There’s NO WAY I’m going to get up to date, ever. I’ll press on, starting with one of Wonderful Worcestershire’s picture book towns.
Is Upton-upon-Severn (pop. 2,881) the Finchingfield of the Midlands ? Probably not, it lacks a duck pond and attracts more visitors, even on a Wednesday on October.
What do folk come to see ?
Halfway down the High Street I had a weird feeling. I’d never been here before. Can that be true ?
Well, I’d certainly been to the White Lion years ago, even more of a flying visit than this one, but nothing looked familiar. If I’m honest, it could have been Tenbury-on-Wells except the pubs there are a bit more basic than Upton.
Surely I’d have remembered using the unique Gents, only accessible by the sort of teleportation envisaged by Facebook Meta.
The riverside pubs were doing a good trade, though the gentlefolk seemed a bit unsure about sitting outside Ye Olde Anchor as the temperature briefly dipped below 16 degrees.
As Ye Olde Worlde pubs go, it’s a corker.
A dozen or so in, no obvious food trade bar the Scotch eggs delivered as I entered.
“Make way, make way” shouted the ebullient landlady as headed to the bar carrying her precious cargo of sausage meat and egg.
She was charmingly distracted.
“Pint of Butty Bach, please“
“Pint of Tribute ?”
“No, Butty please“
“Oh, I STILL started to pour you a Tribute, didn’t I ?” She did.
If I’m honest, as I always am, I probably should have let her pour that Tribute. Everyone else was drinking it, bar the Hi Vis crowd, and the Butty was a bit “fruity”.
But a man who is tired of Wye Valley is going to find himself struggling a bit in Worcestershire, I can tell you.
retiredmartin 
Ooh, at last, a pub I’ve been to! Nice place, Upton.
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Liked that pub too. Upton may not have a duck pond but it’s frequently under water.
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Such a pleasure, reading this. I love that you captured the full extent of the landlady’s instinct to pour you a Tribute.
Would you believe I have never had a scotch egg? Seems an oversight that must be corrected one day. Perhaps I’ll wash it down with a pint of Tribute. 😁
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She was SO cheery, Mark. I’d advise against the scotch egg, though, not healthy.
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N aah, can’t beat a scotch egg, especially one that’s freshly cooked where the yolk i still on the runny side!
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For a brief window last Autumn the Scotch Egg was the passport to being able to have a drink in a pub.
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The Mark Crilley curse of anonymity strikes again!
I visited the Olde Anchor in July 2011 and read the penultimate copy of the News of the World. I had some rather dull Theakston’s Best and remember thinking that it was disappointing they couldn’t have something more local. I suppose Tribute has a similar number of beer miles.
You did well to write about Upton without mentioning the Regal Garage.
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20 minutes including 10 in the pub !
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I don’t miss those days !
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And it’s now decided to attribute that comment to me. Bizarre.
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I can edit the name of the contributor. I have that power. Watch.
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You should try it with contributions you don’t like.
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You can’t do that on Blogger.
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