8. An encounter with Kathy Bates, Saturday 13 April 2002

Following on from the debacle of the previous week, Dave Wacey suggested that his friend Luke, who happened to be visiting that weekend, drive us around in his motor car, in the light along tarmacadamed roads. Nevertheless, some thrills and spills were still experienced.

Dave and Luke had consumed food in [and retrospectively re-rated] the Isis Tavern. After a brief siesta, we embarked on a trip to the Coach and Horses at Chiselhampton. This pub did not live up to the memory forged on a previous visit when we had dined there. There were a couple of nice bar staff though, but Hook Horton Best at 2.20 a pint seemed scant compensation. There's a nice fake window painted on the roof too. As the weather was a little chilly, we bolted our pints and pressed on to Stadhampton. despite rave reviews, the Crazy Bear seemed too bistro-like [Wacey spied ice buckets in there], so we went to the Crown instead. This had the atmosphere of a dodgy locals’ pub. There were lots of darts trophies too, but the ale seemed lacklustre. Beating a hasty retreat, we went elsewhere. Some nice looking pubs in Little Milton and Great Hasely were shut, so we went to the Royal Oak at Ickford. Oh my God.

We were greeted by a pissed woman who got her 8-year-old daughter to serve us a pair of Morrells pints, a coke and some fine pork scratchings. Then the mad woman started to engage us in conversation about football and early morning pub openings for fry-ups on World Cup days which became more and more disturbing, so we thought we'd better go before we ended up like in the film Misery. We were plied with some pickled squid 'for the road' before we left, making sure that we had locked the car doors.

A swift half followed at the Old Fisherman at Shabbington, which, if you ignore the foodiness, is quite a nice streamside pub, nice for supping a few ales on a Summer's evening. I have a feeling they did Morrells or else something equally pedestrian. Our final country pub stop was at the Clifden Arms in Worminghall which had a good selection of 5 real ales including a couple of guest ones [I think Brakespear is one that is always on], and we had a nice game of bar billiards whilst consuming pork scratchings in its quaint surroundings. There are also Bombay mix style snacks available too, as well as pricey, but no doubt tasty meals. The picture of the World Trade Centre has also been removed from the fag machine.

It was time to drive home for some solids and for Luke to start drinking properly. Substantial solids were purchased from the chip shop on Iffley Road, and then fine ales [again] came from the Old Ale House. In order to try a new pub, we went into the Hobgoblin on Cowley Road and were pleasantly surprised by the beer. Fiddler's Elbow and some sort of Jennings ale were served by a team of barmaids, and the clientele seemed quite Brookes dominated. Another cute bar maid served us a set of halves of keg 6X at the Temple Bar. They are apparently going to do proper beer soon, a range of Wadworths ones, no doubt at a price. Our final port of call was for some Greene King IPAs at the Cricketers Arms on Iffley Road, which doesn't stay open till midnight anymore, so its atmosphere is decidedly shittier than previously, especially as the punters consisted of only a few shifty sorts at the time of our visit. They stayed after we were kicked out at closing time. Not a bad crawl, and certainly a fair selection of obscure pubs and decent ales sampled.

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Dan Lovegrove
dan@doctor-lovegrove.com

Last updated 26th July 2002.