Palmerston Arms, Woodston, Peterborough

A proper village local that must be pretty busy on a regular basis to support the large choice of real ales constantly available on stillage in the room behind the bar. To be fair, there was a bias in favour of blonde beers at the time of my visit, but it appears this is not a usual situation. Both the beers I drank were in excellent condition and if I only had time for one drink before or after a game at London Road stadium, this would have to be the one for me. Date of visit: 6th December 2015

Official site of The Palmerston Arms - www.palmerston-arms.co.uk

Official site of The Palmerston Arms - www.palmerston-arms.co.uk

Bateman's XXXB, Salem Porter, GHA Pale, Burton Bridge Bamboozler, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Everards Sunchaser, Derby ‘Dino & Pete's Breakfast Blonde', Digfield IPA, Brewsters Daffy's Elixir. What was the vault has red tiled floor and beams sport hanging jugs, the front of what was the lounge is still carpetted, BUT the central bar which used to serve both has been knocked through and replaced by a ‘new wood' floor and bar at the rear of the pub open to both sides of what is now an oddly unbalanced U-shape. The large window to the tap-room (for it is from here that all beers are dispensed by gravity) is a very nice touch, but I'm afraid I did not like the unneccessary change of layout and my voicing an opinion against the vandalism briefly irked the landlady, under whose auspices the change evidently happened, though she remained polite when I returned to the bar. It's lost something, including the double-jokers we played on our first pre-structural-change visit.

Caught the number 1 bus to this pub although it is not too far out of the centre to walk. No longer a tied house there were 14 real ales on gravity from a room visable behind the bar. All 14 pumpclips were placed along the bar and there was a board detailing the drinks with their prices too. All very clean and tidy. There was a wood burning fire in the room we used, and it was very cosy. Apart from the quiz night they also advertised a vinyl night where you could bring favourite records and there are ukelele sessions once a month and a philosophy night was held too so something different can be tried here. Friendly pub now being run by someone who used to be a regular.