retiredmartin

Now that the UK is once again open to intrepid travellers it won’t be long before the Southworth twins are planning their next flight to Heathrow.

A short 12.9 mile stroll from Terminal 4 will bring them to the only Wetherspoons on a motorway service station, the (in)famous Hope & Champion just off the M40.

One of very (?) pubs at or just off motorways, too, and controversial on its opening.

I’d been once before with my parents, who were impressed with the food, outside seating by the lake, and charming staff.

As were we on our Tuesday return for coffee and breakfast, the manager popping round, chatting briefly to truckers and IT professionals alike. Altogether more pubby than the craft bar where the bloke (it’s always a bloke) reluctantly gets up from doing his accounts on the laptop to serve you then ignore you.

As before, quite a decent beer range, and OK prices for Bucks.

But calm down ! You won’t be able those 50p CAMRA vouchers here, they don’t want you enjoying too much £1.19 Ruddles, and the Mushroom Benedict was closer to airport prices, but still better than the other options in the food court.

Does anyone pop out here for the real ales ? The ale suggestion box implies they might. Ever keen to be helpful, I popped my slip in the box.

Hopefully they won’t be able to trace it back to me by the handwriting.

They also carry the venerable CAMRA Angle, your source of all Maidenhead pub news.

Worryingly, I now know there’s a place called Off The Tap which sounded like a future GBG cert, and I can only hope I finish the Guide this year so I never have to actually visit it. What an incentive.