Sunday 9 July 2017

London Pub Tour 48 - Potters Bar / Borehamwood: Duke of York, Green Dragon, The Mops & Brooms and The Old Guinea

It was Good Friday and as I had the day off work and no other plans I decided to head out and visit a few rural pubs which I'd never visited before. I headed out of London on the bus to Potters Bar. Just before heading the Potters Bar Tesco I turned and walked back towards London, under the M25, via a busy A road (Barnet Road). The road led directly to my first stop the Duke of York (EN5 4SG). This is an old coaching inn which is now owned by Brunning and Price and is very much reverted in style to a country pub which trades well on food. The pub sits on a T junction with a car park to the rear and lawn space both out front and at the rear.

I arrived at the pub just after 3pm and it appeared to be towards the end of the lunch rush. I entered via what appeared to be a side door, with some dinning space off to the right. Continuing straight ahead led to a choice in bar area, front or rear. The rear seemed more dinning so I went to the front, which turned out to be the correct choice. There were stools at the bar and I plonked down on an empty one and waited for the attention of the bar staff. The staff were busy rushing round delivering food to tables and dealing with a complaint on how long it was taking for food to come out. The bar man who was dealing with most of these issues, once sorted, came over to take my order. There were 5 hand pump with only 4 on offering up Marston's EPA, Hobgoblin, Brunning & Price Original Bitter and Off The Hook by Mighty Oak Maldon. Riverbed red by New River was the ale coming soon. On tap the selection was more standard with Peroni, Aspall Suffolk, Guinness, Carling, Becks Vier and Sambrooks Pale. As I was at a Brunning and Price pub it would be a shame to turn down one of their own beers, so I went for a pint of the Original Bitter. The beer I would assume was poured with a sparkler as it had a lovely head with a smooth texture. The beer wasn't strong in taste but was perfect as a first pint, and a steal at only £3.75. I also ordered a bowl of chips and garlic bread to line the stomach for the journey ahead.

A bit more detail on the inside of the pub. The pub had a few different sections for dinning, which was it main aim with tables scattered everywhere. There were a few log fire places dotted around, which were unlit due to the fine weather, but would make for comfortable drinking in winter. The bar was a large horseshoe which ducked round into the rear bar, but no service was offered in the rear and it was a collection point for staff to take orders to tables. There was a conservatory off the left, which again was setup for dinning. The floor in the pub varied between large black tiles and wood flooring. Gentle soft lighting is on throughout the pub, with neutral coloured walls. Throughout the pub there were artwork and photos of the local history, along with the occasional shelf with books. I would have loved to stay for another but that would have been dangerous and perhaps the end of the pub tour.

So after finishing my snack I left the pub and rather than carry on the A road I was, took the T junction turning down Dancers Hill. For the majority of this walk there were no real pathways and it was either walking against the traffic on the verge in slightly in the road. The roads were busy and cars passed frequently, meaning I had to give way quite a bit, slowing down my progress. My next stop was just under 2 miles away on yet another A road (St Albans Road).


I could actually spot my second pub on my walk due to the large white building standing out from the higher ground I was on. I arrived at the Green Dragon (EN5 4RE) just before 4pm and was actually unsure whether it was opened based on the deserted car park and the run down look of the pub from the outside. The pub was also an independent so the opening hours listed can also vary. Thankfully the pub was opened and looked in much better condition inside.

Upon walking through the door you are presented with the straight bar a few steps ahead of you. To the left there is a brick wall with a fire place, and behind this is a small dinning area. To the right there is a small room with extra seating and some large tables and the traditional dark red leather style sofas you only ever see in pubs. The bar actually felt quite dark which I put down to the dark green wood painted bar. There were fairy lights on one of the beams above the bar, which I think proves maybe the bar is meant to be dark. The floor was a nice solid wood, and there were some empty bar stools at the bar. On my count there were about 8 people in the pub, all eating, in the dinning area.

There were three hand pumps on the bar, but only two were in use offering Tribute and Trelawny. Printer by Upham was coming soon. The kegs on offer were Sam Adams, Thatcher, Truman Roller IPA, Camden Pils, Carlsberg, San Miguel and the ubiquitous Guinness. As can be seen in the photo I went for a pint of Trelawny at £3.80 which was in good form but just not a favourite beer of mine. The pub was quiet with music playing quietly in background. I took a seat opposite the bar and overheard the staff trying to pick someone up from a nearby station, only to find later it was the wrong station. It wasn't until I went to use the facilities before I left that I discovered the pub was actually larger than I thought. There is a rear dinning area which looks out over a field and the room was very light, compared to the rest of the pub. After using the facilities is was time again to make my way along some country roads.

I turned onto the brilliantly named Trotters Bottom which I followed down alongside Dyrham Country Club to the A1 pedestrian crossing.
Just as I got to the other side of the crossing it began to drizzle and having looked on my map I seen there was a closer pub, leading away from where I wanted to head, but in which I could seek shelter until the shower was over. I turned down Rowley Lane passing a scout brigade who were out on a walk and putting on their water proofs. I shortly arrived at The Mops & Brooms (WD6 5PD) a McMullen's pub with an interesting name and pub sign. It was exactly a 2 mile walk

The pub was large and painted white, and had the quite standard McMullen's country eatery look of rope barriers and benches outside in the car park. The main entrance is actually round the corner and upon walking in you are enter a very modern decor pub with pristine wood flooring, modern panels on walls up to waist height, pastel coloured walls and element light bulbs. You have to walk quite a few steps to reach the bar on the back wall and sadly it was a standard offering of beer. On cask we have AK and Country with the third pump off. On keg we have Guinness, Peroni, San Miguel, Fosters and Aspall's Suffolk. There wasn't much of a bottle selection either, as I could have really done with a bottle of McMullen's Hertford Castle, instead I went for a pint of Guinness. At £4.35 this was to be the most expensive of my walk, but reasonable compared to more central prices.

The right side of the pub was for dinning and the left side for drinking, though could see that the right would turn into dinning also on a Sunday. I took a seat next to the radiator on the front window, looking out to see if the sky was getting any darker. The pub was quite busy with a large group by the door, and about 15 others in the drinking area. I noted a picture of Nelson above the fire place, though couldn't figure out any connection to the pub, but later found out that this was actually the original pub sign for the pub in the cottage next door. According to WhatPub.com the strange name for this establishment comes from the instruments that gypsy's used to fight each other...

The rain actually held off and nothing more than a light drizzle took place, so I decided to venture on to my original final destination and pub in the town of Ridge which was, again, exactly 2 miles away. Though I was slightly amused when I had walked barely half a mile and come across my first sign for the pub. The first half mile of the walk was on a pavement, then on my turn to Buckettsland Lane it was walking in the road. Thankfully either the traffic had died down or these roads were less traversed, and I only encountered two cars. This part of the walk also provided the only off-road part of my journey, with a walk alongside and the through some of the fields, leading me up to Ridge. The path looked underused and as such was overgrown in areas with the plants and weeds reaching above my waist for some stretches. I could spot the village of Ridge about half a mile before I got there, and I thought I could spot the pub assuming it was again a white coloured building, always a good guess. I turns out that I was right as I arrived at the Old Guinea (EN6 3LH) to find a brick building with a white coloured top.

The Old Guinea looked large but turned out to be a one room small pub, with the rest of the pub being given over to a pizzeria. I arrive just after 6pm and the pub was packed with worker's who didn't have the day off, unlike me. Although this was a single room pub it was very modern in design with a lovely marble top bar, wood floor and a grey/white wall colour. It was standing room only, but considering the number of seats in the pub, this would probably be standard. There is an 8 seater table just to the left of the entrance and to the right are some stalls and smaller tables. Surprisingly there was a TV on showing sport and there was a dart board.#

The bar was a straight bar, and the staff serving were wearing the same uniform advertising the pizzeria. This is a freehouse pub, the second of my journey, but due to its size had a small selection. There were no bottle beers and two hand pumps serving up Tribute and Southwold Bitter. On keg there was Guinness, San Miguel, Pravha, John Smith, Fosters, Stowford, Becks Vier and Birra Moretti. I got a glass bottle of coke, a pint of Stowford Press and a bag of cashew nuts, all for £7. The pub was cosy and could definitely be a nice local but lack of seating prevented me from relaxing and enjoying my surroundings after a long walk.

I wasn't too tempted to stop at the White Horse
I left the Old Guinea with the longest part of my walk left, which was just over three miles to Potters Bar train station. I left the village of ridge, crossing over the M25 into South Mimms. I passed another McMullens on my way, The White Horse, which was completely dead. I avoided stopping for a drink as it was nearing 7pm and I had 2 miles still ahead of me on main road back to the station. Also the pub is outside of the M25 so doesn't count for my boundary of London Pub Tours.

A solar array outside Potters Bar
On my walk back to the station I reflected on the variety of pub I visited. I would certainly re-visit the Duke of York for either a drink or food, without hesitation. I wouldn't go out of my way for the Green Dragon or Mops & Broom, though perhaps could see myself stopping again at the Old Guinea due to it's location on further walks onto Shenly. All in all, four pubs ticked off, nice but overcast weather with the rain holding off, and a few nice drinks had, though only one of them new to me.

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