Four Counties Ring - Pub list

[Cruising Mike]

Hello members,

 

Can you take a look at the below list of pubs and see if you have any feedback on them or any additional good ones i may have missed. One of our main things we want is the pub to have a dart board or a pool table (or both), a beer garden canalside or not. But generally speaking, any good old fashioned pubs that serve good drinks is enough for us. Also any good curryhouses, chinese and fish & chip shops are on our want-list.

Shroppie:

 

The Curry Inn - Brewood

The Hartley Arms - Brewood

The Navigation - Gnossall

Boat Inn - Gnossall

Junction Inn - Norbury JCT

The Anchor - High Offley

Wharf Inn - Shebdon - (Closed down)

The Wharf Tavern - Market Drayton

The Talbot - Market Drayton

The Shroppie Fly - Audlem (I have a fair amount of research on this one)

The Star - Nantwich

The Olde Barbridge Inn - Barbridge

The Jolly Tar - Barbridge

The Boar's Head - Middlewich

 

Staff & Worcs:

 

Fox & Anchor Inn - Autherley JCT

Cross Keys - Penkridge

The Boat - Penkridge

Flames - Penkridge

The Clifford Arms - Gt. Haywood

 

Trent & Mersey:

 

The Holly Bush Inn - Salt

The Swan - Stone

The Royal Exchange - Stone

Toby Carvery - Barlaston & Etruria JCT

The Holy Inadeqate - Stoke

The Blue Bell - Kidsgrove

The Broughton Arms - Rode Heath

The Red Bull - Kidsgrove

Royal Oak - Rode Heath

Commercial Hotel - Wheelock

Edited December 5, 2013 by Cruising Mike

[matty40s]

For a start, you have missed the Navigation at 'nossal.....

 

Fox and Anchor - autherley - overpriced chain food with rubbish service and poor beer.

Clifford Arms GT Haywood - Good home cooked food and beer.

Blue Bell - very good food and beer and fire.

I don't stop at many on these routes whilst moving boats as generally clear of the ring in two days.

[BlueBelle1]

What a great idea Cruising Mike , maybe we could do the same on other canal routes, I'm on the Ormskirk branch of the Leeds Liverpool..near Southport, I enjoy a real ale, lovely....

For a start, you have missed the Navigation at 'nossal.....

 

Fox and Anchor - autherley - overpriced chain food with rubbish service and poor beer.

Clifford Arms GT Haywood - Good home cooked food and beer.

Blue Bell - very good food and beer and fire.

I don't stop at many on these routes whilst moving boats as generally clear of the ring in two days.

I try my best

Blue Bell - very good food and beer and fire

[Cruising Mike]

Bluebell - Hopefully i wont be needing a fire, but i can certainly imagine how nice it would be during the winter months...

[PhilR]

That is a pretty good list from Cruising Mike. There are only a few omissions that I am aware of.

 

But, I suggest Mike asks again on here a week or two before he sets off on the trip.The problem with recommending pubs these days is that so many change hands/close down/change chefs or management on a regular basis.

[Cruising Mike]

A valid point. If anyone comes across a pub in the above list, and it's shut, let me know and i will remove it.

For a start, you have missed the Navigation at 'nossal.....

 

Fox and Anchor - autherley - overpriced chain food with rubbish service and poor beer.

Clifford Arms GT Haywood - Good home cooked food and beer.

Blue Bell - very good food and beer and fire.

I don't stop at many on these routes whilst moving boats as generally clear of the ring in two days.

 

Added the Clifford Arms to the list

[PhilR]

A valid point. If anyone comes across a pub in the above list, and it's shut, let me know and i will remove it.

 

Added the Clifford Arms to the list

 

The most important omission from your Shroppie list is The Anchor at High Offley. I really hope nobody posts a message to say it has closed!!

[Rod a mod from Tod]

Blue Bell is the best real ale pub on the ring and the best on the system in my opinion.

 

If you are into your real ale you may wish to add the Royal Exchange in Stone. Titanic beers + guests perhaps 10 or more in total, for some reason when I am in a pub I lose count at six.

 

There is also the Holy Inadequate at Stoke near Festival Park. All guests and about ten on offer.

 

edit. The Wharf Inn at Shebdon was shut and up for sale last time we went past, back end of August 13.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Rod a mod from Tod

[windy miller]

Wharf Inn at Shebdon definately shut, has been for the last two months, The Boat is in Gnosall not Norbury Junction and the Anchor at High Offley has limited opening times in winter.

 

Otherwise, enjoy your booze-cruise!

[Chop!]

Blue Bell is the best real ale pub on the ring and the best on the system in my opinion.

 

If you are into your real ale you may wish to add the Royal Exchange in Stone. Titanic beers + guests perhaps 10 or more in total, for some reason when I am in a pub I lose count at six.

 

There is also the Holy Inadequate at Stoke near Festival Park. All guests and about ten on offer.

 

edit. The Wharf Inn at Shebdon was shut and up for sale last time we went past, back end of August 13.

I'd like to second the Holy Inadequate, it's a superb pub, with great ales and interesting locals

[thornto]

I was in the the Anchor Inn in High Offley once. Lovely little place for a quiet pint right by the canal.

[IanM]

What a great idea Cruising Mike , maybe we could do the same on other canal routes,

 

Errrr... http://www.canalandriversidepubs.co.uk/waterway-rings.html

[saxplayer]

Sorry dont mean to high jack your thread but it is relevant.

Perhaps someone can help me ID a pub i visited over twenty years ago around Eccleshall ( Staffs). It was on the canal but had no outward signs of it being a boozer. Literally was like walking into the living room and the landlady took a pitcher and disappeared presumably to the cellar and reappeared with the ale !. Not too sure if i was on the shroppie or the staffs and worcs.

For the life of me i cant remember where it was !

Shaun

[mattlad]

Sorry dont mean to high jack your thread but it is relevant.

Perhaps someone can help me ID a pub i visited over twenty years ago around Eccleshall ( Staffs). It was on the canal but had no outward signs of it being a boozer. Literally was like walking into the living room and the landlady took a pitcher and disappeared presumably to the cellar and reappeared with the ale !. Not too sure if i was on the shroppie or the staffs and worcs.

For the life of me i cant remember where it was !

Shaun

That's The Anchor High Offley.

 

Edited - double posted!

Edited December 4, 2013 by mattlad

[saxplayer]

Is it still open

[Rod a mod from Tod]

Yeh ^

[dmr]

What a great idea Cruising Mike , maybe we could do the same on other canal routes, I'm on the Ormskirk branch of the Leeds Liverpool..near Southport, I enjoy a real ale, lovely....

I try my best

Blue Bell - very good food and beer and fire

 

Do you mean the BlueBell at Kidsgrove? I thought they didn't do food so as to put all their efforts into beer!!!!!!

 

Also the Swan Inn at Stone has much more and better beer than the Star, I don't think they do food but they do have a lot of live music, mostly pub rock but I did encounter an Elvis night which was not so good!

 

...........Dave

[Rod a mod from Tod]

 

Do you mean the BlueBell at Kidsgrove? I thought they didn't do food so as to put all their efforts into beer!!!!!!

 

Also the Swan Inn at Stone has much more and better beer than the Star, I don't think they do food but they do have a lot of live music, mostly pub rock but I did encounter an Elvis night which was not so good!

 

...........Dave

Your,e right about the Swan. Always get them 2 pubs mixed up. The Star is a waste of space. Marstons fodder outlet.

[matty40s]

The Red Bull at Kidsgrove has good food too, but the Canal Tavern is a bit local/roughand ready kind of place.

[dmr]

The Red Bull at Kidsgrove has good food too, but the Canal Tavern is a bit local/roughand ready kind of place.

 

If you stand outside the Canal tavern and look over the lock you can actually see the upper part of the BluBell, The only problem with the Bluebell is that its closed on Mondays.

 

.............Dave

[Chop!]

Nice people in the Canal Tavern, had good fun there and let us charge all our phones

Not got the beer range that the Blue Bell has though

[Ian Mac]

Pubs I think you have missed

Worth the walk into Drayon several good pubs there, we also enjoyed a good session in the Talbert last time we went in

The there is the Bridge or The Comberbach which I currently prefer at Auldem.

The Star at Acton is worth the walk

The Badger at Church Minshall does real good food and a bit of beer

The Kings Lock, Middlewich was really good, but only had time to sample a couple on our last passage.

The Cheese at Wheelock is currently deemed the better pub, but this can flip to the Commercial whilst you aren't looking

The Broughton Arm - was well passable

The Red Bull - good as well

The Blue Bell excellent but only opens weekday evenings and all day at weekends I believe these days.

The Royal Exchange on Radford Street in Stone is defiantly worth the walk, the Titanic ales are excellent - Steerage takes some beating as a session ale. We moor on the long pound with the mooring lights, walk down two locks, left, left and go up hill into town and carry on going up hill.

At the other end of Stone we tend to go in the Swan rather than the Rising Star. It had better choice of Beer and is only just round the corner, but no food, but a good pizza place next door

I always use to enjoy the Greyhound at Burston which is a bit of a walk up from the cut and over the railway or the other walk to the Saracens at Weston, not been in either for ages.

[Cruising Mike]

All good recommendations and have updated the list a bit.

 

Ian - I saw some of those in my book and on the net and they do look good too. The Red Bull is an obvious pub on the route hence the reason i didnt include it. Also im under the impression it can be busy since it is close to the north portal of Harecastle. Will add it to the list now anyway.

[Hastings]

Also missed out of the list is the Bridge Inn at Audlem (bridge 78), next door but one to the Shroppie Fly. The Bridge is a Marstons house with usually three real ales, and a wide range of good cheap food. It was built when the canal opened, and is still popular with boaters. The Shroppie Fly reopened about three weeks ago after major refurbishment, which should put it back on the list of pubs you must go to when doing the Four Counties Ring. Seven real ales when I was last in! And again, good pub food at reasonable prices.

 

Peter

[canalpubs]

A new gem has appeared in Middlewich, a town that does not have a lot of great pubs

 

The White Bear opened in the summer. It can be described as a gastro pub, very comfortable, good food but, ........... at very reasonable prices

 

Its in Wheelock Street which can be described as close to Tesco so quite central

 

Try it - good selection of local beers and the food is a twist on what the freezer van delivers