The Plough, Bradford-On-Avon

An old Ushers pub and boy it feels like one. Before entering we noted the “Crap beer and service” sign and hoped it was a joke. Inside was gloomy on a grey March afternoon; a badly-fitted grey carpet with grey and light blue paint, honestly have people taken leave of their senses with these colours being so prominent nowadays? The bar area is thankfully a bit nicer with exposed stone walls. Sports paraphernalia and a dart board on the walls (alongside jumbo and signed Phil Taylor print) with Premier league football on the telly. Grubby toilets. Thankfully there was improvement on the main event, with two cask at the bar - Doom Bar and Otter Bitter – with the latter coming out as a lovely little pint (NBSS 4) served-up by a professional barlady. Basic is the watchword here. It’s GBG’23 listed which is fair enough, but it’s not likely to bother me with a repeat visit unless they spend a few quid to give it a bit of lift.

Basic boozer located just a bit of a walk out from the station and town centre. Fairly limited furniture and decor restricted to some football memorabilia. A couple of benches can also be found out back. On the plus side, I got a friendly welcome despite arriving some 15 before what turned out to be their normal opening time, and the exterior signage made me laugh. Butcombe Bitter and Doom Bar (£3.20) available from two of three handpumps.