St Neots,Eynesbury,Eton Socon & Eton Ford Crawl 4th June 2016

This was a pub crawl done with my brother who drove me down to St Neots for a birthday treat.
It was a fairly early start to get to St Neots for 10.30am and hit the Wetherspoons for an early drink,my aim was to do all pubs in St Neots and Eynesbury and do a few more in Eton Socon.
It was a really nice day for doing a crawl not too hot and dry.

St Neots

1: Weeping Ash

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a typical looking Wetherspoons in their more modern look,it was decent enough inside but the guest beer choice was very poor,so i went for a drink i would not normally go for,this was Wolf Lavender Honey,which was a better drink than i thought it would be.

We took our time in here and set off just before 11am to do our next pub,there were plenty of pubs close by and the next pub was almost next door to the Weeping Ash.

2: Pig N Falcon

 (c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking white painted pub,there was a single room inside which i quite liked not too posh,just like a proper pub.
There was a decent choice of real ales on,i had a drink of Potbelly Best which was a very nice drink.
We both quite liked this pub and the background music was to our taste too.

It was a very short walk onto St Neots main shopping street to find our next pub.

3: Coach House

 (c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking Greene King tied house which has had a modern makeover inside,but still seems like a proper pub in a smart way.
There were three real ales on,i avoided the Greene King beers and had a drink of St Austell Tribute which was quite nice.
We thought this was a very pleasant and comfortable pub to have a drink in.

After a short walk along the main shopping street and towards the River Great Ouse we found our next pub open.

4: Brook & Barter

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a very large and modern pub housed in an old building,the room went back a very long way and was sadly empty apart form me and my brother.
There was one real ale on which was Pedigree,this was a decent drink.
Not really our type of pub but there was worse to come.

5: Bridge House

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a decent looking pub that is situated next to the River Great Ouse.
The pub was quite nice inside and is a Greene King tied house but there was no signage outside to confirm this.
There were three real ales on,i had a drink of Greene King Molecule of Life which was not really to my taste.
We both liked this pub.

It was another short walk along the shopping street to get to our next pub.

6: Corner House

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

By the look of this pub from the outside we thought it would be the worst pub in St Neots so we had to do it.
We were right a pretty crap room which had a few younger drinkers acting like twats.
There were no real ales on which was no surprise,i had a drink of keg Charles Wells Eagle Bitter which was drinkable but bland.
I an pleased we did the pub as most other reviewers of pubs would not venture into places like this.

We now decided to walk out to the Bulls Head which is on the main road heading to the train station,after a bit of a walk i decided not to bother with it, i could have walked it but my brother does not walk as much as me and i thought it would be too far for him.

We decided to take the short walk down to Eynesbury which we thought had four pubs,it was not long before we came across our first pub here.

Eynesbury

7: Chequers Inn

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A nice looking white painted pub that is set sideways onto the main road.
There were a few different rooms inside with the main bar room to the front being quite busy with older drinkers,the other rooms were probably for diners.
There was one real ale on here which was Shepherd Neame Spitfire,this was a decent drink.
The friendly locals said we would be lucky to get a drink in the Nags Head,but we had to give it a try.

After a short walk down the road we found our next pub.

Nags Head

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This looks like a fully functional pub from the outside and the front door was open but when we went up to it there was a table blocking the entrance with details about what this hotel now as to offer.
We were dissapointed and carried on walking down berkeley street to get to the next pub.
We walked past the Hare and Hounds so we could do it on the way back to St Neots.

8: Cambridgeshire Hunter

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a decent looking pub and a Charles Wells tied house,so i was well pleased as i like doing proper tied houses.
The pub was decent enough inside and catered well for the local drinkers, there is also a separate pool room.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Charles Wells Eagle IPA which was a nice drink.

9: Hare & Hounds

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

Another decent looking pub with a decent sized single room and a separate pool room.
There were four real ales on,i had a drink of Adnams Broadside which was a nice drink.
The pub was very busy with locals.

We were now taking the short walk back to St Neots to pick up a few more pubs.

St Neots

10: Ye Old Sun

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a really nice looking pub so hopefully it would be just as nice inside,it was.
This is a very nice unaltered pub with the main room divided into three areas and also having a beamed ceiling,there was a bar billiards table to the left and in use,there is also a small snug behind the bar.
There were five real ales on,i had a drink of York Terrier which was a top notch drink.
This is a really nice pub and i am pleased that we did not know about it before going in which made it all the more of a surprise.

We took another short walk and down a back street to get to our next pub.

11: Hog and Partridge

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A typical looking back street pub with lots of housing around it.
The pub sported Batemans signage outside but this is not a Batemans tied house.
The pub had a decent single room inside and a good choice of real ales,with five being on,i had a drink of Longman Session IPA which was a very well kept beer and also very nice.
There were plenty of board games available.
Sadly the pub was empty on our Saturday afternoon visit and is also up for sale,i hope this pub stays open as it would be a shame for it to close down.

It was a short walk to the end of russell street and up new street to get to our next pub.

12: The Hyde Park

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub that is set sideways onto the road.
The pub has a single room which is very comfortable with it being carpeted and having bench seating which i like.
There were two real ales on,i had a dink of Black Sheep bitter which was a decent drink.
We quite liked this locals pub which was very busy on a Saturday afternoon.

We were now walking back to the car which was parked on the other side of the river, walked past the Jaz Yorks pub but decided not to do it as we had missed out on the Bulls Head earlier in the crawl.
I said i would do a quick walk to the Barley Mow while my brother had some sandwiches in the car.

Eton Ford

13: Barley Mow

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A nice looking Greene King tied house which is just over the river from the Bridge House pub.
The pub was smaller inside than it looked from the outside,it was quite smart and busy with drinkers and diners,there were four real ales on,i had a drink of St Austell Tribute which was a decent drink.

 I did a quick walk back to the car park to meet up with my brother for the drive into Eton Socon.

Eton Socon

14: George & Dragon

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is a Greene King tied house which is on the main road through Eton Socon.
The pub was pretty ordinary inside with a main bar room  and a pool room off it,the one notable thing was a map of St Neots on the ceiling.
There were three real ales on,i had a drink of Greene King London Glory which was not that good.
I was still happy enough doing a pub in a town i have never been to before.

A short drive down the main road and we found our next pub.

15: The Old Sun

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A nice looking pub from the outside,but once inside it has had the modern makeover with leather settees and the like.
This is another Greene King tied house with two real ales on,i had a drink of Belhaven Golden Bay which was a nice drink.
A shame the pub is not as good inside as it looks from the outside.

We did a very short walk to get to the next pub.

16: Waggon & Horses

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

Another really nice looking pub from the outside.
Once inside there was a single room which ran the width of the pub,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Brains Reverend James  which was a decent drink.
The pub was empty on our Saturday afternoon visit.
Slightly dissapointed with this pub as i do not like drinking in empty pubs.

Back in the car and a short drive to our next pub.

17: White Horse

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A really nice looking  pub with a long frontage.
There was a nice bar room and a separate dining room,three real ales on,i had a drink of Adnams Lighthouse which was a very nice drink.
A very pleasant pub which we both liked.

Back in the car and a drive off the main road and down to the river,we were going to do the Millers Arms but it was not open so we carried on down the River Mill.

18: River Mill

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

A pub in a converted mill and in a good location on an inlet of the Great Ouse.
The pub is fairly modern inside and seating on two levels,we had a drink in the main bar on the ground floor.
There was a decent choice of real ales on,i had a drink of Oakham Citra which was a very nice drink.
The pub was very busy on our Saturday afternoon visit both inside and outside.
A pleasant pub to visit when the weather in nice.

We were now heading to our last pub which was a drive back through the middle of Eton Socon and past the Barley Mow to the top end of Eton Ford.

19: Eton Oak

(c) photo taken by Alan Winfield

An old looking pub that had lots of ivy or something else on its walls.
Once inside the pub had a large single room which had half of it set aside for diners.
The pub is a Charles Wells tied house so i was well pleased and it was the last pub of the crawl,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Charles Wells Eagle IPA which was a decent drink to end the crawl on.

The A1 was a very short drive from the Eton Oak and we was on our way back to Nottingham.

A great day out and we only missed two pubs in St Neots and one in Eton Socon.

Next up an old pub crawl.