Pubs? must sees?

[Steve Smyth]

After many months of planning, we are going on our maiden voyage on the Sir Ulfius at the end of August (one week only). Are there any current and updated web sites that seperate the good pubs and sights from the not so good pubs and sites not worth stopping for? Any personal favourites? Also, is Chester and back do-able from Brewood without flogging the boat and ourselves to death? How about recommendations for overnite stopping points both good and bad?

 

Thanks all!

Steve

[John Orentas]

Hi Steve.

 

Brewood to Chester and back can be done in a week but you will have to press on a bit, roughly 120+ miles and 75 locks ret no day's off. First there are no good and not so good pubs, think more in terms of excellent and superb pubs, I don't believe there are any good guides simply because they are out of date as soon as they are printed, half the fun is finding them for yourself. Have a good look our own 'Good Waterside Pubs' guide.

 

The Shropshire Union is famous for good pubs, see this months Waterways World it features the Boat Inn at Gnosall and the Anchor at High Offley try not to miss either of these but if you do there is always next time and there are plenty more. Take a walk into Market Drayton or Nantwich. The Barbridge Inn is maybe a bit naff for some people but moor at their garden and have a decent lively meal.

 

The profits of doom will tell you not to moor in Chester but I have always spent the night below the walls, never had any real bother.

Edited January 22, 2006 by John Orentas

[Keeping Up]

Hi Steve.

 

Brewood to Chester and back can be done in a week but you will have to press on a bit, roughly 120+ miles and 75 locks ret no day's off. First there are no good and not so good pubs, think more in terms of excellent and superb pubs, I don't believe there are any good guides simply because they are out of date as soon as they are printed, half the fun is finding them for yourself. Have a good look our own 'Good Waterside Pubs' guide.

 

The Shropshire Union is famous for good pubs, see this months Waterways World it features the Boat Inn at Gnosall and the Anchor at High Offley try not to miss either of these but if you do there is always next time and there are plenty more. Take a walk into Market Drayton or Nantwich. The Barbridge Inn is maybe a bit naff for some people but moor at their garden and have a decent lively meal.

 

The profits of doom will tell you not to moor in Chester but I have always spent the night below the walls, never had any real bother.

If you're short on time you can conveniently save yourself about 3 miles and 8 locks down including the staircase of 3, and the same back again, by mooring at Christleton and catching the bus into Chester. The bus is quick, cheap, and frequent.

[Bill Kennedy]

Hi Steve

 

Pleased to hear you have decided on Sir Ulfius, she is a lovely boat. We haven't been out on her but had a look through last year.

 

If you would like an idea of a first timers experience travelling North from Brewood have a look at our posts in cruise diaries>page2>12 weeks on the cut>parts 1 and 2. I think you would have spend long days to reach Chester and return in 1 week but it is no doubt do-able.

 

Your first stop will probably be Gnossal or Wheaton Aston - the pub at Wheaton Aston serves good meals, particularly the Sunday lunch carvery. Although from reading recent posts it appears that the Shroppie Fly isn't the best place for a meal it is worth a look at least for a drink. The adjacent gift shop is also well stocked.

 

Look forward to reading of your adventure.

 

Cheers

[Philip]

You will have an enjoyable trip down from Brewood to Chester. Being in August, you should be able to have an active, but relaxing enough trip down there and back. There are a good amount of locks for interest and activity, but not so many like the Cheshire Locks where it's literally about 4 locks per mile - the locks are easy to operate on the first section, but beware of the Chester Canal locks - they're wide, reasonably deep, heavy gates and big, heavy back paddles - they also take a frustratingly long time to fill, so allow plenty of time for this section.

 

It's a very attractive route though, with some spectacular scenery along the way, with the deep cuttings and high embankments.

 

There aren't any places to avoid really, although if you are stopping in Chester, don't stop in between the locks - go down to the walls and moor there, or Tower Wharf, Christleton and Rowton are both attractive suburbs of the city and there are a couple of pubs canalside there as well.

 

I can only think of one pub which you best avoid on that route and that's the Shady Oak, the foods always been average when we've been in, it can take a while, not particularly cheap and someone was shot there earlier last year by armed robbers I seem to remember.

 

Many good pubs on that route, but pubs I would highly recommend are:

 

The Boat Inn (Gnosall Heath - exceptionally cheap food there - it's good, value for money bar food, basic, but cheap and well cooked.)

 

The Junction Inn (Norbury Junction - excellently situated, a range of bar/restaurant meals and a carvery - very good food.)

 

The Anchor Inn (High Offley - not for a high class meal, but for history and character - it's unspoilt and is the same as it was to the old boatman.)

 

The Hartley Arms (Wheaton Aston - do a good Sunday Lunch and decent bar meals.)

 

The Wharf Tavern - (Goldstone Bridge - high quality restaurant/bar meal food and again well situated).

 

The Bridge Inn/Shroppie Fly - (Audlem, both serve good food, the food at the Bridge id cheaper, although the Fly is very comfortable inside, a log fire and if you're passing through at lunchtime, you can eat outside and watch the boats passing through the lock).

 

The Barbridge Inn - (Barbridge, Wardle - reasonably priced food and the food is good, good moorings and seating area).

 

The Dysart Arms - (Bunbury, the most expensive, but very high quality food which is very well cooked there - excellent food, but very pricey).

 

Beeston Caste - (Beeston, just down the road from the canal, under the railway bridge, the road curves to the lleft and you're there - THE BEST! Very good, home-cooked food served there - very good value for money, the food isn't too expensive and it's properly cooked there and then, so expect a slightly longer wait - but it'll be worth it, consistently good meals! Friendly welcome as well, very comfortably - an excellent pub!

[dor]

I understand the Shady Oak is closed again at the moment - apparently the dodgy character who has run it for the last year or so has done a runner.

 

Food in the Shroppie fly is OK, but their non-smoking area becomes smoking after 9:00. It can also be very noisy if they have live music on; the bands seem to think they are performing to the whole of Audlem (shame really, as some of them are very good and would be much better at a little less volume).

 

Food in the Barbridge is good and very good value on their two for £10 menu (the gammon steak is well worth it). However they suffer from perennial staffing problems and service can be very very slow.

[Yamanx]

Having been up and down that stretch of canal quite a few times over the last couple of years, its still my favourite. My advice would be from Brewood to make Gnosall on the first night out and visit either The Boat or The Navvy as they are both really good pubs, with The Boat being possibly a little more relaxed. But you can visit one on the way out and the other on the way back.

 

Unless you want a very short day then you’ll have to catch The Anchor on the way back, as you really do need to visit this stuck in the past old boatmans pub. Its best visited in the evening when there is generally some sort of traditional entertainment. But they do not sell food, not of any sort so have some provisions.

 

Remember to get provisions where you can as there isn’t much in the way of shopping.

 

Avoid The Junction at Norbury, which I think serves very poor food and naff beer as well. The café opposite is ok for lunch though.

 

I have had poor meals in The Shroppy Fly (Twice) and The Wharf Tavern (Not to be confused with the Wharf Inn at Shebdon), but others have had good food in both these, so maybe I was there on a bad day.

 

Really enjoyed the meals and atmosphere at The Bridge, which is just a few yards away from the Shroppy at Audlem.

 

One other thing to remember is that a few of these pubs, The Anchor and The Wharf Tavern certainly, close between at 3pm and don’t re-open until 6 or 7 in the evening. Oh, and get a pizza delivered to the boat at Market Drayton from Millenium Pizza, they are the best pizzas on the planet.

[Philip]

 

 

Avoid The Junction at Norbury, which I think serves very poor food and naff beer as well. The café opposite is ok for lunch though.

 

 

 

 

 

When I last went in, I had a good meal, it was about 7 months ago now, is it now under new ownership?

[Yamanx]

Not sure how long the current manager has been in there to be honest, over a year I think. I've eaten there on several ocassions and its never been good, blimin awful at times, even though it can get busy during the summer. My permanent moorings are at Norbury, so I have often wandered along for a pint etc. But its not my cup of tea, the landlord is grubby, always unshaven and has filthy fingernails, sirly with a dog that bites. The pubs a bit run down around the edges and the whole atmosphere strikes me as uncomfortable.

 

Still each to their own eh?

[Liam]

the landlord is grubby, always unshaven and has filthy fingernails, sirly with a dog that bites.

 

Wasn't an Alsation/German Shepherd was it?

[matt]

I have to agree on the 'The Junction', I'd read somewhere it was okay - walked in the rain to get there and the beer was awful - didn't even finish my pint - TV on, jukebox on, only other person playing the fruity ...

 

I missed The Anchor as I passed in the morning but I saw quite a few boats I recognised (still asleep from the night before) and I was kicking myself for stopping early at Norbury.

 

The pub at Wheaton Aston is worth visiting, need to get in early if you want a table.

Edited January 23, 2006 by matt

[Philip]

Not sure how long the current manager has been in there to be honest, over a year I think. I've eaten there on several ocassions and its never been good, blimin awful at times, even though it can get busy during the summer. My permanent moorings are at Norbury, so I have often wandered along for a pint etc. But its not my cup of tea, the landlord is grubby, always unshaven and has filthy fingernails, sirly with a dog that bites. The pubs a bit run down around the edges and the whole atmosphere strikes me as uncomfortable.

 

Still each to their own eh?

 

 

Hmm, interesting! I might decide to give it a miss after all on our up and coming Easter 4 counties ring trip, it might mean an extra early start up the Audlem Locks to get to either Gnosall, or Wheaton Aston the next night.

 

To be fair we've usually visited in April and October and it's not usually been busy, so we might have caught it on better days those times. I like the Giant Yorkshire pudding, filled with sausage, mash and gravy there - I usually have that, although the last time we went in June, it wasn't on the menu and I settled for what turned out to be an average tuna salad baguette.

 

Talking of Audlem and places to visit, there was an armed robbery last week on the co-op there in the Square, it was masked thugs according to the website. I always tend to find it more pleasant mooring at the bottom, or between locks 2 and 3 near the top, as it can get noisy between locks 12 and 13, because of cars racing through the square at night and when people are coming out of the pubs. I prefer to moor at the bottom - very pleasant moorings there, now that the towpath has been sorted out. The pound between locks 2 and 3 is also pleasant as I said, very quiet and if you're going up, you basically have a head start in the morning to avoid the rush. Also if you're going down, you're straight into the main flight when you set off - once you're through a few locks, the boats coming up will appear and most locks should then not need filling.

 

It's a miles walk to the pubs from the Coxbank pound - but then it's a nice stroll for the summer by the locks and it's hardly like walking around Ancoats, or Stoke at night either.

Edited January 24, 2006 by Philip

[John Orentas]

Middlewich is a pretty average place for pubs but one of the least known ones with a quiet mooring at the end of a long garden is the Newton Brewery Inn, just a good old fashioned boozer. As is the Kings Lock pub, moor at the top of the lock this one has the added bonus of a very good fish and chip shop directly across the very busy main road, if you are a light sleeper or had an insufficiency of beer the road maybe a problem to you.

 

For twenty odd years I have been been passing the Kinderton Arms on that long boring stretch were it always seems to be raining, for all that time I have also been reading in my Nicholsons "Ignore its dour appearance and walk in". I did once out of curiosity, it is even more dour on the inside.

[Noah]

Market Drayton - a change from pubs (although there are several mediocre ones in the town)

A plug for two young friends of mine who have an excellent farm shop on their organic Fordhall Farm on the other side of town. Their own grass-fed beef and other meats are amazing. It's a bit of a walk so if you twist Charlotte's arm she will take you and any purchases back to the canal! Vegetarians will be more than happy with the organic Jersey icecreams. The tea shop should be open soon. A wonderfully peaceful and interesting place to spend a few hours.

 

All info at:

 

http://www.fordhallfarm.com/Home.html

 

I do some volunteer work there (no financial gain from this plug!)

 

Noah