Touring the Banburyshire pubs on a bike: The Fox at Farthinghoe

Pub Pedals by Miles Doughty

Five weeks into my project to support the local village pubs around Middleton Cheney and it was the first time we had to contend with rain. But nothing a pub couldn’t solve.

Gerri requested no hills but that’s not always possible.

So heading down the Alstrop road meant the inevitable: an uphill struggle that we had previously enjoyed coasting down on the first pub pedal.

I may also have neglected to mention the uphill out of Kings Sutton – oops. Neither of us had visited Newbottle, not that there is much to visit except a gorgeous gothic church and a few houses. We could only imagine the carriages coming down the avenue to the magnificient but locked mansion gates.

We were welcomed to the Fox by Percy the peacock who clearly wasn’t threatened by the pubs namesake, more the threatening rain.

Fortunately, landlady Sarah quickly let us in, keen for trade after only moving into the pub in December.

Whilst being closed for so long Sarah and Scott have made their mark, redecorating the dining room as a faux library. They also made up for the lack of a village shop selling everything from flour to flowers. The flowers in the form of the hops in the Charles Well Triple Hopped IPA were glorious in this fruity, yet malty beer.

For once there was no food debate and the Camembert oozed wonderfully. There also would have been no debate about a main, lamb and dolphin, sorry dauphinoise potatoes.

By this time it was raining properly so the train that used to run to the village would have been ideal but instead we delayed leaving with a pint of almost dessert like biscuity Marston Pedigree.

We eventually took advantage of a lull in the rain and escaped home to survive another Pub Pedal. Let’s hope for better weather next time.

Route 5 – 12.6 miles www.maps.ie/map-my-route/viewMap.php?route=149828