Charters, Peterborough

Official site of Charters - www.charters-bar.com

Official site of Charters - www.charters-bar.com

Large 1907 Dutch barge, long bar with plenty of handpulls; Cathedral Ale Eight Bells, Cottage Mod n Hound & Merchant Navy, Leadmill Interstate 95 (just don't!), Oakham JHB, Bishops Farewell, Inferno, White Dwarf, Westons scrumpy. Small raised area for live music, also home to the dartboard. Seating area to right of bar has some signed muso photos but I didn't recognise any, sorry. I thought the green area next to the mooring was all grass last time I was here, but unfortunately they seem to have slapped a large patch of concrete in the middle now.

Great Ales and other products (Duvel on tap, 4 real ciders, belgium fruit beers, 20+ malt whiskeys). Dogs are very welcome, Oriental food was lovely. Nice place.

Called into this Good Beer Guide bar on a busy lunchtime and enjoyed our Hopshackle ESB along with the Thai lunch. Friendly and efficient and the beer was good. Full range of Oakham main beers and a couple of their seasonals, plus around 4 guest beers. Thai restaurant on the main deck, but it was a little difficult for anyone with walking difficculties to get downstairs to the bar. Lovely outside seating area alongside its moorings.

This interesting bar is situated on the lower level of a Dutch barge (believed to be the largest continental barge in the UK) moored on the banks of the River Nene. The room is, as you might expect, long and narrow with a predominantly wooden interior broken only by the odd steel support beam. Seating comes in the form of old pews, arranged into big U-shapes opposite the long bar counter, creating large, four-table booths of sorts. At either end of the room there are some standard tables and chairs and a sofa or two at the end nearest the entrance. During my visit, the place was pretty much empty because most customers were taking their drinks outside, which was a bit of a shame as it could have done with a bit of chatter to liven it up. Music was playing in the background, but otherwise it felt a bit too quiet. There isn't quite the nautical theme inside that I was expecting, with a large propeller mounted over the toilet door being the most notable exception. Thankfully there was a fine range of beer to keep me occupied. Oakham JHB (£2.65), Inferno (£2.75), Citra (£2.85) and Bishop's Farewell (£2.45) were to be expected from a pub that is linked to the Oakham Brewery, but there was an excellent guest selection of Wentworth Chilli Stout (£2.90) and Early Fruits, Nethergate Priory Mild, Woodlands Old Faithful and Best Bitter, Everards Tiger and Bartram’s Coal Porter (£2.90), all priced at £2.80 a pint unless otherwise noted. There was a fine selection of foreign beer as well including Leffe, Veltins and Hoegaarden, as well as three ciders which included Scrumpy Jack and Stowford Press. Four pint take out containers were being advertised on blackboards above the bar. The food options were similar to those in the Brewery Tap, although the menu for the top floor restaurant looked a little more expensive here and it wasn't clear if food could be eaten in the bar. Having a pub on a barge could be seen as a bit of a novelty idea, but this place is well worth seeking out for much more than its unusual setting.

First impressions of this large old barge, were that it was going to be a bit disappointing. It's got a rather decrepit air about it, and just didn't look very inviting. However, looks can be deceiving, and I was very glad I paid a visit. It consists of one large, open downstairs bar with a suitably nautical feel to it – rough wood panelling, wooden flooring and wooden tables. Not much in the way of décor, but some interesting prints on the walls detailing some of the beers on offer. There's one very long bar running almost the whole length of the ship, and a small corner stage at one end that looks as though it may be used for bands or a disco. Upstairs there's an oriental restaurant. This is an interesting mezzanine type floor, with the windows of the restaurant over looking the edge of the lounge. Beer choice is among the largest I have ever seen in any pub. On this visit I noted (deep breath)… Oakham's White Dwarf, Bishops Farewell and Midnight Mild; Green Jack's Orange Wheat Beer; RCH Steam Shower; Anglo Dutch Special (from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, apparently); Black Friars Spring Tide; Atomic Fission; Tower Brewery Cooper's Special; Leydon Brewery's Rammy Rocket plus another two that were apparently off as the pump clips were turned round. Amazing. After all that beer, ciders were a slightly disappointing Scrumpy Jack and Stowford Press. The outside area, although large, is a little disappointing. All the tables and chairs are on a rather unattractive gravelled area with a curious raised section in the middle. There are some lawns further back, but no seating. On top of this, there's no view of the river, which seems to be one of the main reasons for having a riverside pub! The large barge completely obscures the view, with the bridge and the end blocking anything you may see upstream. There is however an outside bar as well, which is useful if you don't want to make the trek back to the boat. Obviously a much more limited selection though, with no real ales at all.

top venue....live just along the river path so can stumble home (not fallen in...yet!) great beers good music. get here soon as beer festival is on 24/08-28/08)