August 2026. Bristol.
I’ll show my deep ignorance of suburban Bristol now and admit I don’t really know the difference between Clifton Village and Clifton proper, about 50p on a pint I guessed.
Yes, there are buses I could have taken, but then I’d have missed the closed zoo, Clifton Down looking like a scorched savanna where you can imagine those rhinos and zebras roaming,
and a mosaic of an American airman.
I complete Bristol’s GBG enntries at the top of Whitleladies Road,
the Port of Call looking the sort of back street pub that should have been in the Guide for decades.
I’m never turning down a cool, chewy Otter* (VERY GOOD) in the west country, even in the ubiquitous Landlord glass.
The trade is in the the garden, where old mates are discussing probate and “solicitors getting their digits out” and then they all look up as the Ali G’s arrive.
They have no idea who Ali G is.
“You can take a photo if you want !” says the girl.
I already had.
Right, down the hill.
*£6.15 a pint, so actually 15p more than in the Village. But oddly I wasn’t surprised at £6.15 in Bristol. The barmaid gets an extra point for knowing they prefer cash.
retiredmartin 
I think the Port of Call was previously in the Good Beer Guide, but I don’t know for how many decades. It always seemed to be reliable when I visited my friends who live nearby. But it started to go downhill (easy to do in Clifton), with a dip in quality, but whether this was a cause or a result of diminished trade I couldn’t say. Good to see that it’s become popular again. It must have taken hard work and dedication to the cause of real ale. I guess.
Disappointing to be served Otter in a Landlord glass, though.
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There’s quite a few Bristol pubs that change names, or GBG geographic headings, just to confuse the determined ticker.
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But deliberately going downhill? And how would you know when you’d gone far enough?
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Yes, the PoC was in the GBG for ages. The very long-standing landlord retired perhaps 15 or more years ago and it went downhill a bit from there. Good to see it back.
Agree about Otter in a TT glass, especially when proper Otter glasses are so lovely.
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Clifton village is where the Royal Oak is. It’s relatively small, consisting of The Mall, Regent St, Princess Victoria St, Caledonia Place, Royal York Crescent and attendant nooks, crannies, mews and alleys.
Clifton is the rest of the BS8 postcode area (apart from down the hill, where it becomes Clifton Wood and further down the hill where Clifton Wood becomes Hotwells.) The zoo is in Clifton (or possibly Clifton Down, which is where Clifton Down Station definitely isn’t, that’s practically in Cotham) but the PoC is definitely Clifton. Although if it was on the other side of Whiteladies Rd, it’d be in Redland. I hope you’re making notes here. There will be an exam later.
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