Flying Monk Tavern, Chippenham

Town centre pub that still had quite a few local drinkers inside, despite it getting late in the afternoon and not far from its 6pm advertised closing time for a Sunday. A small outdoor seating has been created in front of the pub, which overlooks the Buttercross. The bar is in front of you as you enter and the first thing you will spot are 3 handpulls with ciders. Two were clipped with Gwynt y Ddraig Dog Dancer & Two Trees Perry. Further along were the real ale handpulls. North Cotswold Windrush Ale is the regular beer. Guests were North Cotswold Shagweaver, Nethergate Eon's Milk Stout & A Bloke Down The Pub Clever Colin. I chose to take a pew at the bar, but the room does turn to the left at the end, where there is further seating. I quite liked the local feel to this place. The sweet but enjoyable milk stout and the availability of cider and perry has also pushed me to a better than average rating.

First pub of the day in town. The odd name seems to be linked to previous ownership under the Flying Monk brewery (and prior to them, Fullers). It’s a fairly bland place inside with magnolia and brown shades over three different rooms. Awful piped music akin to a provincial nightclub and a bit of a flat atmosphere. A GBG entry, there were eight pumps split between ales and ciders. 2x North Cotswold, Stratford Shakespeare's and White Norse Wayland Smithy. I went for Cotswold Green Man IPA which had a slight musty edge but was drinkable enough (NBSS 2.5). Nobody else bothering the pumps so I decided to move on. Midweek afternoon visits are always a bit of a gamble and it’s fair to say I didn't really take to this one as much as I had hoped, maybe I had come here last instead of first…?

Official site of Flying Monk Tavern - flyingmonktavern.com

Official site of Flying Monk Tavern - flyingmonktavern.com