Cotswolds Pubs
Obviously every town and every 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
-
- 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
-
- 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!!
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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.
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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.
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
