I went to stop at a Brit Stop place called The Bell at Yarpole, it’s a community run pub, but it wasn’t open. They still said I could stop, and it would be £10, so to pop it through the letterbox. I needed to charge my phone etc so sussed out another pub up the road. The idea was to go there for a drink and charge, then come back to The Bell.
I travelled up the road after dinner to The Balance Inn, which turned out to be a really lovely pub, built on the good old fashioned ethos of a traditional pub. In the drinks menu on the table, it had ‘A Pause for Thought’. It talked about being the heart of the village, a storytellers den, a warm fire on a cold evening. It told how they look at the rituals of food, drink and friendship. How they are trying to move away from the world of franchised menus and generic interiors, a pub with soul. Their mission is to serve food and drink that feel like they belong. Whole, natural ingredients sourced with care, often from local providers.
I had a cup of tea and a sticky toffee pudding as it was a cold, windy night. It was delicious, just what I needed. They were such a lovely welcoming pub, with their locals enjoying a pint. And they had no problem letting me charge my phone, even giving me the heads up when one of their locals left for the night, making room by the only plug socket. I didn’t fancy travelling back to the other pub and didn’t fancy paying the £10, so on the off chance I asked if it was ok to stop in the car park for the night, which they agreed to. Now I’m not condoning they would do this every time, so am not advertising this service, only that they were a descent friendly establishment.