#079 Falcon Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon : 1997 to 2011

An Easter trip to Stratford became a regular part of our boating calendar in 1996. As there are lots of pubs in the town we could always find somewhere different, or in later years, ones that we hadn't been in for a while. The Falcon Hotel falls into this latter category.

Our first visit was on Saturday 29th March 1997 on our lunchtime 'crawl' around Stratford.

It is a fine Tudor style building and inside it is all you would expect from an 'olde worlde' hotel - with the sort of prices you'd expect as well. As it isn't a 'proper pub' is probably the main reason that we don't visit it every year.

The next time we ventured into the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 14th April 2001. 

We only spent one session in Stratford this time as our journey had been in the balance because of the Foot & Mouth outbreak. It was only a few days before we were due to set off that British Waterways managed to open the canals by insisting that we carried the chemicals needed to dip our shoes in to prevent spreading the disease. There were also disinfectant dips at all canal access points in the countryside.

This possibly explains why there were no people in the shot of the Falcon. As I recall, Stratford was very quiet that year, mainly because the outside world believed that Britain was closed. Vast pyres of burning cattle didn't help that perception!

The next time we visited the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 26th March. This isn't one of my best photos - I can only conclude it was late on in our session!

Our most recent venture into the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 30th April 2011. We'd delayed our trip by a couple of weeks so that we would be away during the Royal Wedding.

As you can see from this picture, the place hasn't changed a bit in the 14 years we've been visiting. Hardly surprising in a historic town like Stratford. However, it is now one of the Legacy Group of hotels...and the bar prices are still reflective of this status!  

#020 Garrick Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon : 1996 to 2011

I'm not exactly sure when I first visited the Garrick Inn in Stratford, but I know it was long before this photo was taken in 1996!

 This was the first of our annual canal trips to Stratford from our moorings at Lapworth. We take this journey each Easter and have only missed one trip since 1996. That was in 1998 when there was serious rain and flooding (and we had a flat battery!!).

The Garrick is a pub that has hardly changed over the years we've been visiting. There is a small bar at the front and a small bar at the back which opens up into a fairly large restaurant area. So, despite it's history dating back to the 1400's it isn't really a 'proper' pub, but if you can get a seat in either bar it is a pleasant place to visit for a few drinks!

This picture was taken in 2001 when we managed to get our boat to Stratford despite the Foot & Mouth outbreak!

One of the things I do remember about the Garrick is that it was one of the very first pubs I went in that banned smoking completely long before it was the law. This may explain why we didn't go there in 2005, 2006 or 2007!

Finally we get to 2011 and our most recent visit. Little or nothing had changed...except the car outside!!

The Garrick Inn is part of the Old English Inns group which is a brand of Greene King. Interestingly, if you go on the Greene King 'Find a Proper Pub' website it will identify the Garrick even though it isn't a 'proper' pub in my view...but what do I know?