s got a very good reputation locally – lots of prizes and 3.69 on Untappd – but is seldom seen outside the Salopian direct delivery area. I don’t think they do it in bottle and it’s just been a bit overshadowed by its more famous siblings so distributors don’t ask for it. Nice beer though, if that’s your kind of thing.

    Obviously it would be better with Bastard Cherry in it though….

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  5. I have heard of Letcombe Regis because it has literary connections to Thomas Hardy. In ‘Jude the Obscure’ the place was called ‘Fensworth’, stomping ground of the young Jude Fawley. Hardy’s grandparents came from nearby Fawley. Another big of useless shite for your brain to forget. Re dogs in pubs – my record is SEVEN at once – and that was in a micropub….!

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