Palmers tied houses done.

As i said at the end of my last post on this blog,things will become more simple than they were.
This is a new idea of mine and will highlight my love for the tied houses that used to be prolific in England,sadly lots have now gone and are run by Pub Cos that are not that bothered whether the pub does well or not.
I am starting off with one of my favourite breweries and it is still open, Palmers in Bridport Dorset.
I made a good effort to get a good proportion of their tied estate done while on holiday in Weymouth with the family,i would go out for a dinner session each year and always head for some Palmers tied houses i had not done,all were done on public transport as i have never drove or wanted to drive a car.

Bridport Tuesday 24th August 1999

I caught a bus from Weymouth and got into Bridport before 11am.

Palmers Brewery

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

1: George Hotel

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
Situated in the middle of Bridport and my first ever Palmers tied house done.
The Palmers Best Bitter went down well.

2: Crown Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
To the South of the middle of Bridport and on the road to West Bay where i was heading.
A nice pub and the closest Palmers tied house to the brewery.
Another drink of Palmers Best Bitter and i was well pleased.

West Bay

This is a small resort which is by the coast and all three pubs in it are Palmers tied houses and all were quite close to each other.

3: George Hotel

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A fairly large and smart pub inside,which was very comfortable,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter.

4: Bridport Arms

photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A nice looking pub with a thatched roof,my photo does not give it justice.
I had a nice drink of Palmers Best Bitter.
The pub had Bridehaven signage outside as it was being used in a TV series.

5: West Bay

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
This was quite a nice pub inside with a nautical theme,as usual three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter.

I now had to walk back to Bridport and pick up some more Palmers tied houses.

Bridport

6: Toll House

photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A decent looking stand alone pub that was on the Eastern side of Bridport.
Once inside the pub was not so good with it being very dowdy and in need of some attention.
I had a drink of Palmers Bridport Bitter,which was a pretty poor drink.
When i revisited Bridport two years later the Toll House had closed down.

7: Lord Nelson

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A typical looking town pub that was fairly basic inside with a single room,the Palmers Best Bitter went down well.

8: Boot Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
One of three Palmers tied houses on North Allington.
This was quite a cosy pub inside,two Palmers beers on the bar, i had a drink of Palmers Bridport Bitter,which was so so,i should have had the Palmers 200.

9: Oddfellows Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A small and basic Palmers tied house on the Northern edge of Bridport,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which went down well.

10: Kings Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A decent looking stone built Palmers tied house,it was fairly basic inside but still a nice pub,there was also a large garden to the rear.
I had a drink of Palmers Dorset Gold,which was a very nice drink.

11: The Tanners

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A decent enough looking Palmers tied house that was situated at the end of Bridport's main shopping street.
Once inside the pub was not as good and seemed more like a sports bar,there were two Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Bridport Bitter,which yet again was not that good.

12: The Ropemakers

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
Situated in the middle of Bridport.
A decent town pub,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

13: Royal Oak

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

Situated on Bridports main shopping street.
Once inside this was a smart enough pub,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink. 

Lyme Regis Wednesday 23rd August 2000

Another bus ride from Weymouth to Lyme Regis,the return journey was even better as i had a great view of the Chessil Beach from  the top floor of a double decker bus.

14: Royal Standard

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A nice looking pub that is close to the seafront.
Once inside the pub was very nice with comfy seating and it being carpeted,there were four Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which went down very well.
There were good views of Lyme Bay from the rear windows of the pub.

15: Cobb Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A nice looking pub that is in a great location at the start of The Cobb by the harbour.
There was a single room inside and most tables were laid for diners,which i do not like to see.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

I did a short walk away from the seafront and into Lyme's back streets to get to my next Palmers tied house.

16: Angel Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
An unusual looking pub from the outside and a must visit once inside.
There was a large bar room that looked very basic and a throw back to the 50s or 60s with basic formica topped tables,there were no pumps on the bar as the two Palmers beers were drawn straight from barrels behind the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which went down very well.
There was also a separate games room with pool table and darts board.

I did a short walk back to the middle of Lyme Regis and closer to the sea front.

17: Pilot Boat

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A decent looking pub from the outside,but once inside it was not so good.
There was a single room which looked too modern for Lyme Regis and most of it was taken over for diners,it was full on my Wednesday dinnertime visit,so i had to prop the bar up.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a nice drink.

18: Ship Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A nice looking pub set in Lyme's back streets.
Once inside the pub was fairly basic and more of a locals pub,i quite liked it.
There were four Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers 200,which was a very nice drink.

I got the bus back towards Weymouth but stopped off at Charmouth which had three pubs and one Palmers tied house.

Charmouth

19: Royal Oak

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A very nice looking pub and the best of the three pubs in Charmouth that i went in.
Once inside the pub had two small separate rooms,i had a drink in the lounge as this was more busy than the bar room,it was very comfortable and carpeted.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.
I really liked this pub.

I had to get the bus back to Weymouth and meet the wife and kids.
This was a different service and went along the coast road,i can still remember the views of Chessil Beach.

Taunton Saturday 11th August 2001

I managed to get a dirt cheap day return train ticket from Derby to Taunton,i did my best to do all pubs in the town,but there was a Palmers tied house well away from the middle of Taunton which i walked to.

20: Master Thatcher

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A very large and modern pub that was built on a new looking estate.
It looked quite good with its massive thatched roof.
Once inside it was quite smart with comfortable seating.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.
It was well worth the walk to get this Palmers tied house done.

Beaminster Wednesday 22nd August 2001

I caught a bus from Weymouth where we were staying on holiday to Beaminster,a small town that is North of Bridport.
This was to be one of my more ambitious crawls to pick up Palmers tied houses.

21: The Hine Bar

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
I presume that this pub was called The White Hart before i visited it.
Once inside the pub was quite smart and a Palmers tied house,there were two Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter. 

I decided to walk to Stoke Abbot as it did not look that far on my OS Landranger 193 map.
I did stop off at the Knapp Inn but this was on the edge of Beaminster.
I soon found out that country miles are longer that town miles,it was a good walk along very narrow roads and uphill and downhill,i was well pleased when i finally got there.

Stoke Abbot

22: New Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice looking pub with a thatched roof.
It was just as nice inside with low ceilings and feeling very comfortable,there were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

I do not know why but the walk back always seems to be quicker,i walked back to Beaminster where there were three more pubs to do with two being Palmers tied houses.

Beaminster

23: Greyhound Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
Situated in the middle of Beaminster.
The pub was decent enough inside,with a bar area to the front and the rear area set aside for diners.
There were four Palmer beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

24: Red Lion

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A large and sturdy looking red brick built pub that was almost next door to the Greyhound.
Once inside the pub was fairly smart and more of a drinkers pub,there were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

My travel plans were getting more complicated as i wanted to head for Bridport but stop off at Melplash on the way.
I decided to get a taxi to Melplash which i do not like using but it would give me a good twenty minutes before the bus to Bridport got into the village,it was £4 well spent as it got me another Palmers tied house done.

Melplash

25: Half Moon

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice looking pub with a thatched roof.
Once inside it was just as nice,there was a separate pool room and dining room,i had a drink in the main bar room which was very nice and  busy on my Wednesday afternoon visit.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.
I quite liked this pub and did not want to leave,but the bus was due soon so i left a bit early.

My bus turned up on time,i had to keep my eye out as the Palmers pub i wanted to do in Bridport was on its Northern edge.

Bridport

26: Kings Head

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
Situated on the main road in what some people would call Bradpole,it looked like the Northern edge of Bridport to me.
It is a nice looking white painted pub with a long frontage.
Once inside the pub had been done up in a more modern way but was still nice enough,i had probably been spoilt with some of the previous Palmers tied houses i had done.
There were two Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a nice drink.

It was a steady downhill walk into the middle of Bridport where i picked up two more pubs Bull Hotel and The Greyhound which was a Wetherspoons pub, before my bus turned up to take me back to Weymouth.
I was well pleased in pulling this crawl off and getting six more Palmers tied houses done.

Kilmington Tuesday 20th August 2002

I got a bus from Weymouth to Axminster which was at the end of the route and a long journey,it went through Bridport and down into Lyme Regis and back up to Axminster.
I decided to walk to Kilmington before doing any pubs in Axminster,it was along a pretty straight and boring road.
But Kilmington is off the main road and is a very nice looking village.

27: New Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice looking pub with a thatched roof a proper chocolate box looking pub.
Once inside it was just as nice and seemed unaltered,there were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very well kept beer.

Luckily there was one more pub in Kilmington The Old Inn to do before walking back to Axminster.

Axminster

28: Axminster Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A decent looking white painted pub that is in the middle of Axminster.
Once inside it was fairly small with two separate rooms,i had a drink in a smart and comfortable lounge.
There were two Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which went down a treat.

I did three more pubs in Axminster that were not Palmers tied houses.
 
I had to get a bus from Axminster and get off at Morecombelake
to pick up  another Palmers tied house.

Morecombelake

29: Ship Inn

A decent roadside pub that was busy on my Tuesday afternoon visit.
Another Palmers tied house so i was well pleased,there were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a decent drink.
I was in a bit of a rush to get a bus and forgot to take a photo of this pub,the only Palmers tied house that i have done and not took a photo of,i was well fed up when i found out i had forgot to take a photo.

I had to get another bus to the next village which had a palmers tied house in it.

Chideock

30: George Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub with a thatched roof.
Once inside the pub was fairly smart with a bar room and a separate dining room.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

I also went in the Clock House pub for a drink of Otter Ale. 


Shipton Gorge Wednesday 25th August 2004

I had to get a bus from Weymouth and be a bit cheeky by asking for it to stop on the main A36 road close to a road that i would walk down to get the Shipton Gorge.
Luckily it was in the days before the health and safety lot had took over the country and a bus is now not allowed to let you off if it is two inches from a bus stop.
It was a downhill walk along a very narrow road and i was soon in the small village of Shipton Gorge.

32: New Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice village pub and a Palmers tied house to boot.
Once inside it was quite a nice pub with a bar area and a dining area.
There were three Palmers beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which was a very nice drink.

It was a bit of a longer but pleasant walk down to my next village Burton Bradstock,which was a bit larger and even had a short pavement.

Burton Bradstock
 
There were two pubs in this village so i did both,The Anchor Inn was an Ushers house with their beers on the bar.

33: Three Horseshoes

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice looking thatched pub that is in the middle of Burton Bradstock.
It was a really nice and comfortable pub inside,i sat near the bay window on the left side,the right side was set aside for diners.
There was the full range of Palmers beers on the bar,i had a pint of Palmers Best Bitter and a half of Tally Ho,the first time i had seen this beer in doing 34 Palmers tied houses.
I thought this was a top notch village pub.

I had to wait for the bus which would take me through Bridport,i had to get off it to the West of Bridport for a short walk up to the small village of Symondsbury.

34: Ilchester Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A really nice looking thatched pub and just as nice once inside.
A stone floor and normal tables and chairs,food was served but did not take over the pub.
Another Palmers tied house and three of their beers on the bar,i had a drink of Palmers Best Bitter,which went down very well.

It was a short walk back to the main road and a short wait for my bus back to Weymouth.

I managed to do 34 Palmers tied houses all but one by public transport and one a short taxi ride from Beaminster to Melplash.
I did do all pubs in Bridport and Lyme Regis that were not Palmers tied houses and did a large crawl round Taunton when i did one Palmers tied house. 

Maps used to do my Palmers Pub Crawls

 Palmers Guides 

Times will get harder health wise in the near future,so not sure when the next post will be.