The Fleece Inn, Wotton-Under-Edge

A traditional and attractive looking whitewashed pub in this small village, it has previously been a winner of Camra’s South West Pub of the Year, so I had high expectations of a great pub. Internally it’s divided in to three rooms, all running along the front of the pub. The main bar is in the middle and this housed the wood panelled bar counter and a large stone fireplace, which had a chalkboard up above it highlighting the current beer selection, as well as a few others which were presumably either coming soon or regular attendees. Décor wise it’s quite traditional, although perhaps without quite so much of the cosy charm that one finds in many country inns. Flooring was mostly a generic brown patterned carpet with some wood strip by the bar, whilst the walls were a mixture of pale green plasterwork and black and white patterned wallpaper. A large black and white painting of a rural life scene was on the back wall. A room off to the right looked broadly similar in terms of décor and included a stone fireplace at each end, although neither looked to be used. This room looked as though it was perhaps more geared up for dining. A smaller snug off to the right had pale yellow paintwork and a darts board. Beers on tap were Arbor Shangri-La, Church End Fallen Angel, Wye Butty Bach, Tiny Rebel Hank, Dark Star Hophead and Sharp’s Atlantic. Ciders too were well represented with Thatcher’s Gold, Aspall’s Harry Sparrow and Wild Side. Despite not being quite as cosy perhaps as I would generally go for, overall I thought this was a very nice pub with a friendly landlord, and I could happily have settled in for a few.

A quaint whitewashed building tucked away in a pretty hamlet which since 2012 is community owned. Internally it’s a narrow front-facing two-roomer on a slope, with a step between the two levels and there is a small semi-snug with darts. Grassed and elevated rear garden. Quite modern in decor but not offensively so. Very quiet on our visit, where was everybody? Four ales on - Severn Vale Dance (a musty beer of which I was unsure whether the fault lay with brewer or publican), Church End Vicars Rein, Wye Valley Butty Bach, Cottage Honey Bunny, served up by friendly staff. I quite liked the place, but the beer put me off giving it a higher mark. 6.5

Official site of The Fleece Inn - www.thefleeceinnhillesley.com

Official site of The Fleece Inn - www.thefleeceinnhillesley.com