Recommended pubs - Linslade to Stoke Bruerne

[pomkitanner]

My guide highlights 7 or 8 pubs between Linslade and Stoke Bruerne, but which should I bookmark for lunch each of 4 days? Prefer canal side but a half mile walk would be fine too.

[Batavia]

The Barley Mow in Cosgrove - and you get to go through the horse tunnel as well.

 

The Coffee Pot in Yardley Gobion - and it is an interesting village to walk round, if you don't get run over crossing the A508.

 

Both are simple pubs which do decent food.

 

Chris G

[ditchcrawler]

http://www.canalandriversidepubs.co.uk/

[DHutch]

Title updated to include the area/location.

 

 

Daniel

[koukouvagia]

My guide highlights 7 or 8 pubs between Linslade and Stoke Bruerne, but which should I bookmark for lunch each of 4 days? Prefer canal side but a half mile walk would be fine too.

You might treat yourself to a meal of the Spice of Bruerne. We've only been there in the evenings, but their website says they are open for lunches too. I

The two pubs at Stoke Bruerne are the Navigation and the Boat. In my opinion the latter, though perhaps having a more authentic boaty atmosphere, does not provide such good value meals as the former.

[Mike Tee]

Moor by the bridge in Grafton Regis and walk up the hill, past the church, and The White Hart is on the main road

[Cleyley Bob]

You are well spoilt for choice along your planned route.

Agree with koukouvadia about the 2 pubs in Stoke Bruerne.

The Spice of Bruerne do lunchtime meals - at least the present 'A' board outside says - set 2 courses of £7.95

The White Hart at Grafton Regis (Bridge 57) is well worth the uphill wall. Lunchtime would be fine - but would need to book for the evening.

Coffee Pot pub at Yardley Gobion (Bridge 60) - nothing special - but the walk up the hill leads into a charming High Street and Church and a number of thatched cottages. Also a Post Office - only opens mornings and a CostCutter supermarket in the housing estate.

The Navigation at Thrupp Wharf - (Bridge 64) Completely re-furbished this year and the menu reflects the expensive and extensive work carried out!

Barley Mow - moor between the Lock and Solomon's Bridge and as Batavia says - walk down off the towpath and through the horse tunnel. Usually good wholesome pub meals.

Canal passed near to a number of pubs throughout Milton Keynes.

Not a comprehensive list - but The New Inn at New Bradwell has garden moorings for a couple of boats.

Black Horse at Great Linford - (Re-named the Proud Perch for a couple of years)is another canalside pub with mooring alongside and excellent beer and food all day.

Nag's Head in Great Linford village - a traditional pub.

No up-to-date personal information for the Gifford Park, but the Barge at Little Woolstone (Bridge 83) was a cravery and good for meals all day.

The Swan at Woughton on the Green - short walk east from Bridge 88 - serves good ales and good food.

The Plough at Simpson has canalside moorings and a large garden and serves food throughout the day.

Further south towards Linslade, the 'Grand Union' at Three Locks has rebranded and has adjacent moorings and a large outside eating area.

Finally - the Globe - just north of Linslade is another very popular canalside pub with moorings alongside.

 

Pomkitanner - trust you'll enjoy one of two of these on your travels.

[pomkitanner]

Wow Thanks all ,especially Cleyley Bob , what a comprehensive list , Hope I can do justice to a good number . I have printed off for later reference .

Very much looking forward to again being back in UK and verturing on the cut .

[alan_fincher]

Echoing a few previous thoughts.....

 

Near Wyvern's Leighton/Linslade base the Globe is usually pretty good - probably too soon for a first night outward stop, but many use it for their final evening.

Despite the picturesque location we are not fans of what for some time has now been renamed the Grand Union at Three Locks, though others disagree

 

Do not try the Red Lion at Fenny Stratford lock for eating - this is purely a drinking pub, often with sports on TV.

 

At Simpson we have never had a duff meal at the Plough, although portion sizes can be very variable.

At Woolstone the Barge seems OK, but we have only used it a couple of times, and not that recently.

And at Stoke Bruerne itself.....
"Spice of Bruerne", (the Indian) is usually very good - booking often required for evenings - also do a take away service.

Sadly for eating the Navigation is usually better/cheaper/more choice than the Boat these days - a great shame that a Marstons chain pub is better than the one that has been owned by the same family for many years, but the latter seems to rely on just being in the right place and not having to try to hard.

[gazza]

Echoing a few previous thoughts.....

 

Near Wyvern's Leighton/Linslade base the Globe is usually pretty good - probably too soon for a first night outward stop, but many use it for their final evening.

 

Despite the picturesque location we are not fans of what for some time has now been renamed the Grand Union at Three Locks, though others disagree

 

Do not try the Red Lion at Fenny Stratford lock for eating - this is purely a drinking pub, often with sports on TV.

 

At Simpson we have never had a duff meal at the Plough, although portion sizes can be very variable.

 

At Woolstone the Barge seems OK, but we have only used it a couple of times, and not that recently.

 

And at Stoke Bruerne itself.....

"Spice of Bruerne", (the Indian) is usually very good - booking often required for evenings - also do a take away service.

Sadly for eating the Navigation is usually better/cheaper/more choice than the Boat these days - a great shame that a Marstons chain pub is better than the one that has been owned by the same family for many years, but the latter seems to rely on just being in the right place and not having to try to hard.

Agree re Stoke Bruerne, although the Boat does have a skittles table were the Navigation doesn't - major plus!!

 

Its been a good while since we have been to SB, that said the Spice was ace when we last went too.

 

Sadly its a long long time since we did any real amount of drinking in MK, I have friends from New Bradwell and Old Stratford, we were regular visitors to all the above mentioned pubs at one time, Rushden to MK wasn't too bad, we now live on the outskirts of Corby that and an 18 month old mean we no longer get over there anywhere near as much as we might like!

[mark99]

 

 

Do not try the Red Lion at Fenny Stratford lock for eating - this is purely a drinking pub, often with sports on TV.

 

 

Odious landlord too.

[David Schweizer]

Echoing a few previous thoughts.....

 

Near Wyvern's Leighton/Linslade base the Globe is usually pretty good - probably too soon for a first night outward stop, but many use it for their final evening.

 

Despite the picturesque location we are not fans of what for some time has now been renamed the Grand Union at Three Locks, though others disagree

 

Do not try the Red Lion at Fenny Stratford lock for eating - this is purely a drinking pub, often with sports on TV.

 

At Simpson we have never had a duff meal at the Plough, although portion sizes can be very variable.

 

At Woolstone the Barge seems OK, but we have only used it a couple of times, and not that recently.

 

And at Stoke Bruerne itself.....

"Spice of Bruerne", (the Indian) is usually very good - booking often required for evenings - also do a take away service.

Sadly for eating the Navigation is usually better/cheaper/more choice than the Boat these days - a great shame that a Marstons chain pub is better than the one that has been owned by the same family for many years, but the latter seems to rely on just being in the right place and not having to try to hard.

 

Not when we stopped there last year, it wasn't. The food was worse than mediocre, the service was slow, and we were subjected to several hours of dreadful loud live "music" from a character singing (badly) to a karaoke machine. Little wonder there was plenty of space on the moorings alongside, other boaters must have already known about it.

Edited November 15, 2015 by David Schweizer

[koukouvagia]

 

The food was worse than mediocre, the service was slow.

That's the only pub we've ever walked out of. An hour's wait for food was simply too long, so we went back to the boat.

The excuse? "It's Tuesday and we weren't expecting so many customers."

[David Mack]

A couple of us turned up at the Globe a year or two ago on the night of a big international football match (can't remember which since I am not the least bit interested in such things). There was one group sat outside finishing their drinks, no customers inside and the landlord said he had sent all the staff home and was shutting early, and no he wasn't doing food. So it was back to the boat for some home cooking and bottles of beer!

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Has anyone tried the Galleon at Wolverton? .

 

L

[alan_fincher]

I guess the comments about the Linslade "Globe" largely sum up the hazards of this kind of thread.

 

I know other people have reported duff experiences there in the past, but we personally have never had a duff or delayed meal there, and have always had good service, so my comments were based on our personal experiences.

We went to a Christmas meal with a canal society there last year, and will be doing so again this year.

Clearly though, others have not been as lucky.

 

It is also possible to find poor reviews of the "Navigation" at Stoke Bruerne, or even people saying that the much praised "Spice of Bruerne" is poor value, so I would suggest that recommendations, even when made by multiple people, are not a guarantee to somebody else that they will like any particular pub or restaurant.

 

I think I now remember I decided to stop making recommendations for these reasons, but I seem to have forgotten that!

[Tuscan]

Hi,

 

Has anyone tried the Galleon at Wolverton? .

 

L

Not personally but have heard it's much improved.

[koukouvagia]

I agree that with all these user reviews, you have to read them with circumspection. However, I use Tripadvisor a lot when I go abroad and have always found that you can get an accurate picture if you balance good and bad reviews. I ignore the rants and pay perhaps more attention to contributors who have a good reputation (a bit like CWDF, really).

 

It is interesting to note what the Tripadvisor reviews have to say on two of the pubs mentioned in this thread.

Of the 189 reviews of the Plough, Simpson 81% are good or very good.

Of the 400 reviews of the Globe, Linslade 51% are good or very good.

 

So which would you say gave the better service, value for money etc?

[Mike Tee]

The Plough in Simpson is (and seems to have been over the past few months) in the process of changing hands. The italian family that owned it for the past few years are on their way out, so whether this will have an impact on the food quality who knows? And when the handover will happen has been kept very quiet for some reason.

[Keeping Up]

Not personally but have heard it's much improved.

 

That's good, it needed to!

 

BTW the Barge at Woolstone is my local and I'd definitely recommend it. The food there is excellent these days.

[pomkitanner]

 

That's good, it needed to!

 

BTW the Barge at Woolstone is my local and I'd definitely recommend it. The food there is excellent these days.

Now that looks like a really nice pub from the google images. Where would I moor and how long to walk there ? ( Actually any English pub looks nice alongside the poor excuses for an NZ pub !! ) My wife is into antiques, can anyone recommend a store ( or two ) within a walk from the canal ?

Edited November 17, 2015 by pomkitanner

[Keeping Up]

Now that looks like a really nice pub from the google images. Where would I moor and how long to walk there ? ( Actually any English pub looks nice alongside the poor excuses for an NZ pub !! )

 

You can moor either side of Bridge 83 and it's just a couple of minutes walk down the paved footpath

[David Mack]

Hi,

 

Has anyone tried the Galleon at Wolverton? .

 

L

Had a lunchtime couple of pints there over the summer. It was fine. Not tried the food though recently.

[koukouvagia]

My wife is into antiques, can anyone recommend a store ( or two ) within a walk from the canal ?

You should stop at Weedon. There are several antiques shops in the village and a large antiques market next to the canal.

[alan_fincher]

You should stop at Weedon. There are several antiques shops in the village and a large antiques market next to the canal.

 

I think they are only going as far as Stoke Bruerne?

 

This place however is actually canal-side, and right near the Galleon pub already mentioned - you could try both for only one mooring up.

 

Not a recommendation, but we have been in and taken a look, and for sheer scale of different items it is beaten only by Jan's stalls for the Chesterfield Canal Trust! ()