How I wish I could find something to rhyme with Oswestry. BRAPA will make up a word that translate into Welsh as something rude.
I was here a year ago, rediscovering a town on the rise and proclaiming the Bailey Head one of the pubs of the year.
It takes great self-control to avoid a return trip to the Bailey, you know.
The market square by the castle looks quiet, but the town had a good mix of folk strolling the streets, all ignoring the art above their heads.
I resist the temptation of the antiques shop.
If you’d asked me a year ago to visit ALL the pubs in town and pick the next new entry to the Guide, I’d never have guessed the Plough. £2 San Miguel is clearly the clincher.
My heart leaps for joy when proper boozers like the Plough get in the Guide, as I know what BRAPA will make of the Scouse accents, pug dogs that lick you, and endless banter about ailments.
Five points if you can identify the beer I didn’t have. The Doom Bar was a wallet-busting £2.70 a pint and about as good as it ever is in a GBG pub (NBSS 3).
“Why are there no toilets on Merseyrail ?”
“The Scousers would nick ’em”
I laughed.
Folk came and went, mainly for their fags, leaving the glowing pints of Carlsberg looking resplendent in the front room.
My Doom Bar held up quite well in the light, I thought.
The chat moved on to “the shakes“, and how the Old Boys couldn’t drop a pint in five minutes anymore. Bob Hawke did it in five seconds, lads.
A few younger lads came in, well before the traditional 4pm “Golden Hour“.
It was a classic pub atmosphere, very Stockport before the CAMRA-imposed gentrification. I can give no higher praise than that.
Oh, and if you were thinking that all you need to persuade you to move to Oswestry is a hipster coffee bar, here’s Liar Liar.
One of them had a “Tubular Bells” ringtone that was at once both depressing and uplifting. I want one that plays “Moonlight Shadow“. NOW.
retiredmartin 
I once had Herdwick sheep singing Jerusalem as a ringtone. Hiker nerd me or just daft.
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Dad’s Army Theme tune me.
Or if I really want to piss off the locals there’s my second SIM UK number with Rule Britannia on it.
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What, this version prof?
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“How I wish I could find something to rhyme with Oswestry. ”
Edward Weston was born there in 1850. He was a chemist who invented the Weston cell in 1893 which became the standard for EMF. So I think chemistry is a pretty good rhyme for Oswestry. 😉
“Definite slope”
For a second I thought it was one of those funny photos both you and Si occasionally take.
“Been stuck up there 376 years”
And the inspiration for Cirque du Soleil?
“Bass is everywhere these days, except pubs”
Le sigh.
“Madness”
It is the End of Times!
“and endless banter about ailments.”
He can join in with his wonky knee.
“leaving the glowing pints of Carlsberg looking resplendent in the front room.”
How do you know it wasn’t San Miguel? 😉
“Still can’t read that second clip”
Slight aside, but I tried looking The Plough up on Google Maps, to see if it had a website that indicated their cask ales. What I found instead from Google Maps is that last year’s San Miguel/Carlsberg summer madness was £1.99! (LOL)
“I want one that plays “Moonlight Shadow“. NOW.”
You could try to make one. For WhatsApp notifications I downloaded and trimmed the famous Wassup Budweiser commercial. 🙂
Cheers
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You’ve put so much effort into that response, I’m touched.
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Wow, lucky are those that have a pub like that in their town.
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And, amongst others, the Bailey Head, Oak and Fox. A characterful town, but very much not on the tourist trail.
Martin, have you been to the evenings-only Black Lion yet?
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£2 a pint is a stonking bargain for San Miguel, which is 5.0% ABV 😀
What was the other cask beer on the bar?
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Good old fashioned boozer but when I went the guest beer was well past its best so I considered it to be more in a fairly long line of average Oswestry entries. You have to go a long way to beat the Bailey – the beer in there is lovingly cared for and it’s a proper pub. Know where I be drinking if I lived there.
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Methinks you’ve come up with a new advertising slogan for Northamptonshire’s finest – “Carlsberg, probably the most resplendent beer in the world!”
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What a pub! And cask that’s decent against two quid Carling, which is an achievement…
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