Before moving to Australia, David Brown worked in Bicester and lived in Banbury, yet had seldom been on the lash in the latter fine town. Endeavouring to put that right, Avril, Richard Brandshaw and I met up with him at the Old Reindeer to begin consuming alcohol one early Spring Saturday. It was a fine day and we were able to sit outside to enjoy our beer, and what a spendid selection of beer it was, as always: Nice Try, Dark, oatmeal Stout, Hooky Bitter, Old Hooky, Lion. By far the best pub in Banbury, a really cosy yet welcoming boozer with some interesting seats and fruit wines available, we enjoyed our stay. As is customary, our tourists were also shown the Oliver Cromwell dining room. Also of note was a conversation about a tentative reality gameshow idea that we had, 'Incest with the Best', which cannot be elaborated upon any further.

Richard is a big fan of the Wine Vaults and I quite like it in there too, though the layout with narrow bar just through the front door, is highly irritating. We based ourselves in the back room by the pool table and probably stayed too long, but at least they had good beer to keep us there - Trooper, 50 Shades of Ale, Intrepid. The walk to the toilet allows one to view the garden.

Also on Parsons Street is the Old Auctioneer. This is quite a spacious pub with a nice garden, and is the sort of establishment that a group of ladies might go to for some drinks and order some bottles of wine which are served up in ice buckets. A bit of a trek to the toilets too, but nevertheless a relaxing place for a few drinks. They also have some beer for the gentlemen - Theakston Best, Directors, Dirty Bear.

The Whitehorse was next. When it was the Buck and Bell it was an absolute shithole, then improved about 5 years ago but seems to have slipped back a little. Still worth a visit though although the garden is quite small, so we sat in a quite traditional wooden panelled area. The beer selection is not as good as it was before, but still solid with an interesting selection - Grain Check, Tiger, Outlawed, Black Hole.

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for the Three Pigeons, and this has remained even though its appearance of a semi-detached house with patio doors has changed into more of a gastro pub. I didn't realise it before, but they had a very good garden which we made use of even though the sun was setting and it was not that warm. Immaculate toilets and a fine little snug area. Beer selection a little limited - Doom Bar, Purity - but decent enough and well kept.

Somewhere that I didn't expect to visit but was glad we did was Little Amsterdam. It was time for some pancakes and because they were licensed for beer we had some of those offerings too. Obviously nothing on draft but nevertheless a surprisingly pleasing place to while away almost an hour over a beer and some really rather tasty pancakes. Part of the reason we went is because I had expected the venture to fail, but even now, almost 18 months later, it is still going strong.

We were a little the worse for wear by the time we reached the Cromwell. It's an hotel/inn type place done in quite a rustic style and has quite a compact, quaint bar at the front. There may be other rooms here and there that are more spacious but we did not bother exploring. If I recall we ordered from the small bar, there being just IPA on, then retreated about 6 yards back to a vertical beam type that had a generaous shelf around it which made it become a table. Quite a cosy place for a beer but lack of inspiration led us to venture onwards.

Giving the chav filled Dog and Gun, and Church House wide berths, we decided to go to the Whately Hall, another hotel, intending to stay only for one, but settling in at the pool table for several drunken games that rapidly became loud and stupid as we continued to drink. This place has pretensions of being quite grand, and it is true that the toilets are good, but the drinking area itself is less pubby and more like an hotel bar or stately home with oak panelling. Undeterred during our pool playing, some wonderful shots were hit, some of which would have been discussed by pundits such as Danny Mills. Eventually it was time to finish and whilst Avril and I got into a taxi from the rank across the road, Richard and David ran for the train - fortunately not the last one because they missed it.