The Old George Inn, Cirencester

A very busy village pub, a former coaching inn which became tucked away when the new main road was built leaving the village as a quiet backwater, one of a pair of adjacent village pubs. There is a large car park and a garden with pleasant views over the Cotswolds. There is a function room at the side, while the single large bar is comfortable and convivial, with a variety of seating arrangements. The pub manages to be many things – a popular village local, a venue for events and celebrations, and a great place to spend an evening socialising. Food is good and there is a wide variety. Dogs are very welcome and the whole age and social range of humans is catered for including bearded trolls and soldiers from the nearby barracks, and a family visiting from India, who offered to pay for their food in Rupis. Dance music was blaring our from a hifi somewhere, children seemed to be running around and there was panic as someone lost their dog, only to discover it an hour later asleep under my colleague's seat. Doombar and Moles's Bitter are complemented by 2 real ciders. Ales were well kept and very enjoyable. Well worth a visit, whether passing close by or looking for a lively pint in slightly surreal surroundings.