The Red Lion, Milton Keynes

The Red Lion was closed for a funeral, the last time we tried to visit here in 2016. This time our visit to Fenny Stratford was impacted by the (hopefully temporary) closure of the 2023 Good Beer-listed Chequers up the road. However, we did finally get around to having a drink in the Red Lion. Tucked away on a dead end road next to the Grand Union Canal, the pub has a couple of rooms. It was fairly quiet on our Sunday afternoon visit, with the only other customers leaving as we arrived. The ale range was limited to Fuller's London Pride & Greene King IPA, but staff were all fairly friendly and chatty. The pub cat seemed more interested in asking for some milk than requiring any attention. There is a covered drinking/smoking area and a garden at the rear overlooking the canal. If using the car park, you need to input your registration into the tablet at the bar. Even the local delivery driver had to enter his van to avoid incurring a fine.

A slightly down at heel boozer which when approached by car is in an uninspiring location down a dead end street in the middle of an industrial estate. Once you're there though, or if approaching by boat or along the towpath, you find an idyllic location alongside the canal, immediately adjacent to the lock, a small hand-operated swing bridge and opposite what was presumably at one time the lock-keepers cottage. The main bar area is fairly non-descript with cream plasterwork on the walls, bench seating around the perimeter, old blue carpet on the floor, a small brick fire-place to one side with a plasma stuck on the wall above it, although this was not in use when I visited. Off to the right is a pool table and somewhat unusually a lighting rig and glitter ball on the ceiling, perhaps hinting at a slightly livelier atmosphere on occasions. To the left is a smaller room with a darts board, another plasma and a fruit machine. A selection of 80's music was playing. Outside is a garden with several benches to make the most of the location, along with a small marquee for more inclement weather. It was fairly quiet on a recent early Tuesday evening visit, with just three or four locals sat at the bar using some rather colourful language. Beers on tap were a little disappointing considering the Camra accolades that the pub has received, and were just Tribute and Wharf Bank Brewery's Best Bitter. A third pump clip advertised a Honey Blond beer that was apparently "coming Friday". Ciders were Strongbow and Weston's Old Rosie. The pub does not offer any food, which is somewhat unusual given it's location.

Set in a picturesque canalside spot close to Fenny Stratford train station, the Red Lion is a decent two bar pub. The main bar is quite spacious with the servery on the left as you enter and some curved banquette and low stool seating to the right and a fair sized gap between for vertical drinking, should it get particularly busy. The pub was quite lively on my visit and most of the customers were watching the Liverpool v Man Utd clash on the large screen, with a few others enjoying a game of pool on the table at the far end of the room. There's a nice stone fireplace to the left of the bar counter, but generally speaking there's not much of interest in the room, which is decorated with white walls and blue carpet. The second, smaller bar is styled in the same fashion with four tables, another TV screen showing the match and a dartboard. Some maps of the Grand Union Canal are framed on the walls of the corridor leading to the toilets and the accompanying text explained that the Fenny Stratford lock has the smallest drop of all the locks on the canal - just twelve inches. You can admire the lock from the benches out the front or indeed from the attractive grassy rear garden that runs right down to the canalside. There were three ales on when I arrived - Courage Best, Purity Ubu (£2.80) and Wytchwood Hobgoblin. My pint of Ubu was in good nick and the staff and locals seemed like a friendly and welcoming bunch. Good beer is seemingly quite hard to come by round these parts, but I left this place feeling that I could rely on it for a decent pint on future visits. It is also a good contender for those wanting a pre-match pint before heading off to the nearby MK Dons stadium.

Occupying a canalside location close to Fenny Stratford station ( Bletchley – Bedford branch line ) , The Red Lion is a popular watering hole for football supporters either before or after a game at nearby Milton Keynes Dons F C. It’s a smallish pub directly opposite a lock with some outside seating by the canal and a larger partly covered garden with a smokers tent. There’s two adjoining bars – a smaller bar at the front and a larger bar with a snooker table. Reflecting the canalside location, the outside corridor has several maps showing the route of the Grand Union Canal, from which we learn that the lock has a drop of only 12 inches and has a rare swingbridge. In truth, it’s not a desperately inspiring pub, looking rather ordinary, somewhat tired and a bit worn in places. Calling in before the Sheffield Wednesday match, my initial impressions of this pub were not particularly positive because it was uncomfortably crowded, but, returning for a post match pint, when the pub was considerably quieter, I saw the pub in a more favourable light. With a lit coal fire and a friendly crowd of locals watching the International Rugby ( the smaller bar was showing Liverpool v West Ham ), I was able to appreciate to some extent why the 2011 CAMRA Good Beer Guide refers to this pub as “a gem of a local”. Above the bar, the pub proudly displays a CAMRA certificate denoting it as Milton Keynes CAMRA Branch Pub of the Year 2010. The pub is part of the Punch Taverns portfolio and, based on my visit, the friendly and enthusiastic landlord makes good use of the range of guest beers made available to him. Beers on were Henrys IPA, Okells Red and Coach House Dick Turpin. Both the IPA and the Okells were splendid pints. I don’t regard this as a pub ordinarily worth going out of your way to visit, but if you’re here for the football, it’s worth seeking out.

3 real ales which change regularly and 1 traditional scrumpy must have contributed to The Red Lion Winning the CAMRA Milton Keynes and North Bucks Pub of the Year for 2010

Yeah i agree, a good pub. freindly. 2and a half!