Bucks & Oxfordshire Trip

Saturday 30th August 2008 saw 28 members & friends leave Leicester for our 1st visit to Bucks and Oxfordshire. In what proved to be a very hot day, the air conditioned coach was much appreciated.

Our first pub was personally recommended to me The White Horse at Hedgerley just off junc 2 of the M40. What a place! Most of the party would have been content to stay there all day! It had 9 ales on, combined with good food and spacious gardens with a very hospitable owner & staff. I sampled Coastal Lizard Club 2000 - 4.5% and Ivor Allchurch Lott No 7 4.1%. Others included Little Valley Two Lads 3.5% or Hornbeam Horns Halo's 4.0%. Overall a superb establishment.

L-R Our coach for the day, White Horse, White Horse beer menu, Three Horseshoes.

We then moved to the Three Horseshoes at Marlow the Rebellion Brewery brewery tap where we found 6 Rebellion beers on - Mild 3.5% IPA 3.7% Smuggler  4.1% Off the Record  4.2% Blonde 4.3% & finally Mutiny 4.3%. I sampled Off the Record & Blonde with a lot of the party raving over the mild.

Denis then took the coach to the Hop Pole in Aylesbury via the Chiltern Hills where we saw some Red Kite & Buzzards. This pub is the brewery tap for Vale Brewery and today our party found 5 Vale beers & 4 guests available. I sampled Ascot Posh Pooch 4.2%,Vale Grumpling Old Ale 4.6%. Others included Vale Pale Ale, Vale Edgars Golden Ale and Vale Black Swan Mild to name but a few.

L-R Three Horseshoes bar, Hop Pole, Hop Pole bar, Farmers Boy.

When Dennis & I did a trail run in August we had great difficulty in finding the Farmers Bar in the market square so today wasn't too bad. It's steeped in history and certainly the gents loo's have to be seen to be believed! but it's the Chiltern Brewery Brewery tap. Today it had 3 of there beers on Cobblestone  3.5 % Chiltern Ale 3.7% and Beechwood Bitter 4.3%.

Our final stop was 3 hours in Oxford for which everyone was given a map showing the city centre GBG entries. After a city centre drop off most people opted for the Far from Madding Crowd an apt name for Oxford! It had 5 beers on, I sampled Ballards Nyewood Gold 5.0% others included  Isle of Purbeck IPA, Wickwar IKB, Nethergate Essex Border and a Frog Island beer.

L - R Masons Arms and the Old Bog Brewery.

A small group of us decided to get a taxi to visit the Masons Arms, Headington, home of the Old Bog Brewery. A superb establishment with an enthusiastic landlord but only 1 Old Bog beer on; Todd's Pond 5.5%. If we'd have gone 1 week  later there would have been a beer festival there! Mission accomplished we returned by taxi to the city centre being dropped off at the Turf Tavern.

I didn't note the number of beers on but the range was uninspiring to us as most were Greene King or beers brewed by Green King masquerading as other breweries such as Hardys & Hansons. I sampled Downton Nelson's Revenge. I know this the place was interesting and the food portions looked tremendous.

We next stopped off at the White Horse where I sampled Tring Raunchy Reverend and our final pub was the Eagle and Child where I've no note of what I tasted.

I enjoyed the day as it was a new area to visit. No -one could complain at the hospitality shown by the landlords. My complaint was lack of patrons on the trip. I feel I may have annoyed some people by saying the trip was full but 2 - 3 weeks prior,  the trip was in danger of being cancelled because of lack of bookings and also 2 coach quotes were expensive so I opted for a smaller coach hence it being full up!

To encourage early bookings i'm offering a £1 discount to people who book by the 24 Oct for Norwich-cost prior to the 24 0ct £11 £12 afterwards.

Thanks as always to Dennis for his driving skills and returning us all home in one piece.

Words Keith Satterly, Pictures Andy Sales

This page last updated: September 10, 2008

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