#159 George & Dragon, Stoke Golding, Leicestershire : 1995 to 2014

Stoke Golding is a village on the Ashby Canal which, until 1995, was virgin territory for us. We were moving our narrowboat Emma Jane back to the Midlands from a 4-year sojourn down south on the Grand Union Canal and found that we had some time in hand - so, up the Ashby Canal we went.

This visit was at lunchtime on Saturday 2nd September 1995. I don't really remember too much about the inside apart from the fact that it was a pleasant village pub.

The Ashby Canal is not a waterway we visit very often, mainly because it is a dead end. However, we were back again nine years later.

This was an evening visit on Saturday 28th August 2004 and, at first glance, the pub doesn't look to have changed at all. On closer inspection you can see that the upstairs windows have been replaced and the signage is subtly different. Inside, I still have no recollection!

We were back along the Ashby Canal another 10 years later for another lunchtime stop at the George & Dragon.

This was on Tuesday 7th October 2014 and this time there have been definitive changes! Firstly, the pub is now run by Church End Brewery which is a small brewer from Nuneaton. As far as I can ascertain, the George & Dragon is their only pub, but they do have a Brewery Tap as well. Externally it has had a complete makeover and, inside, it was a pleasant country/village pub serving good 'pub grub'!

It's also interesting to note that the street light by the front door is still the same, but at least it has been painted regularly!

Is Long Itchington THE Most Expensive Place for Blackcurrrant & Soda?

I don't normally use this blog for a rant, but today I'm going to make an exception. I've just returned from a two week canal cruise around the Midlands (essentially the Warwickshire Ring) and an incident at our first lunchtime stop prompted me to compile the information and write this post.

Over the last few years I've taken to drinking pints of Blackcurrant & Soda Water at lunchtimes on our boating holidays, mainly because, quite frankly, I'm getting old and can't take my drink at lunchtime. (I still drink in the evenings and, on this trip, had the equivalent of 74 pints of Carling!).

Our first stop was at the Two Boats a lovely canalside pub at Long Itchington that we've visited many times in the past (#100).

Two Boats, Long Itchington - 27th September 2014

As usual the food was very good, but I was charged £2.10p for a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda! When I queried this I was told that this was the cheapest available in Long Itchington and that The Cuttle Inn (across the canal) charged £3.40p. If it had been bottles of soda water I could've understood it, but the soda water is on tap and is, in essence, carbonated tap water. Upon further investigation it transpired that if I'd ordered a pint of soda water it would also have cost £2.10p as shots of blackcurrant are free in the Two Boats. So, as I tried to build a drink that would cost less, the (I assume) landlord accused me of "pissing him about" which was the trigger point for compiling a price list of Blackcurrant and Soda prices and the writing of this post.

I can now confirm that, having drunk pints of Blackcurrant & Soda in 16 different pubs, the most expensive is £2.10p per pint in the Two Boats at Long Itchington, a Charles Wells establishment.

The least expensive pint of Blackcurrant & Soda was just £0.40p, the location of which I will reveal at the end of this post. This is a massive range of pricing and in this day and age when many pubs are struggling I would have expected them to want to encourage drivers by offering cheaper soft drinks, but some establishments seem to want to take the profiteering route!

The second most expensive pub was the George & Dragon in Stoke Golding at £1.90p per pint.

George & Dragon, Stoke Golding - 7th October 2014

I'm reluctant to be too critical as I was originally told that the price was £1.15p, but then corrected to £1.90p, so £1.15p might be the actual price! The George & Dragon is now run by the Church End Brewery 

The 'prize' for third most expensive goes to the Hatton Arms near Warwick at £1.80p a pint.

Hatton Arms, Hatton - 28th September 2014

This was the day after our visit to the Two Boats and really demonstrated how ridiculous the pricing is in Long Itchington. The Hatton Arms (formerly The Waterman) is now really an upmarket restaurant and so I wasn't surprised at the £1.80p price tag for a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda, whereas the Two Boats is just a standard country pub with a great location.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a tourist destination and so you'd expect higher prices and the Dirty Duck/Black Swan didn't disappoint at £1.65p per pint.

Dirty Duck/Black Swan, Stratford-upon-Avon - 30th September 2014

The Dirty Duck is part of the Old English Inns chain, part of the Greene King group and is a pub we've visited many times in the past (#033).

Next on the list is the Old Royal Oak at Hillmorton also at £1.65p a pint.

Old Royal Oak, Hillmorton - 9th October 2014

The Old Royal Oak in Hillmorton (near Rugby) is a Hungry Horse pub (also part of Greene King) aimed at families, so I was surprised at the price. However, talking with another barman revealed that £1.65p is for 3 shots of blackcurrant and that if 2 shots is enough, the price was £1.10p! It is a pub we've visited on quite a few occasions as well (#077).

The next two pubs offer an interesting perspective on the whole soft drinks in pubs issue. BOTH of these pubs charged £1.50p for a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda.

The Fleur de Lys in Lowsonford has, for quite a number of years, been more of a restaurant and I've reported on it previously (#026).

Fleur de Lys, Lowsonford - 29th September 2014

This was the third day of our trip and at £1.50p a pint the price was dropping from the first day, but still a bit expensive for a pub where the majority have to drive to get to it.

Also coming in at £1.50p a pint is the Swan & Mitre in Aston (Birmingham).

Swan & Mitre, Aston - 4th October 2014

It was a rainy Saturday morning and we'd negotiated the Farmers Bridge and Aston flights of locks. It isn't a place we'd normally stop, but the next viable, regular stopping places were at least two hours away! At first glance it was a potential disaster. It was a match day and Aston Villa were at home, so the pub was only letting in people with passes. Fortunately for us it was a 5:30pm kick-off and after asking nicely we were let in. Inside the Swan & Mitre was like stepping back in time, the bar was just like a proper old time Birmingham pub! A real basic pub where the only food was a choice of Ham & Tomato or Cheese and Onion rolls and the regular range of snacks - perfect for our needs! And yet, a basic boozer like this still charged £1.50p for a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda, the same as an upmarket country pub/restaurant...go figure!

Next up, at £1.40p a pint is The Anchor Inn at Hartshill.

The Anchor Inn, Hartshill - 6th October 2014

The Anchor Inn at Hartshill is an Everard's pub and I've reported on it before (#027). It is a lovely canalside pub and is aimed at both drinkers, diners and families in the extensive garden. You would expect them to charge a lower price for soft drinks especially as most people have to drive to get there.

Then, at £1.30p is The Garrick Inn in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Garrick Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon - 30th September 2014

The Garrick Inn, which I've also reported on previously (#020), is also part of Greene King's Old English Inns brand, but charges less than the Dirty Duck!

Just down the road is The Windmill Inn which is yet another Greene King pub!

The Windmill Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon - 30th September 2014

Despite being situated between the Dirty Duck and The Garrick Inn, at £1.00p a pint, The Windmill Inn comes in as the lowest price for Blackcurrant & Soda of the three Greene King pubs in Stratford that I went into on that day.

I do believe that £1.00p per pint for Blackcurrant & Soda to be a reasonable price and that once it goes much above this constitutes a rip-off. So, onwards to the pubs that offered the best value.

First up is the Wharf Tavern in Hockley Heath at £0.80p a pint.

Wharf Tavern, Hockley Heath - 2nd October 2014

The Wharf Tavern is a pub I've reported on in the past (#083) that has been extensively refurbished since our last visit in 2011. The refurbishment is good leaving the Wharf Tavern with the happy balance between being a pub and serving lots of good pub food...and reasonably priced Blackcurrant & Soda!

Then comes the Three Tuns Inn in Fazeley at £0.70p per pint.

Three Tuns Inn, Fazeley - 5th October 2014

The Three Tuns is a pub we've visited on many occasions, but I've yet to report on it here. It has a great location, backing onto the Coventry Canal at Fazeley Junction (with the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal). It is a proper pub that has never let us down on our many visits.

Next, we have a tie with two pubs offering a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda at £0.60p. First was The Woodman in Birmingham.

The Woodman, Birmingham - 3rd October 2014

The Woodman has recently been refurbished to restore it to its former glory, very successfully in my opinion. It is a pub I've reported on in the past (#056) and one that I'm very glad to see open and thriving again.

The second £0.60p pub is The Greyhound at Hawkesbury Junction on the outskirts of Coventry.

The Greyhound, Hawkesbury Junction - 8th October 2014

The Greyhound is a traditional canalside pub with an ideal location at Hawkesbury Junction where the Coventry and Oxford Canals meet. It is always busy for both food and drink and, unlike many pubs that have great locations and don't need to try to be good, The Greyhound still offers reasonably priced food and drink at a high quality.

Only two more to go, and just missing out on the 'star prize' is the Navigation Inn at Wootton Wawen with Blackcurrant & Soda at just £0.45p a pint.

Navigation Inn, Wootton Wawen - 1st October 2014

Despite its canalside location (picture taken from the aqueduct over the main A3400 road) in the affluent Warwickshire village of Wootton Wawen, the Navigation Inn is struggling, mainly because in all the years we've been visiting it there has been no change to its interior and it can no longer compete with the many gastropubs that have sprouted up in the past 10 - 15 years in the area. The food is still good and the pub provides the sort of dishes that I like (i.e. standard, traditional pub grub), but that isn't what sells these days. I fear that without major investment, the Navigation will be gone next time we're passing that way.

Finally (and thanks for staying to the end!) we come to the 'winner', at £0.40p for a pint of Blackcurrant & Soda it is The Windsor in Birmingham.

The Windsor, Birmingham - 3rd October 2014

The Windsor is a pub I hadn't been into for years. It is now part of M&B's Oaktree brand of pubs and offers Wetherspoon type of service quite successfully as the pub was very busy for a mid afternoon by the time we got there.

So, we made it to the end and I have to conclude that Long Itchington must indeed be THE most expensive place in the UK for Blackcurrant & Soda prices if the Two Boats is offering the lowest price at £2.10p per pint. Is it a rip off? I'll let you be the judge of that! 

Kennet & Avon Canal - Part II (Bath to Pewsey Wharf)

Next morning, after a quick trip up the Avon as far as Pulteney Bridge, we set off back towards Bradford-on-Avon along the Kennet & Avon Canal. After negotiating Bath Locks again our only viable lunchtime stop was outside The George at Bathampton!

The George, Bathampton

As it was now a Monday lunchtime there was plenty of room to sit and the experience was much better than two days earlier!

After lunch we cast off and spent the afternoon gently navigating our way back towards Bradford-on-Avon, arriving there just after 6pm. This gave us plenty of time to explore the delightful village and the pubs therein.

We ignored the Canal Tavern and walked past The Three Horseshoes finally ending up here.

The Bear Inn, Bradford-on-Avon

Despite its traditional exterior, inside was quite modern and stark. As it was early evening on a Monday it was quite quiet, but a few people were turning up for the quiz night, just as we were leaving.

Next was the Dandy Lion which has the feel of a proper pub and provides very good food.

The Dandy Lion, Bradford-on-Avon

Contrary to what you'd expect, it hasn't been a pub for that many years. Most of it's 200+ years of existence was as a variety of shops (including shoe shop!) I can't remember the details, but I think it has only been a pub for about 20 years. It felt much older than that.

After more beer, wine and food it was time to head back up the hill to the canal and we just had time to pop in to The Barge for a nightcap...or two!

The Barge Inn, Bradford-on-Avon

As The Barge Inn is just over the cut from where we were moored it seemed like a good idea. However, the only lagers available were 5% and served in non lager glasses...not a good combination. It also felt more like sitting at a farmhouse kitchen table than a cosy pub! However, there was an unexpected memory to take away.

All experienced boaters know that pubs tend to offer the best option for toilet facilities and we usually take advantage when necessary. One of my fellow travellers (I won't name him here!) needed to pay a visit and, when he returned a few minutes later he related a strange occurrence. Apparently, as he was sitting there he suddenly had the sensation the the room had tilted to 45°! After a suitable pause, I needed to go as well. As I was sitting there I experienced nothing strange and was beginning to think my friend was going soft in the head or had drunk too much. But then I stood up to sort out the 'paperwork' and suddenly the room tilted to 45°...very weird!

Next morning we were on our way again heading east and we ended up at Seend Cleeve for lunch.

The Barge Inn, Seend Cleeve

Another Barge Inn, but a much more satisfactory experience than our previous Barge Inn visit the night before!

Back onto our boat Anitra for an afternoon of working locks up to the bottom of the world-famous Caen Hill flight - sixteen locks rising 130 feet towards Devizes.

Caen Hill Locks

That was something to look forward to for the next morning, but our immediate problem was - where is the nearest pub? The village of Rowde was about a mile away and we were hopeful that we'd find something.

There were two pubs, so that was us sorted for the evening!

Cross Keys, Rowde

The Cross Keys is a fairly standard pub, but food wasn't available on the night we were there. Not the end of the world because there was another choice.

George & Dragon, Rowde

The George & Dragon isn't really a pub, but rather a hotel with a restaurant, so we were happy! After a pleasant meal we headed back to the Cross Keys for a couple more before strolling back to the boat ready for an early(ish) start to tackle the locks next morning!

Next day it was quite misty when we set out up the locks. It took us a little over 3 hours to negotiate passage to the top, but this included a ½ hour wait for a wide beam boat coming down at about the eighth lock. After all the hard work, this was our mooring.

Black Horse, Devizes

Mooring up at a pub garden is always the best! Lunch was pleasant and we were off again a couple of hours later. After three more locks we then had a long flat stretch of canal all the way to Pewsey. This turned out to be the longest travelling session of the holiday (and also the first time it rained!). It was my turn to steer and 5 hours later we were mooring up (illegally) at Pewsey Wharf in the dark and wet.

Waterfront Bar & Bistro, Pewsey Wharf

Fortunately for us it was open and serving food. Again, not really a proper pub, but it passed all the criteria we needed - food, drink and a seat. It felt more like a clubhouse for the local boaters (it was quite busy when we arrived) and the landlord/owner was a real character who'd had many previous jobs including owning one of the early hire fleets on the Kennet & Avon Canal. All-in-all a very good night of eating, drinking and talking (and we were the last to leave!).

This seems like an appropriate point to press the 'Pause' button.