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Pub Guide
Roy Rides
Ashwell to SandyIntroduction: It’s been a while since the last Roy’s ride. My winter hibernation is over and, now that spring has sprung, it’s time to get on the road again. After looking at the map I decided that it was time to visit the southern part of the branch area. Problem being it’s a long way there and back. Time to use the rail network again, but where to start and finish? An ordnance survey map is handy for working out gradient profiles to determine the best starting point. After some checking it is clear that Ashwell provides the best profile, being at the highest point of the journey. Rather than return to St Neotsand adding another 10 miles to the trip, an excursion into the East Beds CAMRA branch area seems more appropriate, finishing in my old home town of Sandy. Trains to Ashwell from St Neots or Huntingdon involve a change at Hitchin. Ashwell only has 1 train an hour, so check your times to avoid a long wait at Hitchin. The 11:51 arrival is perfect for opening time. Distance:15 miles. (From Ashwell railway station to Sandy railway station) The ride should take around 4 hours, depending on how many pubs you visit and how long you stay in each. The Ride: The first pub can be found on exiting Ashwell station. So it’s time for a beer before the ride starts. The Jester is the most southerly pub in our branch area. It has been extended over the years to include accommodation, but the original building is flint faced and easily distinguished. The pub has a reputation for food and there is plenty of evidence when entering the bar. There are backboard specials and a couple of dining areas, including a conservatory.A typical range of real ales is Everards Sunchaser, Adnams Bitter and Broadside and Morlands Old Speckled Hen. On leaving the pub turn left. Interestingly, this area is not actually Ashwell village, but Odsey. Ashwell Village could be reached by turning left after a few hundred metres, but that’s for another time. So for now, put your feet up and coast downhill into Steeple Morden. The Waggon and Horses (2.5 miles) is the last of eight pubs that once graced the village. It is easily found opposite the village church. The pub has many facilities, including a large garden, which can accommodate camping and caravans. Check out their web site for the full list: www.waggonandhorsessteeplemorden.co.uk. The Waggon & Horses is a rare outlet for Greene King XX Dark Mild and it’s always worth coming here to sample one of Greene King’s better beers. The mild is accompanied by IPA and a beer from the recently acquired Hardy and Hanson beer range, Olde Trip. Back to the bikes and continue into the village along Hay Street to a turning on the left signposted Guilden Morden. Follow this road until you reach the Edward VII (3.7 miles). Again, it’s opposite the village church. This is very much a locals' pub, with plenty going on. The landlord even runs the village shop next door, which was added when the only shop in the village closed a few years ago. Beers on offer are Greene King IPA and Courage Best Bitter. Guilden Morden has two pubs - something that’s becoming quite rare for small villages. Take the road opposite the Edward VII (Church Street) then turn left into the High Street. A few hundred metres further on Is the Three Tuns (4.1 miles), a two bar pub with a restaurant in the old lounge. The pub is much improved over recent years and features an extensive menu. Being a Greene King pub, the real ales are house beers - IPA, Abbot and usually a seasonal beer. A rare feature of the pub is the old jug & bottle entrance as you enter, displaying the name of former brewery Simpsons of Baldock, who once owned the pub. Retrace your route, but instead of going up Church Street, carry on along Pound Green until you reach the junction with Fox Hill Road. Continue on this road until you reach the crossroads with the B1042. Go straight across and into Wrestlingworth. A little further on is the Chequers (7.0 miles), another Greene King pub which dates from the 16th Century and features plenty of oak beams, a large garden plus IPA and Abbot Ale. On leaving the pub turn left and continue to Potton. After a moderate climb, it’s generally a downhill ride. The Rising Sun in Everton Street (10 miles) is one of six pubs in Potton and was a free house until a few years ago when Charles Wells purchased it. Previously two bars, the pub has been extended and opened up and features a 60 foot well in the bar! Eagle IPA, Bombardier, Youngs Waggledance and St Austell Tribute are on sale. The Old Coach House Hotel in the Market Square is a large grade II listed 17th Century coaching inn, a Good Beer Guide entry and an unofficial brewery tap for the Potton brewery. Shannon IPA and a seasonal beer from Potton are stocked and typically three others, such as Oakham JHB, Woodforde’s Wherry and Robinson’s Old Stockport. Lunches and evening meals are provided. It is hard work to tear yourself away from such a good choice of beer, but there are still more pubs. The Royal Oak is in Biggleswade Road, and is the oldest pub in Potton. It has a heavily beamed interior, most of which was opened up and uncovered in the early 70’s. An extension was made into the adjacent cottage at the same time. Before this was done it must have been one of the worst ever examples of a 1950s formica cover up with original beams and features hidden behind wallpaper and false boarding. Two Greene King beers are available here. |
On leaving the Royal Oak return to Station Road and turn left. As you pass the Red Lion, the old Potton railway station is across the road, still showing a little of its former glory - but sadly no trains. Further on the Brickmakers Arms is another Good Beer Guide pub - a former Greene King pub that has been turned into a successful family-run free house. Jennings Cumberland Ale is worth a try. The final leg of the journey leads to Sandy. On leaving Potton it’s downhill into Deepdale. On the right hand side is a closed pub, formerly the Locomotive, with an old railway signal still to be seen outside the building. It’s a bit of a climb out of Deepdale but it's back on the level towards Sandy. On the way you will pass the RSPB HQ on your left hand side. Stop and have a look at the shop if you have time. One more downhill charge, over the railway bridge and into Sandy. You can either call it a day at the railway station or continue down the High Street - there are a few more pubs worth visiting. The Sir William Peel (13.8 miles) was previously named the Lord Nelson and more recently the home of the Old Stables Brewery, which sadly closed a year ago. Two beers worth a try on my last visit were Nethergate Bar Fly and Mighty Oak's Simply the Best. No food here, but there is a fish and chip shop on one side of the pub and a curry restaurant the other. Continue down the High Street to the Market Square. Turn right and past the Lord Robert into Cambridge Road. The Queen’s Head (14.0 miles) still shows Greene King signage, but has recently been acquired by Admiral Taverns. It’s a great locals' pub and still retains many splendid older features, notably the bench seating in the bar. The pub has been extended over the years and now has a number of cosy drinking areas. I have a particular soft spot for this pub, as it’s only a hundred metres from my childhood home. Yet in the past I walked past it many times, not realising that it served real ale. Three real ales are from Greene King, including Hardy and Hanson’s Olde Trip and a seasonal beer. Back to the railway station and time before the train for a quick half in the nearby Bell - another Greene King house and very much a locals' pub. It also happens to be the first pub that I ever had a beer in. (No - I won’t tell you how old I was). A fitting end to a great trip down memory lane. Roy Endersby The Pubs: Steeple Morden Potton |