Elephant & Castle, Banbury

Easily the better of the two pubs we tried in Bloxham on a Wednesday visit. Whilst the Red Lion was open from 9am, the Elephant & Castle failed to open until almost 10 minutes after its published opening time of midday. Once inside, there is a public bar to the left, with dining sections off to the right-hand side. This is a Hook Norton pub. Hooky was supplemented by Haymaker with 4 Weston's boxed ciders also available - Old Rosie, Family Reserve & Rosie's Pig Original & Rhubarb. CAMRA discounts are shown as available on WhatPub, but are actually no longer offered. Despite the late opening, I quite liked this old coaching inn, especially with the availability of 4 ciders. Access to the pub and its car park is through a narrow entrance passageway. Once through, the space opens up and there are a couple of garden areas with further space for drinking on a patio immediately outside the entrance doors. Just one other lager drinker was present for our visit, with no sign of any potential diners. The landlord made an appearance and he showed a keen interest in the cricket which he put on the TV when he turned up.

Official site of Elephant & Castle - www.hooky.co.uk

Official site of Elephant & Castle - www.hooky.co.uk

Official site of Elephant & Castle - www.bloxhampub.co.uk

Official site of Elephant & Castle - www.bloxhampub.co.uk