Public transport and pubs are, of course, natural allies as each provides patronage for the other. But many of the rural pubs on this year’s Ale Trail aren’t blessed with good bus links. Local CAMRA volunteer Alan Hawkins wanted to do something about that and so he drew on his preservation contacts at the Thames Valley and Great Western Omnibus Trust (TV&GWOT) to put together a day out with a difference.
The morning of Saturday 6 April was a rarity this spring – bright and sunny. Unfortunately less rare was a rail strike on GWR, a potential issue as our day was due to begin and end at Twyford station. Luckily the Elizabeth Line was still running and 30 excited Ale Traillers together with two even more excited dogs gathered outside the station to await our transport.
It’s fair to say that the shining example of 1950s British engineering that rolled into view came as a surprise to some. We piled on board and eagerly awaited our first pub visit. But not before the transport geeks on board had another nice surprise as the preserved ‘Hastings’ diesel unit 1001 thumped its way through the station on a railtour bound for Exeter.
First stop on our own tour was the Good Companions in Woodley. This large suburban pub dating from the 1950s was a breakfast stop as well as our first opportunity to get an Ale Trail sticker, and set us up well for the day.
A longer ride in the coach – it’s fair to say that people were smaller in the 1950s! – brought us to our second stop, the Elm Tree at Beech Hill. This is a rare example of a gastropub that also caters very well for drinkers. Some of our party sat inside the cosy bar area while others enjoyed the patio with its fantastic views. Here we all put our beer orders in, all the beer was poured, then we each paid up during the course of the visit. At least, I hope everybody did!
Pubs three and four were both in Hurst. The Castle was lovely, with service very well organised even down to the friendly ‘sticker girl’ at the end of the bar. ‘WIP007’ from the local Stardust Brewery was a popular choice, as was the suntrap of a patio. A quick hop on the coach then led us to our next stop, the Green Man. This historic inn had only recently reopened under new management. While there was a choice of only one beer (Brakspear ‘Gravity’ – or ‘Bitter’ or ‘Ordinary’ depending on your age), it was in great condition.
Final pub stop was the wonderful Bell at Waltham St Lawrence. This village local and restaurant has several times been our branch Pub of the Year and, with the oldest parts of the building dating from 1400, offered a wonderfully historic interior and a large garden. Most sat outside although, as the clouds began to cover up the sun the wind suddenly felt a lot colder and there were a few emergency runs to the coach to pick up coats.
Back to Twyford just in time to see an Elizabeth Line train departing but, no matter, most went on for a bonus drink at the Cross Keys up the road. Our coach returned to its base and peace returned to Twyford.
It was a lovely day out, very well put together with plenty of time to settle in and enjoy each pub Many thanks go not only to Alan for organising the event but also to our driver and navigator on the day, Colin and Helen Billington. Thanks also to the TV&GWOT for helping our branch out by providing the use of MOD 973 for free for the day. We’ll be looking at doing other country pub visits (with the odd brewery visit thrown in) by heritage coach in the future. Keep an eye on our branch website reading.camra.org.uk for more details in due course.
The Ale Trail runs until Sunday 12 May. Some of the organising team will be at Phantom Brewery that afternoon from 3-6pm to give you a chance to drop off your completed Trails.
About the Bus…
MOD 973 is a Bristol LS6G coach built in 1952, with a distinctive ‘camel back’ body for carrying luggage on the roof, which was built by the Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft, Suffolk. MOD 973 was delivered new to ‘Southern National’ in Bournemouth, for frontline ‘Royal Blue’ express services between London, the South Coast and the West Country, which it performed until withdrawal in 1968.
MOD 973 has been on long-term loan to the Thames Valley and Great Western Omnibus Trust (TV&GWOT) since 2015, and its restoration was completed by a team of TV&GWOT volunteers at their base at Fifield near Maidenhead. Volunteers, both skilled or just eager to learn, are always welcomed by the Trust, as there are plenty of other ongoing restoration projects in the workshops. You can find out more about the Trust at www.tvagwot.org.uk
Phil Gill
Published in Mine’s A Pint, Issue 63.
Mine's A Pint - Reading & Mid-Berks CAMRA 