The Catherine Wheel, Wallingford

A rare proprietor-owned establishment with varying opening hours and currently without real ale (Hobgoblin, Hobgoblin Gold and Bishops Finger bottles in a fridge for £3.50 each). The bar is accessed via a small corridor just off an entrance lobby and opens up into a squat L-shaped room with the small counter in front of you. There are varying tables and chairs set about which look as if they have been arranged for dining (they formerly served Thai food here but stopped in early 2017). A large fish tank, with a solitary goldfish takes up most of one of the walls. A clement Sunday afternoon saw all patrons seated on the pub benches in the patio area out front and chatting to landlord Charlie who has been in situ for 20+ years, it's clear that it's run more as a hobby rather than a money-making operation. A bit of a curio, but I for one am glad there are still a handful of pubs like this dotted around, even if you do have to time your visits to them just right.