Entitled Historic Boat Owners

[Midnight]

25 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

ah, yes of course, I’d have limped to the Anchor. 
(I think they’ve always made sandwiches on request.)

But I heard it only opens Thursday to Sunday. We will find out tomorrow. 🙏🙏

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I’d have thought she’d be open all week now, with it being summer and all. I’ll find out for you 👍
 

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I’d have thought she’d be open all week now, with it being summer and all. I’ll find out for you 👍
 

Given that summer normally implies warm sunny weather to bring people out and encourage them to drink beer, maybe it won't be open after all...

 

Mind you, warm 6X is one of the things I like even less... 😞

Edited July 10 by IanD

[Midnight]

48 minutes ago, IanD said:

Given that summer normally implies warm sunny weather to bring people out and encourage them to drink beer, maybe it won't be open after all...

 

Mind you, warm 6X is one of the things I like even less... 😞

Know what you mean but there's just something about the Anchor. I think we will give it a go tomorrow and report back.

[Victor Vectis]

Yes.

As far as beers go 6X is quite boring, but.....

 

Sitting in the garden of the Anchor and hearing nothing but quiet conversation and birdsong.....

Magical!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Know what you mean but there's just something about the Anchor. I think we will give it a go tomorrow and report back.

Beer’s kept at cellar temp so I wouldn’t worry. If your pint gets warm you ain’t drank it fast enough. 
There’s a small range of bottled beer and cider if you don’t like the 6X, plus they keep one of them boxed ciders which is a good pint. 

Might be Old Rosie 🤷‍♀️

[IanD]

21 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Beer’s kept at cellar temp so I wouldn’t worry. If your pint gets warm you ain’t drank it fast enough. 
There’s a small range of bottled beer and cider if you don’t like the 6X, plus they keep one of them boxed ciders which is a good pint. 

Might be Old Rosie 🤷‍♀️

The problem is that not only is 6X not one of my favourite beers, on both the occasions we visited in the last few years it was in poor condition, tired/stale/sour tasting -- and topped up from a jug of even more dubious provenance. The only thing worse would be Old Rosie... 😞

 

No matter how lovely and unspoiled the pub is, there's no excuse for serving poor beer... 😞

27 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

Yes.

As far as beers go 6X is quite boring, but.....

 

Sitting in the garden of the Anchor and hearing nothing but quiet conversation and birdsong.....

Magical!

Indeed, if only the beer was up to scratch... 😉

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

47 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Know what you mean but there's just something about the Anchor. I think we will give it a go tomorrow and report back.

We’ll all be interested to know what you think. 
For me it’s the conversation and the locals that make it. One of them bars where you can sit quite and listen with interest (and learn) or simply join in. Hit it at the right time and it’s a great atmosphere. A small bar where you can’t ignore each other. 
Music nights where folk bring their instruments tend to be a Friday/Saturday. But nothing is arranged and definite. If it happens it happens. If you can play owt take it in and play they don’t mind. 
 

I’ve been in the Boat at Stoke Bruerne a few times before and never ranked it. Last weekend I hit it at the right time and got chatting and it was great. Good enough that I spent 3 evenings in there. I had to drink Tribute, but hey it was worth it. And I’ll go back before the Summer’s out. 
 

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

The problem is that not only is 6X not one of my favourite beers, on both the occasions we visited in the last few years it was in poor condition, tired/stale/sour tasting -- and topped up from a jug of even more dubious provenance. The only thing worse would be Old Rosie... 😞

 

That was my view as well

[IanD]

2 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

We’ll all be interested to know what you think. 
For me it’s the conversation and the locals that make it. One of them bars where you can sit quite and listen with interest (and learn) or simply join in. Hit it at the right time and it’s a great atmosphere. A small bar where you can’t ignore each other. 
Music nights where folk bring their instruments tend to be a Friday/Saturday. But nothing is arranged and definite. If it happens it happens. If you can play owt take it in and play they don’t mind. 
 

I’ve been in the Boat at Stoke Bruerne a few times before and never ranked it. Last weekend I hit it at the right time and got chatting and it was great. Good enough that I spent 3 evenings in there. I had to drink Tribute, but hey it was worth it. And I’ll go back before the Summer’s out. 
 

Completely agree about the importance of atmosphere and locals and conversation -- and we're usually the people turning up with instruments and playing music.

 

But in my view the beer has to be at least decent, which is exactly what it wasn't at the Anchor... 😞

 

If it's excellent -- like at the Samuel Oldknow, or the Blue Bell, or the Swan in Stone, or the Holy Inadequate -- then so much the better, especially if they also have the atmosphere.

 

No amount of going on about the atmosphere and unspoiled nature of the Anchor makes up for the duff beer -- it's fallen at the first hurdle of being a good pub... 😞

[MtB]

32 minutes ago, IanD said:

No amount of going on about the atmosphere and unspoiled nature of the Anchor makes up for the duff beer -- it's fallen at the first hurdle of being a good pub... 😞

 

I'd suggest that is the second hurdle! The first is the pub being actually open when you pass, which in my experience it usually isn't. 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

51 minutes ago, IanD said:

Completely agree about the importance of atmosphere and locals and conversation -- and we're usually the people turning up with instruments and playing music.

 

But in my view the beer has to be at least decent, which is exactly what it wasn't at the Anchor... 😞

 

If it's excellent -- like at the Samuel Oldknow, or the Blue Bell, or the Swan in Stone, or the Holy Inadequate -- then so much the better, especially if they also have the atmosphere.

 

No amount of going on about the atmosphere and unspoiled nature of the Anchor makes up for the duff beer -- it's fallen at the first hurdle of being a good pub... 😞

There was no atmosphere when we were there, just six of us from 3 different boats.

[MtB]

5 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:

Sitting in the garden of the Anchor and hearing nothing but quiet conversation and birdsong.....

Magical!

 

Which one can do even when the pub is shut (i.e. most of the time).

 

Bring your own London Pride! 

 

[Ronaldo47]

Reverting to the title of the thread, my only experience of historic boats exhibiting entitled behaviour was on my first canal holiday in 1976. We were winding at Braunston near the junction when the prow of what turned out to be a BW working boat and butty being used as a pair camping boats, suddenly emerged through the bridge leading to the Southern Oxford going fast enough to produce a white bow wave.  No sounding of his horn, no forward lookout, and we were at 90° to the towpath at the time. I did immediately sound our horn, but he was going so fast that even when he went in reverse, the momentum of motor and butty meant he couldn't avoid hitting us and all I could do was shout down inside to warn the others to hold on as we were about to be rammed.  The BW steerer gave us some lip about worst driving he had seen in all his years etc., etc, which I now know must have been bluster, but we were all novices then not fully conversant with things like taking care at bends and bridges,  and no damage had been done. 

Edited July 10 by Ronaldo47

[Tam & Di]

I don't know of BW running camping boats. Possibly a pair the owner had just bought from BW or had on lease and not had time to repaint.

[Ronaldo47]

Quite possibly: it was a long time ago,  no-one took any photos, and they could well have been ex-BW boats.  

Edited July 10 by Ronaldo47

[Tonka]

8 hours ago, Ronaldo47 said:

Reverting to the title of the thread, my only experience of historic boats exhibiting entitled behaviour was on my first canal holiday in 1976. We were winding at Braunston near the junction when the prow of what turned out to be a BW working boat and butty being used as a pair camping boats, suddenly emerged through the bridge leading to the Southern Oxford going fast enough to produce a white bow wave.  No sounding of his horn, no forward lookout, and we were at 90° to the towpath at the time. I did immediately sound our horn, but he was going so fast that even when he went in reverse, the momentum of motor and butty meant he couldn't avoid hitting us and all I could do was shout down inside to warn the others to hold on as we were about to be rammed.  The BW steerer gave us some lip about worst driving he had seen in all his years etc., etc, which I now know must have been bluster, but we were all novices then not fully conversant with things like taking care at bends and bridges,  and no damage had been done. 

What year did UCC stop operating camping boats

[IanM]

35 minutes ago, Tonka said:

What year did UCC stop operating camping boats

 

They were certainly still operating camping boats in the mid 1990s.

[GUMPY]

11 hours ago, IanD said:

No amount of going on about the atmosphere and unspoiled nature of the Anchor makes up for the duff beer -- it's fallen at the first hurdle of being a good pub... 😞

As I never stopped there in my boating days (as it was either closed or our schedule precluded it when we passed)  I was thinking about staying on their CL for a night on the way home, this thread has quite put me off the idea.

 

Anyone know what The Bridge Inn at Chirk is like these days? Last time I was in there in the 90's I was subjected to a lockin until 2.30am 😱

[alan_fincher]

18 hours ago, Tacet said:

B & M is a rival to Poundland.

 

Round here most B & M  vans relate to a care home company.

It as, of course, also the Birmingham & Midland canal carrying company, trading out of Gas Street.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

39 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

As I never stopped there in my boating days (as it was either closed or our schedule precluded it when we passed)  I was thinking about staying on their CL for a night on the way home, this thread has quite put me off the idea.

that's a shame,

some of the negative postings are based on the views of one who’s never been in the pub and another who had a bad experience a few years ago,

best look in yourself and 

make your own mind up,

 

always best to make own mind up even if you draw the same conclusion it’s shit 😃, 

 

 

If we listened to a certain few on here we would do nowt, 

 

11 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

There was no atmosphere when we were there, just six of us from 3 different boats.

😂😂😂

maybe choose some better travelling companions?

or were they randoms who were just dull company?

[GUMPY]

It's the comments on the quality/type of beer that concerns me.

[Lady M]

While beer quality can be important to some of us, I think there are other reason to visit the Anchor and so would encourage everyone to support it when possible. 

[Stroudwater1]

23 minutes ago, Lady M said:

While beer quality can be important to some of us, I think there are other reason to visit the Anchor and so would encourage everyone to support it when possible. 

Absolutey! and one persons off beer is another persons delight.

 

Had an excruciating experience with friends in a restaurant who twice sent “corked” wine back. They didn’t taste too bad at all to me. We don’t go out with them for dinner these days for some strange reason. 

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

that's a shame,

some of the negative postings are based on the views of one who’s never been in the pub and another who had a bad experience a few years ago,

best look in yourself and 

make your own mind up,

 

always best to make own mind up even if you draw the same conclusion it’s shit 😃, 

 

 

If we listened to a certain few on here we would do nowt, 

 

😂😂😂

maybe choose some better travelling companions?

or were they randoms who were just dull company?

Random,