Bed but no Breakfast

Many years ago for a birthday treat we stayed at the Inn, Coln St Aldwyn. It was then a main entry in this guide and rightly so. As we sat down for a pre dinner drink it started to snow. It got heavier as the night wore on.

Several people in the restaurant inquired about vacancies in the pub's rooms as it was very treacherous out there. The following day we woke up to a deep covering of snow. Behind us on the hill children were on toboggans, having snowball fights, building snowmen and so on. There then was the tricky job of driving home.

One of our fellow overnight residents would have cheerfully swapped his Porsche for our Golf I fancy. He must have been treating the accelerator pedal with great care to avoid ending up in a ditch. It was a very magical weekend for us.

Over the years we have stopped at many pubs overnight with varying results of enjoyment. I think the biggest potential problem is noisy neighbours or from the pub itself. I think pubs should do more to look after the noise levels - it is ok for there to be noise when the pub is open but we have had several nocturnal awakenings from neighbours returning and making a din but also publicans celebrating - we have had renditions of Queen's "We are the champions" and much worse! There is no easy way to predict noisy neighbours and if the pub is not staffed overnight it is up to you if you dare to try and sort the problem out.

I think my current favourite place to stay is the Cricketers at Clavering. If you can get in the courtyard accommodation - single story and very nice rooms so much the better. The rooms in the adjoining house are noisy especially if you are downstairs and are best avoided. The pub does wonderful food and the staff are very helpful and friendly. The breakfasts are the best you could hope for. The Oliviers run a very special place - it is a pity it has never snowed there!

On the subject of breakfasts I do get annoyed with pubs that serve breakfasts until say 9.30am on Sundays. I know they have Sunday lunches to cook but preparing some bacon, toast, egg and sausage is not exactly complicated and we think there should be two prices for a room; one if you have breakfast, one if you do not if they are not prepared to be more flexible on Breakfast times.

If you stay in a cottage next to the Crown at Pishill it is a DIY breakfast. They supply you mounds of food - that you can cook yourself It was real quality stuff and much appreciated. The other alternative is to stay in Bed and Breakfast accommodation and visit the local pub for a drink and a meal. This can be a good idea for example when you want to enjoy a meal at a known good pub which is a long way away and does not do accommodation.

On the rooms themselves, some have been a bit dingy and unloved and just some have been just perfect. I am not worried if the room has the latest LCD TV I'd rather have a fully functional bathroom and comfy bed! Some pubs take care to give each room its own character even going as far to have a theme for all the rooms like the game "Cluedo" for example. So back to the Inn it was a perfect stop over, friendly staff, great food, beer and wine. Pity it has gone downhill. You will find me at the Cricketers now.