Great West Way® Travel Magazine | Issue 02

FEELING THIRSTY? OKTOBERFEST
SWINDON IN OCTOBER AND BRISTOL
CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL IN SEPTEMBER
ARE BOTH GREAT FUN.
PUBS, BREWERIES AND DISTILLERY TOURS
Village pubs along the route are a great place to head for
tasting British food traditions passed down generations, such
as Sunday roasts and Friday fish and chips, or simply bread,
cheese and pickles, known as the ‘ploughman’s lunch’.
Gastropubs offer newer cuisines and often their
restaurants are recognised with a Michelin star or two. And
there are also plenty of homegrown tipples to try too. Beer,
wine and gin are all made along the Great West Way. Take a
brewery, vineyard or distillery tour or just pull up a stool at
the village pub and see what’s on tap.
The Three Tuns Freehouse, Great Bedwyn is Sawdays
“Most Authentic Pub” 2018/19. The Michelin starred
Red Lion Freehouse, Pewsey offers private dining with a
window into the kitchen to watch the team prep. Pigs,
pies, pints and pillows is supplied by Helen Browning's
Royal Oak, Bishopstone, set in the middle of an organic
farm. Take lunch on a Friday and sample the fish menu at
award-winning The Queen’s Arms, East Garston. The Swan,
Bradford on Avon offers both Pub Classics or its Thai Chilli
Restaurant. The Crown & Anchor, set at the foot of the
North Wessex Downs has recently reopened following a
three year refurbishment. Serving Royals and residents alike,
be sure to pop into the Royal Windsor pub with spectacular
views of Windsor Castle, specialising in handmade liquor
and premium craft beers, including a house-brewed Royal
Windsor Pint. You could plan your visit with a stay at The
Royal Oak, Yattendon, a country inn with traditional British
food, to coincide with a drinks festival, and taste their very
own gin distilled on the premises in ‘Harry’ their still.
There's also a'Beckett's Vineyard making english sparkling
and still wines along with cider and apple juice from
their vineyard near Devizes in Wiltshire. Or try The West
Berkshire Brewery at Yattendon and Wadworth Brewery at
Devizes, offering tours and tasting of their award-winning
ales. You might also enjoy Wadworth's 'Eat, Drink, Stay' trail
from their Brewery in Devizes, to their four pubs along the
route - The Bear and The Black Swan in Devizes, The Crown
in Tolldown, and The George Inn in Bath.
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Whitchurch is at the
forefront of the English gin resurgence while the Newbury
pub is host to Newbury’s first ever gin distillery thanks to
a working micro distillery and private dining room open all
year for tastings. →
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Pictured
top-left then
clockwise:
Red Lion
Freehouse;
The West
Berkshire
Brewery at
Yattendon;
Crown &
Anchor, Ham,
Wiltshire; The
Royal Oak,
Yattendon