I wanted to us (D)ross-on-Wye, I really did, but that would be unfair and as you know I reserve my unfairness for a certain Berkshire Thames-side town. And besides I used it before, in 2017.
We took the much longer route (1 minute more) through the Vale of Leadon and Much Marcle, passing a giant Weston’s pub (the Walwyn ?). Do Weston’s own pubs ?
We followed parking signs into town and ended up here;
The bells on the rail that lifts when you put £2 in the machine warn you not to leave your head under a heavy block of wood, following the decapitation of a Mr Edward Heavens of Phocle Green in 2007.
Half an hour till the Tap House opens at 16:00, half an hour to get to know Ross.
You can trust a town with an Elvis impersonator,
but it’s a scruffy place, crumbling in parts and a sharp contrast with Ledbury.
When Mrs RM carried me round the border towns back in April 2003 I managed five pubs in an hour (a theme emerging here), and the only one I remember was the venerable Man of Ross.
The pubs seemed much quieter now. Back in 2003 there was just the Crown & Sceptre in the GBG, and since then it’s just been the Spoons if you’re lucky, but a few years ago Ross got its micro.
Mrs RM popped in Sainsbury’s for essentials (Malbec and paracetamol), I nipped in the Tap House on the dot of 4.
Low seating, old brewery signs and guitars on the walls, chatty Landlord, cool crisp beer (Cwrw Tal Pocket Rocket, NBSS 3.5+). Oh, and hedgehogs (why ?).
Mrs RM turned up and was about to ask about the hedgehogs, but I ushered her out, our parking due to expire in 7 minutes. We left town in a hurry, just before the return of the Funcky Monkey.
Beware the surplus “c”.
retiredmartin 
We’ve certainly been in Ross when it was a bit more thrivey, but it’s been on the slide for a few years now. A great shame, it really should be a busy tourist town. Having said that we always make an effort for the charity shops, the Man of Ross, and the lunchtime special meal deal at the lovely Yaks & Yetis (basically the children’s menu, portion sizes designed for afternoon drinkers). Then it’s up the road to Peterstowe for proper ciders at the Yew Tree, which correctly has a (1) beer and ‘must’ be in the GBG surely!
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There’s a few organic delis, but more charity shops than you’d expect, in sharp contrast with Tewkesbury just down the road.
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I’m not one to complain, but they’ve got the circumflex wrong on Cwrw Iâl on the blackboard.
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Excellent spot, Rhys. If only I had a German reader to complain about the lack of umlauts.
For at least 6 months I thought that Cwrw was the name of the brewery, rather than the Welsh for beer.
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Yes, while the core of the town and the view from the bypass are beautiful, go a bit further out and it is tatty. Surprising as Monmouth certainly isn’t. And a lot of closed pubs too.
Last time I was there I went in the Man of Ross and my notes say “Had an unpleasant, dry grated cheese sandwich… A good group of geezers in, all drinking either cider or Carling.”
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And you’d have expected a decent cheese sandwich there, I think.
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Yes, I’ve always found Ross a bit disappointing. An old workmate of mine loves it though, to the extent that he’s now on the Council.
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Funcky Monkey? How many pseudonyms does Simon have?
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