The Duke, Henley Town, Henley-On-Thames

Remembering this place in its previously awful incarnation as the Idle Hour, I entered with trepidation whilst on my crawl a few months back. The interior has had a bit of an overhaul but still retains its general mood as being very much set up for the younger Henley crowd, all dim lighting, Americana touches and loungy sofas. I was greeted by a friendly barmaid (Catherine) who was a convivial hostess. Two ales were on (Brakspear Bitter and Hobgoblin) which were good. A vast improvement and worth a stop on a Henley crawl I think. Well done.

Pleasant end to the evening was had at The Queens Head. It's got a licence to 1AM on a Saturday night and is aligned to a more mature crowd due to the over 21 age rule (more mature than that inhabiting the crèche at the Catherine Wheel up the road. ). The copious amounts of Harley Davidson decoration makes this place feel more like an American diner than a pub, but its still a decent bar for a late night drink and although the Brakespears wasn't the best we'd had during the weekend, couldn't fault the service or the ambience.