We were both up early (6am for me!) and all set to go by 10am. The journey to Milton Keynes was fine, but the M1 was very busy - I suppose a lot of people are off on their holidays this weekend. We dropped all the bags off (I do feel so glad that we are keeping this rubbish from landfill) and then set off down the A5 and A422 to Buckingham.
Buckingham was busy with lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and there was a market in full swing. Sophie and I have been here a couple of times and it's a really pleasant town with lots of shops and cafes to explore.
We passed through the town, though, and headed for Brackley just off the A43. The Grand Prix is taking place at Silverstone again this weekend but of course there are no spectators so the roads were open as normal. I'm not sure if this will apply to tomorrow, though, when the race is taking place.
We drove through the outskirts of Brackley - a town I have never visited after 48 years of living in Northamptonshire - and headed out into the countryside. The first village we came to was called Halse, but there was nothing there so we pushed on to Middleton Cheney which looked a much bigger village. We spotted The New Inn as soon as we arrived but I still decided to go off down a very narrow street (and almost get stuck) just in case there was something else available!
The New Inn seemed to be a very friendly and sociable pub with the few locals gathered around a big screen watching news of the Grand Prix. Keith had a pint of Hobgoblin, which he said wasn't bad and I enjoyed a half of Guinness, which was lovely and cold!
We sat and had a very agreeable half hour chatting and the pub was lovely - very clean and quiet with friendly staff and locals, so a good first choice!
From Middleton Cheney we drove to Farthinghoe, after a short and fruitless detour to the small hamlet of Thenford, which had some beautiful houses but little else. Farthinghoe is on the busy A422 road and we found The Fox just off the main street.
Lots of people were sitting in the garden eating and drinking and we followed suit after being told by the bar staff that it was table service only. Keith asked for the strongest beer they had, which was Pedigree and I had another half of Guinness. We ordered ham and cheese sandwiches accompanied by salad and tortilla chips and sat back to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
Our food arrived and looked delicious:
And it was very filling!
It was utterly pleasant to sit outside in the sunshine and relax. Sophie kept me up to date with what she was doing in Canterbury (taking a punt along the river) and Keith and I had a good chat about our plans for our kitchen, which is rapidly needing an update. Next year we will have been in our house 20 years!
After we'd eaten we decided to have one last look for a pub serving good beer. I looked on Google maps and found The George and Dragon in the Oxfordshire village of Chacombe, about ten minutes away. The village was buried deep in the countryside and must be right on the Northamptonshire/Oxfordshire border as the historic Northants village of Sulgrave was very close by.
We drove over and found the pub busy with people sitting outside. By now it was very warm so we went in and waited to be served by two harried bar staff. While we were there they kept moaning that all the orders had come in at once! I think they were very lucky to be so busy!
Keith and I sat inside, either side of a wood burning stove, and relished the cool and quiet. He had given up on any good beer and sipped at a pint of San Miguel. The pub seemed very cosy and I would love to go back and visit in the winter. There were lots of beams, stone-flagged floors and a lovely wood burning smell.
By now were we ready for home so we set the satnav and followed a narrow road out to the A43. As soon as we were back, Keith settled himself on the sofa to watch the cricket while I went upstairs, switched the fan on and watched Knives Out on my Kindle. I had wanted to see the Daniel Craig film when it first came out, so now was my chance!
I have to admit to having a nap as well and at 7pm we got ready and went to The Royal Oak where we had booked a table. I knew that Keith wouldn't fancy barbecuing after being out all day so we had decided to eat at our local.
The pub was worryingly quiet and we sat opposite the bar chatting to Ian. For once, Keith decided to have the Sirloin steak while I went for battered haddock, chips and salad. The food was very good, as was my glass of Chardonnay!
Again, we had a very pleasant time sitting chatting and when we'd finished eating we went back to the bar area and chatted some more to Ian. He is very worried about the pub and said that the landlords still expect him to pay the rent even though he was virtually closed down for four months. I would hate to lose this lovely pub that we have been going to for so long.
By now it felt a lot cooler and there was a delicious breeze blowing. We said goodbye to Ian (there was only one other couple in) and headed home where I opened all the windows and the back door to let some cool air in. Monty curled up on the sofa next to us and it was a lovely end to a perfect day!
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