The White Bear, Fickleshole

Nicely situated in the hamlet of Fickleshole, only a few miles from New Addington yet feeling very rural, the White Bear is an attractive old building, perhaps originally a row of cottages but then combined into one. It says on the outside wall of the pub that it dates from the sixteenth century. On our visit on Sunday, 11th September, we scanned the bar for hand-pumps. There were three, but it was initially alarming that none appeared to be in use (no clips on them). Then we spotted the four gravity-dispense casks nearby. Panic over, we went for the Pilgrim's Fickleshole and it was very good. I was concerned that the cask not being sited in the cellar might mean that the beer was lukewarm, but it was pleasantly cool. Two pints, plus a half pint of orange juice came to £9.90, which I thought rather expensive, but nevertheless a decent pint and a pub I'd be happy to visit again.

12 Sep 2016 13:08

The Albion Vaults, Conwy

Having walked from Llanfairfechan to Conwy, this was the first pub we came to on reaching the town. Seeing something written outside about it being a CAMRA award winner, we decided to give it a try. Inside we found it very busy, and there was nowhere to sit, so we had to sit in the beer garden (really more of a yard at the back, but not unpleasant). The beers we had ('Sweet Lips' and 'Brenin') were okay but nothing special. (There wasn't anything wrong with either of them -- they were both just generically 'hoppy', which isn't my favourite beer taste.)

Despite not particularly enjoying the beer, and having to sit in the back yard, it seemed like a nice pub.

1 Aug 2016 13:56

The Queen Victoria, Llandudno

On a recent trip to Llandudno, we visited the Queen Victoria once. It's pleasantly situated up a side street in one of the older corners of the town. We were enticed by the setting, with tables out front, so we went in on the off chance. The beer we had (Dragon Ale) was okay but nothing special (and may well have had extra gas added).

1 Aug 2016 13:30