CAMrPA Tour 88
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Gifts for all occasions at
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Tadpole bridge
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The Trout Inn
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There really is a bridge at Tadpole Bridge, it was constructed over the Thames in 1802 to carry the turnpike from Buckland to Bampton, taking its name from a nearby weir. Despite its remoteness, a wharf was built here where trade throve, so much so that it attracted the Trout Inn which survives to this day. We didn't see any Tadpoles but we did see lots of Trout and in spite of valiant efforts by the fishermen amongst the party, they stayed firmly in the Thames. Unusually for a CAMrPA tour, the weather was blisteringly hot for most of the time, sunshine, clear skies and not a drop of rain anywhere. The pub was good, a range of beers and good looking food. They do accommodation as well, as Dave and Anna had realised in advance, prompting them to try out a new form of 'indoor camping'. (Note: Rang the Trout in April 2007, they don't do camping anymore).
Some star quotes, just to prove I remembered the book.
"85 Miles without a drink!" - Dave E
"I feel like Ray Mears preparing for a bush fire" - CHS
The
campsite is through the pub car park, through a field and a break in the
hedge and onto the riverbank. There's loads of camping space although
it's got to be shared with canoe and boating enthusiasts. Also, we were
there the weekend England got knocked out of the world cup, which put
a dampener on the party spirit of the other big group camping further
down the riverbank.
John's
new(ish) Lada Niva takes centre stage whilst John, Karen, Bethan and new
Collie, Sky, stroll around the campsite discussing what looks like a world
shattering issue. Or possibly they were discussing John's sandals, it's
hard to tell...
Dave
and Anna's tent stayed at home whilst Dave and Anna made the most of having
walls and a roof for the weekend. Come breakfast time, Anna was the only
one who managed to have a full pot of coffee whilst the rest of us made
do with a cuppa brewed up on the camp stoves.
Obviously,
a meal in the pub and a sleep undisturbed by the joys of airbeds and nylon
flysheets, Dave was able to contribute to the plans Andy was trying to
develop for the day. The rest of us just slobbed around and drank more
of Anna's coffee.
We
headed for the salvage yard, 'Haynes of East Challow', located logically
enough a few miles away at East Challow. Everyone else looked at garden
furniture, old desks and chairs or some slightly tacky gifts. John did
seem to be quite serious about the lathes, luckily I think he decided
that this one just wouldn't fit in the back of the Lada. Haynes is a huge
place, if there's anything you want, they've probably got one somewhere.
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We went somewhere for lunch but the pub was up for sale and
not doing food, so we went to Woolston instead and visited the pretty
White Horse pub where the food and beer where fine and the sunny beer
garden had plenty of umbrellas for shade. Dave & Anna were rushing
to get to see the England match and go to a party, the rest of us have
no excuses for our behaviour.
Whilst
Lynn and Pete were trying to set up the tent, the fishing party set out
to try and catch tea, or dinner, or breakfast... Loads of trout in the
river, and that's exactly where they stayed. Over the weekend, they did
manage to catch a couple of boats and a fair bit of weed. That's what
I remember about fishing...weed, and lots of it.
The
fishermen, having lost a cap in the river, were unable to catch it. John
had been desperately looking for an excuse to go swimming so that's what
he did. Within minutes, the hat had been safely rescued and returned to
it's owner. Sadly, Lynn admitted 'I never did like that hat anyway', so
it possibly wasn't as successful a rescue as we originally thought.
Whilst
Bethan looks as though she might have been auditioning for the remake
of 'The Prisoner', Sky was proving that even her energy wasn't enough
to overcome the weight of trying to tow a Lada Niva.
In
spite of Pete's belief that everything had come out of the car, he did
seem to be having some difficulty getting it all back in again.
Tour Details
Trout Inn
Buckland Marsh, SN7 8RF
tel: 01367 870382
11:30-3, 6-11 (Monday-Saturday), 12-3, 7-10:30 (Sunday)
Cask beer range - Archer's: Village, Fuller's: London Pride, + guests
I've been in touch with the landlord, the pub is still happy to have people camping, it's in a field between the pub and the river. They don't bother to take bookings, we just turn up.
Facilities are minimal, they leave the pub toilets open for campers but there are no proper washrooms etc. and definitely no showers.
Prices are around £4.00 / 2 people and tent, rather more for a caravan if anyone was thinking of bringing one along.
There's also a refundable deposit of £10 to get a key to the gate, required if you want your car on the camping field. It's far enough that carrying camping gear from the car park moves this from a "nice to have" to "absolutely bloomin' essential".
Rather strangely, the pub closes between 3pm and 6pm every day, including weekends (including Sunday), which means Saturday afternoon drinking will have to be either off site or fuelled by a supply of cans and bottles. The Trout does food, however it's popular and the landlord reckons that they'll be pretty near fully booked so no turning up Friday and hoping to eat at the pub. Book directly with the pub in advance if you want to eat in.
Attractive, 17th century pub in idyllic setting by River
Thames in a sparsely populated area. Formerly a toll house for the ancient
bridge nearby, then a coal depot, and finally a pub in the late 19th century.
Light and airy interior recently redecorated with much woodwork. Busy
at weekends with emphasis on food, but a pub atmosphere is retained. Interesting
range of regular and guest beers from the enterprising freeholder. Camping
behind pub.
www.trout-inn.co.uk/
www.trout-inn.co.uk/facilities.htm