CAMRA National Pub of the Year Finalists 2019

The 4 national finalists for CAMRA Pub of the Year 2019 (website), and sadly I have never visited any of them, are, starting in alphabetical order:

The Bell Inn

The Bell Inn, 3 Ambury Road, Aldworth, Berkshire RG8 9TL (photograph, many thanks to CAMRA). The Bell Inn is Grade II listed, going back hundreds of years, depending on which source you use (eg Aldworth website), consequently has a great history, indeed, has stayed in the same family since the 18th century. I can't find a website for it, nor a Twitter account, though there is a Facebook page, that doesn't appear to have been added to for 2 years, apparently very traditional. Looking at other sites and reviews, it is well admired and appears to sell 3 regular ales and 2 guest ales, all local, eg from West Berkshire, real ciders and excellent food. It is closed on Mondays, except Public Holiday lunchtimes, and won this national award in 1990.

The George & Dragon

The George & Dragon, Hudswell, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11 6BL (photograph, again with many thanks to CAMRA). The George & Dragon reopened in 2010 following its closure in 2008, with the building and land having been bought by the local community after raising £220,000, and then a further £80,000 that paid for its refurbishment (website); since when it has been a regular local CAMRA pub of the year, and national winner in 2016. Similarly, reviews say much for this pub, unsurprisingly for these are the shortlisted 4 national finalists, and they sell 5 regularly changing ales, apparently from local brewers, eg Rudgate and Roosters, real cider and excellent food too. On their website they declare they're not serving food on Christmas Day, which suggests, I presume, they are open every day of the year...

The Red Lion

The Red Lion, The Green, Preston, Hitchin, Hertforshire SG4 7UD (photograph, yet again, with many thanks to CAMRA). The Red Lion is an example of a very early community owned pub, indeed the first in Britain, having been reopened in 1983 following the decision of its previous owners, Whitbread, to sell the pub 3 years earlier (website). The building's history goes back to 1844, when separate cottages were integrated to create the now public house. It has 2 regular ales, Fullers London Pride and Tring Side Pocket for a Toad, and a regularly changing 3 guest ales from a wide range of breweries, local and further afar. Food also, of course, and unsurprisingly again, good reviews in abundance; the reigning Herts CAMRA pub of the year.

The Swan with Two Necks

The Swan with Two Necks, Pendleton, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 1PT (again, many thanks to CAMRA for this photograph). The Swan with Two Necks is a Grade II listed building, renovated in 2009, and has been with the current owners for over 30 years (website). They have 5 regularly changing ales, eg Phoenix and Copper Dragon, and a real cider, plus food, with the expected excellent reviews. This pub was CAMRA national pub of the year in 2014.

I wish the 4 entrants the best of luck with the competition; the winner will be announced in February 2020, and I do need to get travelling more, cheers!

A walk on the wild side, and a couple of ales too...

Walking in the Chilterns may not seem too wild, but the weather was, and the land got steadily muddy, as heavy showers fell (more like mini storms!), driven through by sudden gusts of wind. Amazing that you can get out to the countryside from London on the tube so easily (Metropolitan Line), and so we (with my brother Dan) started our 16 miles walk (a combination of 2 walks from the Time Out Country Walks Near London volumes 1 and 2) from Chesham...

Because the ground became heavier going the further we walked, we determined to make it to where the two walks joined at Great Missenden without a stop, so shot straight off to Little Missenden on the second walk. Consequently, the first hostelry we visited was the Red Lion in Little Missenden (website - though the link tells me to update Adobe Flash Player, which Chrome won't let me do, anyway, but good luck to you!), a 17th century pub which has starred in the television series Midsomer Murders 3 times... 

Friendly staff, and an ale from the Chilterns among the 3 on offer, Skinners Betty Stoggs and Greene King IPA being the other two. We had a very good ale from Tring (website), ie their 3.6% Side Pocket for a Toad, the same as we had when we visited on our walk in the Chilterns nearly 4 years ago! See old blog. My notes say that this was a nice dry golden bitter, pretty similar to my notes last time, I'm on the ball 😏

Then we walked on to Amersham, seeing 10-12 buzzards soaring above at one stage, then, just before arriving in Amersham, we spotted an individual male hen harrier flying above us. Anyway, we walked into the town and visited the 15th century Kings Arms (website), we entered the bar of the hotel, a previous guest being Oliver Cromwell, but, more recently, another star of Midsomer Murders, plus of Miss Marples, and the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. 

Again, friendly and helpful staff, and from the ales on offer, we drank the reasonably local, though from Hertfordshire, not Buckinghamshire, Paradigm Brewery (website) and their Watercress Ale (3.6%). A hint of pepper in the flavour from the addition of locally grown watercress, and brewed with Columbus hops, producing a very nice and refreshing bitter, good stuff!