#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!  

#078 The Boat, Newbold-on-Avon, Warks : 1995 to 2011

My first ever visit to The Boat was on the evening of 17th April 1980 on my first canal trip on Emma Jane. In those days I hadn't started taking a photo of every pub we visited.

It wasn't until Friday 1st September 1995 that I returned to The Boat, this time on the trip that brought our boat Emma Jane back to the Midlands from Winkwell on the Grand Union Canal.

Next door to The Boat is the Barley Mow which has already featured in this series - #053. So, each time we stop at Newbold-on-Avon we inevitably visit both pubs, this means that I have little more to add to the text - so here are the pictures!

This was on the evening of Monday 29th May 2000 and the pub hadn't really changed much.

Another five years had passed before we were in Newbold again, this time a lunch stop on Tuesday 31st May 2005. This time the outside had been extensively redecorated and inside it had been refurbished to give a more modern feel.

Our final visit, to date, was on Monday 30th May 2011 in the evening. This time I have two photos to give a better all round view of the pub and the changes.

 This view shows the Barley Mow in the background.

This view better shows how the outside of the pub has changed over the years. Inside there were more changes but it still had the pool table. You can see pictures here.

#077 Old Royal Oak, Hillmorton, Warks : 1993 to 2011

The first time I ever visited the Old Royal Oak at Hillmorton was on my first canal trip in 1980. Sadly I don't have a picture of the pub from that trip, but I do remember that we had a great evening there and moored the boat right outside the pub.

It took us quite a few years to 'rediscover' it in September 1993. Our boat was moored at Winkwell on the Grand Union Canal near to Berkhamstead and our annual trips took us north as far as we could get, then we'd turn around and retrace our steps. On this trip we got as far as Stretton-under-Fosse before turning around and we actually visited the Old Royal Oak on the way up and on the way back. It has a superb location as it sits right on the bank of the Oxford Canal.

As I recall, it was no longer a 'proper' pub, but was aimed more at the family market. However, we stopped because they did food which wasn't as common then as it is now.

The next time we came this way was in 1995 when we moved Emma Jane back to the Midlands. My only picture of the pub, though, is a somewhat blurry night time reflection shot from across the cut. From memory, the pub was largely unchanged.

It wasn't until 2004 that we returned to the Old Royal Oak on a return trip from Oxford.

This was at lunchtime on Thursday 26th August 2004 and the Old Royal Oak had become a fully fledged family pub - it was now a Hungry Horse!

We were there again in 2005, this time on a Spring trip that took us to Coventry.

 This was in the evening of Monday 30th May 2005 and I took the photo from the road bridge as we walked into Hillmorton to find some 'proper' pubs (which was a successful decision!).

Our next visit was on Wednesday 30th May 2007, a lunchtime stop.

Little to report, apart from the extra growth of ivy on the front!

Our most recent visit was on our last ever trip on board Emma Jane and this was the last ever pub we visited from Emma Jane.

This was on Sunday 6th November 2011 and the pub was still a Hungry Horse. It is still possible to moor right outside and I managed to get this shot from inside.

Again, we used the Old Royal Oak as a useful stopping place and ventured into Hillmorton to revisit the numerous 'proper' pubs to be found there. It's not that there's anything wrong with the Old Royal Oak, but we weren't in family pub mode. As a lunchtime stop it is great, but for an evening, it isn't ideal for us.

#076 The Posada, Wolverhampton : 1991 to 2011

Wolverhampton was never on the list of 'must stop' places on our canal trips, but since our first visit in 1991 it has become a regular place to visit. The main reasons for this are the good moorings at the top of the (21) locks and the fact that it is a long way in any direction to get to somewhere decent!

This was at lunchtime on Thursday 1st August 1991 on our trip that took our boat Emma Jane from Adlington (near Wigan) to Cowley Peachey (near Uxbridge). I don't remember too much about it except that it was a proper, old style, town centre boozer.

We didn't get back to Wolverhampton until Wednesday 4th September 1996 on our way back from Llangollen and Chester.

Very little had changed, but some metal seats had appeared outside!

It was another six years before we ventured into The Posada again. This time on Tuesday 26th August 2003 near the end of a journey that took us to Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent.

Although seemingly unchanged, all of the Holt, Plant & Deakin signage has disappeared.

Then, in 2005, we went on a sequence that saw us visit The Posada every year for the next three years!

Wednesday 31st August 2005.

Sunday 27th August 2006.

Saturday 25th August 2007.

Then we did the unthinkable...we went back to Wolverhampton - and The Posada - later on the same trip!!

Wednesday 5th September 2007.

Our most recent visit was near the end of last summer's trip along the Caldon Canal.

This was on Monday 5th September 2011, a few days earlier than intended, but we'd been forced to curtail our holiday as my back had gone and it was sometimes difficult to just steer the boat. Working locks was out of the question for me!

In all our years visiting The Posada it hasn't really changed much. It's a pub I really like, but it does seem from some of the more recent reviews, that it may be on a downward slide.

Hopefully it will continue to be a beacon for proper pubs!

UPDATE 3 : #008 Navigation Inn, Lapworth : 1986 to 2012

I have good news; the Navigation Inn is open again! It reopened about 4 weeks ago and the kitchen will be open for food on Saturday.

I popped in for a look and was very impressed with what I saw. The décor is light and the pub felt bigger. The uneven flagstones on the floor of the bar are still there, but everything else has a 'modern' feel to it whilst still retaining the ambience of a proper country pub.

There was one thing that really surprised me, though and the evidence is to be seen in this photo.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - that really is Guinness on a HAND PUMP! I was informed that this is the only Guinness hand pump in England (and possibly Great Britain)! I'm sure that if this is wrong, one of the beer geeks, sorry, I mean aficionados, out there will put me straight, but as a confirmed Carling drinker even I know that this is a rarity!

I'm glad to see that the refurbished Navigation Inn is open and looking good. Hopefully the good people of Warwickshire will appreciate what they have and make it a success. 

#075 Millrace, Milton, Staffs : 1999 to 2011

On our first trip along the Caldon Canal we stopped at Foxley on the way back from Leek only to find that the pub there was shut! So it was a short walk back along the towpath to Milton where we discovered the Millrace.

This was on Friday 3rd September 1999 and, as I recall, it was a friendly local, but there wasn't any food available apart from crisps and nuts.

The next time we were cruising along the Caldon Canal we stopped at Milton on the way to Leek at lunchtime on Saturday 14th September 2002.

Not much change, apart from the extra satellite dish on the side. Still no food on offer so we ended up at the Miners Arms (see #055).

It was quite a few more years before we returned to Milton, this time an evening stop.

This photo was taken on Tuesday 30th August 2011 and I'm pleased to report that the Millrace is still a friendly local. No food available, but they did direct us to a very good curry house just up the road. The outside hasn't changed that much, but they are back to just the one satellite dish. The large sign on the end wall (previously a Burtonwood Beers sign) indicates that the Millrace is now home to the Outer Circle Scooter Club.

The Millrace is now a Marstons pub. If you're looking for a friendly local that is still a proper pub, then the Millrace is worth a visit if you're in the area.

#074 The White Swan, Henley-in-Arden : 2000 to 2011

Henley-in-Arden is a village I visit occasionally from the canal, usually at Easter on our trips to Stratford. The White Swan is usually last on our list of places to visit as it isn't the best pub in Henley, but we keep returning in the hope that it will have improved.

This first visit was on Thursday 20th April 2000 when we'd moored up at Preston Bagot and popped into The Crabmill for a pint before ordering a taxi to take us into Henley. We're not great fans of The Crabmill as it is now a country restaurant and not a place to go for a drinking session any more!

On this occasion it looks like we'd asked the taxi driver to drop us here first as I don't think we'd been into The White Swan before. As I recall, it wasn't very appealing to us and felt more like a hotel than a pub. We had just the one pint and left.

Five years later and its Friday 25th March 2005. It looks as though it was our last stop before heading off for a curry.

Not one of my best photos, but from the outside The White Swan was largely the same as before, still Ansells and still not exactly welcoming (and probably a bit rougher inside!). I don't remember too much more as this picture was probably taken after 4 or 5 pints!

Our next visit was on the evening of Friday 6th April 2007; and what a transformation!

Completely refurbished on the inside and re-signed outside. Now it had become a pub in a rustic style with food on offer. Again, this was probably our last stop of the evening before the inevitable curry!

Our most recent visit was on Friday 29th April 2011 and we decided to start our pub crawl through Henley at The White Swan for a change.

From the outside there were more new signs and inside it was still a pub and restaurant in a 'rustic' style. Still not the best pub in Henley, but a vast improvement over our first venture in 2000! It still is a hotel, but doesn't feel as much like one as it did back then!