Understandably, a lot of the places we've been drinking beer over this visit to the Shire have a been a little bit on the chilly side.
The Barley Mow has a fire but, for some reason, the warmth from it doesn't always penetrate the space. Even so, there's a delight to it when you step through the door, the pub isn't too busy and you see the fire on...even more so if there's an adjacent seat.
Tap rooms and other non-pub places really suit themselves better to 3-season (spring, summer, autumn) enjoyment - but that doesn't stop us going there. But if the weather is cold and/or wet (like it has been the whole time we've been here) they don't present the soul-lifting experience that a cosy be-fired pub has.
We've been to a few different places this break - Barley Mow, Moor, LHG, Kings Head, Newtown Park, Marthas, Swan with Two Necks, King Street Brewhouse, Llandogger Trow, Oxford but yesterday we struck out a little further.
We were thinking about walking to Easton to pick up spice supplies but other things intervened and so it was about 4.15pm when we were ready to go and that would have been a bit of a stretch for running errands and going to the pub. So, instead, we just walked to the Duke of York.
It wasn't particularly a cold walk but it was pretty damp so when we got to the pub and realised there were a pair of chairs right next to the small, but perfectly formed fire I leapt on the chance.
The DoY is a lovely, cosy, little pub. Never a large range of beers but enough to keep us happy for a couple of hours. Getting into conversation with a chap after his family had a falling out was an interesting experience but that's part of what the pub is about...the odd occasion to get chatting.
Today is promising to be nasty and wet all day - so if we go out, it'll be local. Will it have a fire? Hmmm it's about a 50/50 chance.
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