I
was there early and needed breakfast, so I headed over to Four Candles, a
Wetherspoon pub, for breakfast. I got
their before they served beer (it was Sunday after all), so I got my Eggs
Benedict (I miss Jenn already) with tea.
However, when the local construction workers came in for their morning
pint, they were served. I went up right
after them. I got White Horse The
Guv’nor and Brakspear Oxford Gold, local beers celebrating Oxford, and then
planned what to do until the rest of the pubs opened. I chose to go to the
center of town to climb the Carfax tower, the remaining portion of the 12th
century St. Martin’s Church. The tower
is 74 feet tall and no building in the center of town is allowed to be taller
(kinda like William Penn in Philadelphia).
I climbed the 99 steps to enjoy the view, and got a lay of the land. Next I went to the Ashmolean Museum, the
world’s first university museum, which was built back in the 1680’s. The museum was impressive, and I enjoyed
wandering around looking at the different collections, but it was getting time
for the other pubs to open so I had to be on my way.
My
first set of stops was amidst Oxford University itself. I went to the White Horse, CAMRA recommended,
and enjoyed a Shotover Oxford Prospect and a Vale Captured Golden, as well as
picking up a postcard with noted pubs in Oxford (a guide book for a pub
crawl?). Next to Blackwell’s bookstore,
it had a picture of Bill Clinton enjoying a pint in the entrance way. I then went over to the Bridge of Sighs to
find a passageway down to Turf Tavern (http://www.theturftavern.co.uk/), a 13th
century alehouse that has sod growing on its roof (Norwegian style). I had the Greene King Turf Tavern and a White
Horse Black Horse Porter. They were
complaining that they were having trouble with their beer lines, but a Greene
King service expert showed up and took care of business. Finally, I headed over to the Kings Arms for
a snack and looked forward to getting a Scotch Egg, but their kitchen was not
quite ready. No worries, the pickled egg
was a great alternative, and I helped myself to a Young’s Hummingbird (brewed
with passion fruit) and a Young’s Kings Arms (did I mention that it was a
Young’s pub?), and looked to see what part of town I would visit next. 
I
was getting hungry so I walked up through the University, down Museum Road, and
along Lamb & Flag passage to my next stop, to the CAMRA recommended Lamb
& Flag (guess that is where the name of the passage came from). I had a Palmer’s Lamb & Flag Gold, but
did not find anything to jump out at me so I headed across the street to the
Eagle & Child (I love the names of pubs) and enjoyed Downtown Ed’s American
Red (meaning overly hopped). Still no
food, so I found another CAMRA pub, Far from the Maddening Crowd (on a back
alley) (http://www.maddingcrowd.co.uk/), and drank a Tiny
Rebel FUBAR (I love the beer names, too).
There were also a group of ladies on their own pub crawl, and
recommended I grab a bite to it at the Grapes.
The
Grapes (http://www.bathales.com/our-pubs/pid/the-grapes/) is a Bath Ales pub,
and offered their regular beers as well as some season specials. I had their Special Pale Ale, and was happy
to see that they were offering food. I
started off with a pickled egg (what else) and LOVED their Cheese and Beer
Toast (i.e., Welsh Rarebit) which was to die for. I chatted with the landlord and got some
bottles to go, and made some new friends with some blokes who appeared happy to
find an American in their pub. 
Fortified,
I went on a tour of Christ Church, home of the Great Hall that was the model
for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Hall. I love
the history and reference given to the entire site, but was then back off to
finish my Oxford tour with three CAMRA pubs.
The Royal Blanheim offered the White Horse Village Idiot. The Bear provided Fuller’s Wild River Pale
Ale. Finally, I wrapped up at the
Chequers with a Navigation Traditional (I am a traditional guy after all). Great beers, great sites, a great day. I caught my bus back to my car and started to
head home, but realized it wasn’t quite dinner time and there was one more stop
that I wanted to hit on the way home, Stratford-Upon-Avon. 
Stratford-Upon-Avon
is a beautiful town that is known for being the birthplace of Shakespeare. I searched for parking, but the lots were
full, so I pulled into the Stratford Sports Club and parked in their field
(illegally I found out later, an $85 mistake).
The place was packed with families picnicking and enjoying the
weather. It was dinner time, so I walked
up the River Avon to The Bear and got a Ploughman’s and a North Cotswold Bear
Best Bitter. Basic, simple, and
delicious. I then crossed the river and
went through the market area to find the house where Shakespeare was born on my
way to my next stop, the New Bull’s Head for a Hook Norton Pride of the
Cotswolds (did I mention that we were in the Cotswolds?). It was now getting late, so I got the last batch
f Chinese noodles from the market (not the best choice on my visit), found my
car (and parking ticket) and headed back to Derby.
It
was nice to have a day to explore, but I wish I had been able to work it out so
that Jenn could be with me. She would have
love the scenery, and would have had a ball simply relaxing along the river. –
6327/14452
“A day without beer is like a day without sunshine.” – Sign at the Royal Blenheim in Oxford, UK
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