The Gate Inn, Upper Brailes, Banbury

Facebook page of The Gate Inn - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Gate Inn - www.facebook.com

A nice roadside Hook Norton pub. Porch entry with restaurant bar to the left (in darkness) and main bar to the right. Busy for a Wednesday evening. Nice, warm and homely feel inside with pub carpet, painted woodchip walls, fireplace, pub dog and a mish-mash of framed pics. Quiz, papers, Private Eye and live music. Four pumps with Hooky Bitter, Old Hooky, HN Copperhead (fair), Hobgoblin and Old Rosie cider alongside a good selection of whiskys. Gratifyingly cheap. Friendly locals too. I could have happily done a couple of hours in here, a nice place that I hope continues well into the future. 7.5

A cosy-two roomer situated in the drive-thru village of Upper Brailes with a convivial landlord and landlady in residence. The main bar is located to the right (the lounge bar, located to the left had its lights out) with a longish bar counter, carpeted floor and woodchip wallpaper. Hooky beers predominate here as you would expect, with three of the four handpump options including Hooky, Old Hooky and Haymaker. I went for a half of Lacons Legacy, a cracking pale ale which was superbly kept. There's a decent garden out back and the snug ambience here means I'd definitely make a revisit if I were back in the area.