Sunbury-on-Thames is one of those places that both irritate and uplift the GBG ticker with an annual new entry seemingly plucked from nowhere.
The Admiral Hawke would be my sixth (6th) Guide entry in a decade, and the best, but it very nearly never happened.
Look at the route I’d devised for Mrs RM taxis; Hersham (A) to Sunbury (B) to Staines (C) in an hour. Some Americans would fly to Heathrow just for those three.
The 2 miles through Walton took 20 minutes; what on earth do folk do there ? But finally parked up with an hour’s free parking by the river I checked the Facebook one more time.
What Pub said open every day from noon, Google said 14:00 (ten minutes time), but now recently updated Facebook said shut till 4 ! And I’d spent all Christmas Day checking Facebook times.
All was lost.
What London pub right by the Thames doesn’t open till 4pm on Sunday, traditionally the busiest day of the week ?
I went to find out and possibly take a photo of handwritten opening hours on the door.
Firmly closed. Looks nice too. I silently cursed; Sunbury is a sod to get to. The Tourist Office can have “Sunbury Is A Sod” for free.
But then, the door opened, a head peered out.
“Can I help ?”
“Oh, I’m the famous BRAPA and I was hoping for a beer. Have you met Colin“
Anyway, they let me in, even though they were closed, and regaled me at the bar with tales of Sunbury pub crawl T-Shirts over the best pint of Doom Bar in a year. And I’m not kidding about that (NBSS 3.5+). I even got on with the dog.
I took no notes, or pictures, so here’s a Doom Bar pic I took earlier.
Thank you, Admiral Hawke, you made an old man unreasonably happy. Only Staines could now put a damper.
retiredmartin 
Hard to believe you have trees flowering already. Pretty idyllic spot by the river.
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Spring seems to have arrived early this year, Dave. On a drive out today, I noticed several trees in blossom – almost unheard of for early March. Wild daffodils and primroses, also seem to be blooming in abundance.
It’s been an exceptionally mild winter, which might explain this. It’s good, as it means lower heating bills, which are much welcomed at a time of rising energy prices.
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Yes it’s lovely. I had to take a family member to a funeral in Ipswich yesterday and the daffs at the crem were gorgeous.
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The UK is very lovely, as you’ll know.
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Were they closed in anticipation of a BRAPA visit?
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I wouldn’t blame them.
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“Can I help ?”
They’re that desperate to dispel the Doom?
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Desperate to dispense Doom Bar to a true believer, more like !
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Well now that was a delightful little twist ending there. How many times over the years do you reckon you’ve been allowed in for a pint at a closed pub? Can’t be very often I wouldn’t think.
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Perhaps the pub just took pity on a poor, itinerant pub-ticker but, all joking aside, pubs with erratic/poorly updated and badly advertised opening hours, aren’t doing anyone a favour.
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I agree, Paul. This doesn’t look like a pub that uses social media (think Man of Kent in Tonbridge) and to be fair their Facebook hours were right, it’s all the others that people use that were wrong. Covid and the death of lunchtime trade has caused opening hours to change everywhere.
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Not as many as Duncan !
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