Beer Hunting

Bath is a fine city full of culture, too many tourists but thankfully full of alehouses. Loads of them, my weekend in Bath was punctuated by many a pint and one of the best is the local brew 'Bellringer' and I must confess to asking for a pint of 'Bellender' when I'd had quite a few.

Our first stop was the smallest pub in Bath (pronounced Barth for any northerners reading) this is the Coeur de Lion with it's quaint old coloured glass windows and fab food, the tempura vegetables are just enough for a lunchtime snack and allow themselves to be washed down by the beer without a hint of making a windy reappearance. As the pub is so tiny you are compressed into your seats and cannot avoid tourists.......namely Americans. Alright I know they are always so amazed at our old stuff like castles, Roman remains and Stonehenge to name a few. Why do Americans say 'Stonehenge' with the emphasis on STONE? it's not as if there is another one to differentiate it from. 'Hey buddy we're looking for 'STONEhenge'.......... 'ah you mean Stonehenge'..it's just one word my transatlantic friend. But what really made me chuckle was the elder male yank who noticing my shaking of the non-brewed condiment onto a bowl of chips exclaimed 'they put put vinegar on their French Fries!'....... his wife Myrtle said 'NO!!'..... he said 'yeah! they seem to like it ya know'.

The Abbey Square is the place to be after lunch, at two o'clock the guides gather outside the door of the Roman Baths waiting to take you on a narrative journey through their city. No need to book no need to part with any cash, the guide who led us on a two hour amble to check out the architecture and tell us the story of his city was a fine English character decked out in several layers of linen shirts finished with a linen jacket. His umbrella was quite clearly of a vintage older than myself and his topping off was a floppy grey Fedora, the whole ensemble spoke of a man who had style, class and the ability to tell a story without boring his audience into the nearest tea shoppe. His class was such that after the walk he simply raised his hat and said goodbye, no hanging around for a tip.

Back on the beer hunt The Star is worth a visit as is the Raven last years winner of Bath pub of the year. The Raven offers nine types of home made pie with mustard mash and a range of beers and ciders. On the subject of cider I was offered good advice by our free walk guide 'cider after beer will make e feel queer but beer after cider makes a good rider'. So thats sorted then make sure you taste the ciders first.

Bank Holiday Monday saw county cricket at the Bath ground just a short walk across the river and Middlesex were the visitors who being bowled out for a total of 65 didn't make for much of a game but the beneficiaries of this thrashing by the hosts meant the pubs cashed in with hundreds of visiting fans heading for the alehouses. Most were in a pretty fluid state by late evening and a most amusing moment on the platform at Bath station was a crowd of Middlesex fans chanting 'we don't know what we're doing'..........I can vouch for their honesty.

Get down to Bath on the train for a day of culture and beer but aim to arrive about tennish before the coaches and you'll have a comfortable visit to the Romans Baths, a nice lunch with a pint then take the free walk including the Circus and The Royal Crescent.......here's a good tip visit The Royal Crescent Hotel and they'll show you round, serve you tea and home made biscuits for a fiver which is a lot less money and a good deal less sickly than a massive Bath Bun with cinnamon butter.