Good pubs on the Southern Oxford

[IanD]

Looking for up-to-date advice, given the rate that pubs change hands nowadays anything more than a couple of years old is probably unreliable -- trip is a week from Napton, may get to Oxford or not, first priority good beer, second priority good food for nights we don't cook on the boat. So far likely candidates starting from the 2016 GBG are:

 

Great Western Arms, Aynho

Barley Mow, Upper Heyford (but this is Fullers and we're from West London...)

Brasenose Arms, Cropredy

White Horse, Banbury

 

Then there are some maybes with little or no recent info online:

 

The Folly, Napton

The Wharf, Fenny Compton

Boat Inn, Thrupp

Plough, Wolvercote

 

Any strong positive or negative comments on any of these, or any other suggestions?

 

Cheers

 

Ian

 

P.S. We will of course be equipped with on-board beer facilities should disaster strike...

[Delta9]

The Folly have Old Rosie Cider on tap in case you get sick of drinking ditchwater and fancy a pint of something decent. I've not eaten there (other than a bowl of chips) but it always seems to be packed when I have visited so it can't be too bad. I ate at The Wharf once and it was crap.

[Top cat]

We went to the Barley Mow Upper Heyford in September last year and waited a full hour for very poor and overpriced food to arrive. VERY uncomfortable seating and indifference from the staff. We won't be going back.

 

We have been to the Wharf at Fenny Compton several times over many years and have always found it to be friendly & comfortable with good food at reasonable prices. Service is prompt and friendly and the free wifi is easy to get into and reasonably quick. They also have a small provisions shop and a laundrette. Our last visit was September last year and we will definitely be going back in fact we make a point of stopping there.

 

Last time we were in Aynho ( Sept 15) we got the menu from the Great Western and decided it wasn't good enough value for money to tempt us in.

 

The Folly is rather cluttered with too much stuff hanging from the ceiling, feels claustrophobic, the pies are nothing special.

 

Top Cat

[Athy]

Do they still have pies? They no longer specialise in them since the current landlord took over a couple of years ago.

The Red Lion at Cropredy is imminently reopening (in fact may already have done so).

A vote for The Brasenose although it is some 300 yards from the canal side. Food not cheap but good (though there may be some budget options), ales recently included Hooky and Landlord, also a good draught cider Stowford Press, gigs alternate Saturday evenings (next Saturday is a reggae and soul covers band). Dogs allowed in the bar, in fact sometimes they outnumber the humans. BEWARE of early Friday evenings as they operate a sort of crèche club so that busy parents of young children can get a pint without having to get child-minders. As the pints go down, the wee kiddies tend to become increasingly free-range.

[Keeping Up]

A couple of weeks ago we ate lunch in the Brasenose (food and beer both excellent) and also treated ourselves to dinner at the Great Western Arms (rather expensive but IMHO definitely good enough to justify the price)

[IanD]

Has to be said that this isn't looking hopeful, things seem to have gone downhill pubwise since I last did this route -- but that was twenty-five years ago, when one memorable high point was being woken up by a couple of F-111s taking off at 7am on full afterburner right above our heads from Upper Heyford airbase. Can't remember if the bed had brown sheets beforehand (they were trendy then) but it might have had afterwards...

[MtB]

In my experience the food in the Wharf is brilliantly cheap, but I've had some truly awful meals in there. The quality is commensurate with the price.

 

Conversely at the Great Western the food is rather expensive, and the quality reliably and pleasingly high every time I've eaten there.

 

Both offer 'value for money' in my opinion.

[IanD]

Any reason people are avoiding the Rock of Gibraltar north of Thrupp? Reviews seem good...

 

Also the Bell at Lower Hayford -- I'm trying to find some more possibilities to fit in with travel days.

[dmr]

Went in the Great Western two days ago, it has changed a little since we were there last, every table was set out with knives and forks and reserved for eating, so almost nowhere to just have a drink, just three bar stools at the bar. We sat on these but did feel rather in the way. It is a bank holiday weekend so maybe will be better some other time.

 

The Castle in Banbury is now sadly closed but we did discover the White Horse which had 5 real ales, mostly from micro's, and was dog friendly.

 

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

[dave moore]

I've had good food in the Bell at Lower Heyford, though not in the last 12 months. Dave

[Mal in Somerset]

We try to support the Wharf at Fenny Compton, when we go that way. The pub has very much embraced the canal and provides useful facilities for boaters including a small general store. The beers are generally well kept and the food is standard pub grub, nothing fancy but reasonable portions. There's also a bit of a boaters corner comprising those on the long term moorings and those who work at the marina so you can chat about all things boating if you wish. For mooring if you're heading south you will probably have to moor before the bridge; there are a couple of visitor moorings past the water point outside the pub but if these are full the rest of the moorings are permit only.

 

I would also re-iterate Athy's comments on the Brasenose in Cropredy. A friendly bunch and good food!

[johnmck]

Thus far we have visited these pubs on the south Oxford this year.

 

The Folly at Napton. For the choice and price for what you got, not brilliant.

 

The Coach and Horses in Banbury. Brilliant food and service second to none. Worth booking.

 

The Great Western at Aynho. Expensive, but worth it In my opinion. Food very good and excellent service.

 

If you get I to Oxford. Take a walk down the river from Osney bridge and call in at The Punter. This is a brilliant pub, with an excellent quirky menu. My pub of the year thus far.

[bastion]

Any reason people are avoiding the Rock of Gibraltar north of Thrupp? Reviews seem good...

Normally a good selection of well kept beers, well used by local boaters, never ate there so cannot comment on food

[johnmck]

Forgot the Boat inn at Thrupp. Pricey, but great quality food.

 

I think I may have a problem!

[Scholar Gypsy]

Plough at Wolvercote was good when I went there (not by boat) a year or two ago.

 

if you fancy a walk (Pigeon's lock, or even better from the old cement works a bit further north) then there are I think some pubs in Kirtlington (not to be confused with Kidlington)

[MtB]

Forgot the Boat inn at Thrupp. Pricey, but great quality food.

 

I think I may have a problem!

 

 

I went in there about 10 years ago. The bogs utterly STANK.

 

Put me off the place for life...

 

 

Edit to add:

 

Damn I've confused the Boat Inn with the Jolly Boatman, both at Thrupp. It was the Jolly Boatman with the stinking bogs. My apologies to the Boat Inn. Their bogs are fine!

Edited May 31, 2016 by Mike the Boilerman

[johnmck]

I went in there about 10 years ago. The bogs utterly STANK.

 

Put me off the place for life...

Possibly Morse was on the job! Yet another corpse waiting to be found!

[frahkn]

 

If you get I to Oxford. Take a walk down the river from Osney bridge and call in at The Punter. This is a brilliant pub, with an excellent quirky menu. My pub of the year thus far.

 

 

I was in The Punter earlier this month.

 

It is certainly eccentric and is also dog friendly but the menu is a little pretentious in my opinion. On balance, I liked the Punter but it would never be my pub of the year.

 

But different opinions are what makes the world go round (well not literally but you know what I mean).

[Athy]

For mooring if you're heading south you will probably have to moor before the bridge; there are a couple of visitor moorings past the water point outside the pub but if these are full the rest of the moorings are permit only.

 

 

Yes, it can get full quite early, BUT be aware that at the end of the LT moorings going southwards, immediately before the marina, there is one solitary public mooring. We have used it a couple of times. Not many people know about that.

Oh, I suppose that they do now.

[ditchcrawler]

Yes, it can get full quite early, BUT be aware that at the end of the LT moorings going southwards, immediately before the marina, there is one solitary public mooring. We have used it a couple of times. Not many people know about that.

Oh, I suppose that they do now.

There was a lot more than a couple of visitor moorings just south of the waterpoint last time i went through, but some of the boaters seem to think they are all long term by how long some of them were spending there.

[NB Watersnail]

I think all of the good pubs have had a mentioned. Here's my tuppence worth:

 

The Wharf at Fenny - nice pub, friendly, food ok and good value. Great to do laundry while eating!

Brasenose at Cropredy - top pub. Can't recommend this one enough for drink and food.

Red Lion at Cropredy - soon to reopen. Was nice years ago (I got engaged here!) and has the potential to do well with a new landlady.

Banbury. Horse & Jockey, Reindeer, White Horse. All equally good really. Beer is better at Reindeer and White Horse.

Great Western at Anyho - Pricey, but nice food and beer. It's a 'special ocassion' only pub for us.

The Boat at Thrupp - Great food, well kept beer.

Jolly Boatman - haven't been in for about a year, but normally acceptable food and beer here.

 

Enjoy your trip down the South Oxford and do wave at Water Snail when you pass Sovereign Wharf.

[ditchcrawler]

I think all of the good pubs have had a mentioned. Here's my tuppence worth:

 

 

Jolly Boatman - haven't been in for about a year, but normally acceptable food and beer here.

 

Enjoy your trip down the South Oxford and do wave at Water Snail when you pass Sovereign Wharf.

We were having dinner in a pub in Birmingham and I guess the manager got into conversation with us and we said we were on a boat, it transpired he use to run the Jolly Boatman and was surprised that we knew where he was talking about.

[IanD]

Went in the Great Western two days ago, it has changed a little since we were there last, every table was set out with knives and forks and reserved for eating, so almost nowhere to just have a drink, just three bar stools at the bar. We sat on these but did feel rather in the way. It is a bank holiday weekend so maybe will be better some other time.

 

The Castle in Banbury is now sadly closed but we did discover the White Horse which had 5 real ales, mostly from micro's, and was dog friendly.

 

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

The curse of the gastropub, had that a couple of years ago with one of the pubs on the HNC -- not only couldn't get a table to eat (original plan), couldn't even find enough space for us to sit at the bar and have a beer after dinner on the boat. In my view if you can't do this it isn't a pub, it's a restaurant and should be labelled/advertised as such.

 

Unfortunately pubs where food is the main (or only) priority are taking over because there's a lot more profit to be made nowadays on food rather than beer. Not that there's anything worng with a pub doing great food, but if there isn't a bar you can sit in (or stand at) it's not a pub. Some places manage to be good for both food and drink, but fewer and fewer still have being a pub as the #1 priority -- the Blue Bell at Kidsgrove being one fabulous exception...

[Mal in Somerset]

Yes, it can get full quite early, BUT be aware that at the end of the LT moorings going southwards, immediately before the marina, there is one solitary public mooring. We have used it a couple of times. Not many people know about that.

Oh, I suppose that they do now.

I wasn't going to mention that one! We've got in there on a couple of occasions!

[Mal in Somerset]

Just got back from the King's Head at Napton. It's not right on the canal but can be accessed from Wigrams Turn Marina or bridge 109. It's a Hook Norton pub and did a very good pint of Hooky Blond; Hooky an Old Hooky were also available. Not the cheapest but the food was also excellent. Also friendly staff and dog friendly! I would suggest it's worth a visit.