The Shoe Inn, Exton

We spent an extremely pleasant evening at the Shoe Inn after walking all day in the rain on the South Downs Way. The staff were charming and welcoming and couldn't do enough for us. When I enquired which of the meals were gluten-free the barman was very well-informed, and the chef prepared a gluten-free batter for a delicious fish and chips. This attention to detail is rare in London restaurants and I did not expect to find it in a small village pub on the South Downs. Full marks for everything - my friends food was also top-class. Good wine, good food, a roaring log fire and a friendly welcome - what more could we ask for?

29 Apr 2012 11:14

The Milburys, Cheriton

The Milbury's is included on the National Trail Guide website map as a place to stop whilst walking the South Downs Way, and on the pubs own website it says "The Milbury's is at an intersection of ancient trackways and it would have been a convenient resting place for all travellers. The South Downs Way runs right past the front of the pub. Other local routes include the Itchen Way and the Wayfarers Way."

You may therefore expect a friendly welcome to be given to walkers. Au contraire. We (2 girls) arrived at The Milbury's at 13.50 after walking for some hours on the South Downs Way on a rainy day, so we were tired and wet. We arrived at 13.50, and when we entered the pub instead of a friendly welcome we were greeted by a gruff - "the kitchen closes at 2pm so if you want anything to eat you need to order now." I asked if we could put some wet things by the fire to dry a little but this request was ignored. (there were only 2 other guests and they were also walkers). The food arrived quickly and was very tasty, but the barman told us that the pub closed at 2.30 so we didn't have long to eat it before we had to leave. The toilets were dark (no light switch that either of us could find) and only had cold water in the basin. The pub was quite dusty and the floor particularly grubby. Overall a very disappointing visit. If this pub uses the National Trail website for advertising then you would think they could make more effort to be pleasant and friendly to walkers.

27 Apr 2012 22:08