Halon1401F
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The 400 year-old Crown and Trumpet came up in the CAMRA Guide and your reviews as a good place to stay for two nights whilst visiting relatives.|We booked the King Suite with its bigger bed. A cosy en suite room with good storage space, a small bathroom, and good for hearing the empty beer barrels being rolled across the gravel early morning prior to collection!|We turned into Church Street and found the pub, so pulled over to let a white pickup truck pass. Instead it stopped alongside we and the driver was madly waving "shove off" signs at me. Turned out he was a regular who wanted to park in the staff car slot that I was blocking. My wife got out to ask him what his problem was, and was told to use the public car park around the corner. So I left her without her crutch, coat or handbag as I moved off to let him park where he shouldn't. I returned 10 minutes later to a cold and bemused wife who had no idea what else to do but wait. Misery guts saw her dilemma as he sat outside with his mates but patently couldn't care a toss. Not a good start.|However, the young staff inside were as nice as could be, and made up for it.|Good local beer and packed with tables for diners, which we joined on night one. Food was good pub grub, not cordon bleu but did the job. Pub is dog friendly which suited us, though we don't have one. If you want to stand at the bar for just a drink, forget it. There is no spare room, so the benched seats outside are where drinks-only clients must go. To just drink inside, first book a table, or come in your thermals with an umbrella for a refreshing open air beer.|Being old, odd creaks and groans emanated from the underfloor hot water pipes in our room, but adjusting the rad to be warm but not off or full blast requires practice and delicacy. The curse of the thick duvet was waiting for us - Scott of the Antarctic would have loved it, but we hate the dratted things. We took the filling out on night two and slept under the cover plus a thin blanket, so were comfy but not bathed in perspiration.|You order your breakfast the night before A menu was in our room on night one, but not on night two, so make sure you get one, fill it in, and hand it over the bar. Everything you would need is available, but not cereals or fish. |We ate out on night two, and returning at 9pm , as a few late drinkers were finishing off, we asked for a nightcap each. The man whom we had taken to be the owner/manager on night one said that the pub was closing, and we could only drink them in our room. What? Not much pleased at this, as we were residents, we duly indulged him, and retired upstairs like naughty children. We met the lady owner the next morning, to discover the man was only an employee, and was simply keen to shut early and go home. Oh, the locals were still drinking when we crept away upstairs.....The pub owner confirmed that the pub actually shuts at 11 pm, so if you get that stunt pulled on you, stand your ground and tell him why. The owner was not pleased, and neither were we.|It was a proper old pub, very popular with early diners, but like most of Broadway, home and in bed by 9pm. Many seemed to be walkers from all round the world - fellow guests were all in that category, so early to bed after a strenuous day was needed. However, for us , God , with the help of Gottlieb Daimler, had invented cars, a joy to which we are firmly wedded, so hence we wanted nightcaps in the welcoming bar, not in the bedroom.|Overall, a good experience, barring misery guts and a lazy barman. Remember, this is very much a locals pub, so regulars know the score, and in odd instances, do what suits them better than you. But don't let that put you off - this is a proper old pub, 99% of the regulars are good fun, so use it!
