A Dream Not Quite Come True

It had to happen but I must admit, when it did, it came as a bit of a bump. Since moving to Oxford, I've been on a mission to find Inspector Morse esque pubs. You know the type; "quaint" for want of a better term. Not to mention good real ale. Ideally a garden with stunning views too.

So far I've had a reasonable track record of discovery through nothing other than dropping into pubs that look good. You might not be able to judge a book by it's cover but you can certainly judge a pub by it's exterior. However this run of luck had to end. The disappointing bit is that the pub in question actually featured in an episode of Inspector Morse. When I saw the episode I fully expected the pub to be somewhere else entirely, picked for the purposes of looking good rather than it's location, however some boredom and a bit of time on google earth revealed that it was where the episode said it was.

So far so good. Before I go further, let me clarify that I fully appreciate that the episode was filmed more than thirty years ago so expecting the place to be identical is more than a little unreasonable. However it was still more than a little disappointing.

Initially things looked good. The setting was truly picturesque; the Thames was flowing over a waterfall, the surrounding buildings were old and thatched and the whole area had the feeling of a remote country village. Better still, the building was beautiful. There was more than a little bit of old-world charm out of it.

Unfortunately when we got inside things went down hill. It was most certainly a gastropub (admittedly more pub than gastro) with an extensive wine list, cocktail menu, cool music and bar staff that were just a little too trendy. In the end, the beer wasn't bad and the prices weren't dreadful but the atmosphere wasn't exactly convivial for those wanting a quiet drink. There was always a constant, gentle pressure to order food (lunchtime menus not bad, main courses a bit on the hefty side) and the background noise was just a bit too high for easy conversation. What really sealed it was the unofficial dress code of slacks, cashmere jumper, open-necked shirt and expensive watch - we rolled out of the house in scruffy post dog-walking kit so felt distinctly under-dressed. Oh and it was very kid friendly and dog unfriendly. Poor form!

Overall then, it was a bit of a disappointment. I had been looking forward to visiting this place for a while and was hoping for a quiet pub and a good pint. In the end I got a noisy pub and a good pint. I suppose it serves me right for building things up in my mind and going from thirty year old sources. Ah well, we live we learn. It was still a nice drive and we saw a couple of other potentials on the route.

JR