Cotswolds Pubs
Obviously every Cotswolds town and every Cotswold village has
a pub. Having said that there are pubs and there are pubs. This selection of
a couple of dozen that I have enjoyed reflects my own pre-disposition for civilised
surroundings and decent food more than just concentrating on the quality of
the beer. A brief description is given below the map of each pub.
- Lygon Arms
- The Lygon Arms hotel has an adjoining wine bar cum pub cum
bistro. You cannot have just a drink, but if you want a snack/meal it is good
value
- The George - Lower Brailes
- A stone built village inn with a good restaurant, complete
with inglenook. It is tied to the Hook Norton Brewery, but that is no bad
thing
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- Crown - Blockley
- The original Cotswolds stone village pub has expanded to
take in a terraced row of cottages, and can offer accommodation and good food
as well as a civilised pub
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- Queens Head - Stow-on-the-Wold
- Not the "smartest" of pubs in the Cotswolds, but
it exudes "age". A 17th century building facing the stocks on the
green. Small dark bars, low beamed ceilings and flagstone floors take you
back in time
- Falkland Arms - Great Tew
- Everyone's idea of what an English pub should really be like,
low beams, horse brasses, beer mugs hanging from the roof. One of the classic
country pubs in Britain. Best avoided at weekends!!
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- Shaven Crown - Shipton under Wychwood
- A 14th century building that was originally the guest house
for a nearby monastery - hence the shaven crown. In summer you can take you
drink on the medieval courtyard in the centre of the building
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- Green Dragon - Cockleford
- An old stone pub in a very pretty setting, on a steep hillside,
down narrow lanes south of Cheltenham. Two stone walled bars have bags of
character
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- Old Swan - Minster Lovell
- Thatched pub in a peaceful setting. Although you could argue
that it has gone too far up market for a village pub, I still find it a nice
place to loiter
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- Trout - Godstow, just outside Oxford
- You come here to sit outside on a summer's day. beside the
River Thames, and watch the trout swimming thick below you, and see the peacocks
preen themselves as they walk round the grounds.
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- Turf Tavern - Oxford
- Buried well way from any main street - go under the bridge
of Sighs and turn down a very narrow alley to your left. Under the old city
walls, this was a student pub, that has now been found by a wider public
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- Bear - Oxford
- An old coaching inn tucked behind Christ Church in Alfred
Street. Houses a collection of 7000 club ties - it is not unknown for scissors
to be produced if they spot you wearing one that is not in the collection
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- New Inn - Coln St Alwyn
- Spruced up village pub, serving exceptionally good food.
The village itself is off the main tourist haunts, so worth looking at for
that reason too. On a sunny day sit outside and enjoy the garden
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- Fossebridge - Fossebridge
- The river Coln runs through a lake and on through the grounds
of this ivy clad Tudor inn. The food is good, and the interior interesting
with its vaulted ceilings, exposed stone walls and upholstered benches
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- Plough Tavern - Clanfield
- Classic English pub, roaring fires in winter, exposed wooden
beams, chunky stone walls. The food is an especially strong point in this
pub, much better than the average for pub grub. Worth a visit
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- Wild Duck - Ewan
- The building started life as an Elizabethan watermill, and
has now been converted into a lovely pub. Bare stone walls, oil paintings
and exposed oak beams give it a very polished feel.
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- White Hart - Ford
- Their own description as "the old inn by the trout stream"
tells you exactly what this pub is all about. In summer you can site at a
table right by the water. The food is very good too
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- Royal Oak - Wootton Rivers
- A 16th century thatched pub beside the Kennet and Avon Canal
should be enough to convince you that it is worth a visit. Cask beers and
a very good wine list
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- Dundas Arms - Kintbury
- A spectacular setting between the Kennet & Avon Canal
and the River Kennet. Sit on the waterside patio and watch the water birds
paddle past. Seriously good food