ROSS OR (D)ROSS ?

August 2026. Ross-on-Wye.

Surely you’ve caught up on the blog after subjecting us to a torrent of posts, Retired Martin ?

Er, no.

Last weekend saw a third big trip of the week (nothing compared to the real ticker who cross continents on a daily basis) as we headed down to Cardiff for the traditional curtain raiser to the football season friendly defeat to Arsenal.

The highlight of the weekend would be meeting top Welsh pronunciation corrector and Pub Man Rhys, a “tick the ticker” if you like, but I did finish Herefordshire for another year.

Once again, it’s in Ross on Wye, so practically Worcs/Gloucs/Gwent. Why aren’t there any more remote drovers inns new to the GBG in the Marches ?

Ross is a curate’s egg of a town (pop. 10,978).

A bit of colour, some touches Bridgnorth would be proud of,

but a lot of charity shops and some fairly plain unfussy pubs on the main drag.

But approaching the Market House where the lanes meet it’s pleasant,

with the odd (very odd) architectural curiosity. Like this shop called Curiosity, in fact.

I reckon there’s a good chance the old lock-up could be a future micro, like that Corbridge Pele tower,

In fairness, it’s an impressive recovery from the catastrophic flooding of 2024 (remember rain, anyone ?),

though I note the impressive Ross Tap House hasn’t been able to re-open its doors yet.

So it’s the King’s Head, the town’s major hotel, for now,

though I managed five (5) pubs here in an hour when Mrs RM was DES in 2003 (she still holds it against me).

£129 your opulent four-poster (it was more in the Travelodge to be fair), £2.40 a half of the Corn homebrew from next door and a soda. Pub who give you a soda free deserve credit.

And it’s a nice wood-panelled bar,

checking some youthful locals in grown-up clothes for ID, Radiohead and breweriana.

It’s a quality place for a drink; just a shame the performative home brew is so dull, I bet they’d do a good Bass.

We pondered ordering bread and butter from the bar snack menu, but left just before the free hour’s parking ran out. It’s a tradition.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

10 thoughts on “ROSS OR (D)ROSS ?”

  1. I’ve never been called a ‘Pub Man’ before, so I’ve now got a tear in my eye, but it might be because I’m currently in the first pub we went to and I’ve been charged 30p more (non regular rate) a pint and/or because Arsenal are on the TV. I don’t do the socials (ugh) since Musk went full fash, but here are me ‘pubs’ posts on Mastodon.There’s a photo (not a great one) of pub two down there somewhere.
    https://toot.wales/@rhysw/tagged/pubs

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    1. Yes Paul, from 1873 to 1971 when Trumans had not only their 1666 Brick Lane brewery but also one in Burton for brewing pale ales. Last Monday in Burton I was reminded that the Alfred ( more recently a Burton Bridge pub ) used to be a Trumans house, and that the Leopard was a Charringtons one.

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    1. Paul,
      I remember carbonated water being referred to as “soda water” and coming from a syphon. That name’s probably from the sodium bicarbonate that Johann Jacob Schweppe used, along with tartaric acid, to invent it. Yes, “soda” must be an Americanism as I’ve only heard “soda” asked for by a friend of over fifty years ( who I should be seeing in Manchester within a fortnight ) whose daughter has lived in America for many years.
      I think of “pop” as meaning all types of fizzy deinks or “fizz” although that word shouldn’t be used in certain company. And also as an Americanism for “father”.

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      1. “Soda” means soda water to me. You used to be able to hire full siphons from Border Table Waters, a subsidiary of the mighty Border Brewery. When it was empty, you took it to a Border off license to get it refilled.
        Yes, all fizzy drinks are “pop” unless you’re in Ireland where they’re called “minerals”.

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