please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Lovely pub, lovely hooky, very rude landlord. Not worth the bother.
Scimp - 18 Oct 2014 10:11 |
Having promised myself a visit for ages I finally got there last weekend - I was greeted by Mick the Hat as if I was a long time regular not a first timer and had a marvellous lunchtime there. All the people I met there could not have been more friendly ( a reflection of the atmosphere ) , beer was brilliant and all in all a wonderful experience. How refreshing in these days of homogenous " pubs " to find a landlord who enjoys conversation with his customers and also being served by an adult not some spotty adolescent just out of three cornered trousers who will insist on calling me " mate " !!!!!
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This place should be on the bucket list of all lovers of country pubs, it is the real deal. A simple one room alehouse, you really feel like you are stepping back in time, but not in a twee historical setting, this is a proper pub, the landlord is the genuine article, the beer is from the barrel, and once you step in the room you are immediately part of the place and the conversation. Dont miss it, but watch out for the opening hours, they are a bit eccentric.
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This pub is a real gem. The landlord really CARES about his customers and his beer. Always a pleasure to visit.
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Interesting and quaint, good Hook Norton ales and a pleasant feel. I would recommend a visit because I like this style of pub.
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A real throw back in time with plenty of cobwebs and dust giving it a really authentic gothic feel. Pubs like this are now rare to find and I am amazed the place still manages to return a profit. The landlord is rather eccentric trying to stay in the same style & character as the pub itself. It actually reminded me of the Slaughtered Lamb from American Werewolf In London. The beer was good and that I suppose it what I came for. Beware of opening times as you might get caught out!
Pughy - 10 Oct 2011 20:36 |
Off the beaten track but is certainly well worth the detour. Don't understand the carping comments; this stranger couldn't have felt more welcome.
Beer brillantly kept and Mick the H knows obviously more about beer and pubs (within at least a radius of 50 miles) than anyone you'll meet this side of .. whatever.
How can you rate the unique? Can't give it a 10 after one visit on principle but it certainly merits a 9++
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I am a frim believer in so called "Rural Gems" and this certainly is one. However the Landlord was also a rural gem!! a blast from a bygone era who was one of the most pompous men I have had the pleasure to meet. There's two ways of doing things. My way or the wrong way!! The beer was good but the welcome was frosty. Caveat Emptor
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Great Welcome and fantastic beer, anybody that found Mick the Hat or his customers unfriendly obviously did not obey his rules. In which case he was quite correct.
Ablast from the past.
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What a wonderful find, just off the M40 at junction 10.
Called in on a Saturday lunchtime, received a warm welcome from Mick The Hat and enjoyed some excellent Hook Norton Best Bitter and a cheese roll.
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First visit in August 2009 and always try to stop in if nearby. Despite the rarity of our visits Mick always remembers us, where we come from, etc and is a true gentleman. Not to mention a real character! He has his rules, but all are well meant. And, after all, it is his living room!
A fabulous old pub, a warm welcome assured from landlord and regulars alike, and good beer. Can't think of a more entertaining way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
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Has to get top marks because this place is actually a proper village pub in the true sense of the word. Not food orientated (though there are rolls if you fancy a snack), decent beer straight from the barrel (as all Southern beers sould be) and a friendly and congenial staff and clientelle. In an increasingly 'corporate' world it's nice to have a pint in a pub that is just there to be local pub.
anonymous - 6 Feb 2010 21:23 |
I've stopped for a beer (or three) irregularly since c. 1999 - on local walks, or en route home, when I lived near Souldern, and usually a couple of times a year when I'm in the area in the last few years. Invariably there has been a warm welcome, excellently kept beers, a good roll, and conversation.
What more could you want?
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Front room pub with a varied crowd of supporters, kept in their place by Mick the Hat. A throw back to yester year so don't try to change a bygone age, it has its charms and its following and that includes the pub as well! A gem
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The Peyton Arms is special. A very rare step back in time to when 'public house' meant just that. Its delightful rural appearance, seemingly unchanged since at least the 19th century, make it seem the perfect place for a pint. But unless the Slaughtered Lamb with Basil Fawlty as landlord (sans redeeming features) appeals to you, you may well (as I swiftly did) make that pint your last.
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The Peyton Arms, hs to be one of the friendliest pubs I have ever been in and always a warm welcome from Mick and Jean. Its a good job we don't live near by or we would be in there all the time
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Definetly one to seek out! Mick the Hat is a rare character and as long as you understand that this is his front room you're entering you'll receive a warm welcome! His beer is very good, given that it isn't kept in a refridgerated cellar, but it can be subject to some seasonal variation during the extremes of the seasons (What seasons?!!!). A real character in a pub full of character. "Nutty" Norman (Landlord in the '80's) can rest in his grave knowing Stoke Lyne pub is in good hands!
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Definetly one to seek out! Mick the Hat is a rare character and as long as you understand that this is his front room you're entering you'll receive a warm welcome! His beer is very good, given that it isn't kept in a refridgerated cellar, but it can be subject to some seasonal variation during the extremes of the seasons (What seasons?!!!). A real character in a pub full of character. "Nutty" Norman (Landlord in the '80's) can rest in his grave knowing Stoke Lyne pub is in good hands!
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Visited on a wonderfully sunny Sunday in mid-October, can only say that reports of a discourteous welcome would appear to be somewhat wide of the mark. Great bunch of welcoming locals, chatty and friendly. Mine host and his good lady were also very happy to see us, enquiring how we'd found them and where we'd come from. Superbly kept Hook Norton ales tapped direct from the cask in a tiny cellar behind the miniature bar. Just three tables in the "main" room, lots of memorabilia of times gone past and ancient music quietly drifting out of a radio. Marvellous little split-level buidling with lots of off-shoot rooms, most not in use, but a new-ish toilet block at the back. A country gem without a doubt and excellent walking close by as well.
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I'm all for so-called rural gems -- but they need to be allied to a welcoming and courteous landlord. Not the case here. Very, very cliquish.
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A wonderful pub with a bit of a chequered past since the untimely death of the wonderful Norman about 12 years ago .... but it is now in the capable hands of Mick the Hat and his wife Jean so that its immediate future is secure. Thank Goodness. I was almost weaned on Hook Norton Ale! When I first started drinking it in 1974 it was 12p a pint :))
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Well worth a visit if you like good beer in a genuine village pub,a blast from the past!
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An odd place. Tiny but very pleasant. Best ales in the area if you like your Hook Norton ales. All served straight from the barrel. Some of the locals in there look like they've never been out of the village in their life and some look as if they weren't aware there was anything outside of the village. Lager is crap in there but then noone drinks it. Staff are great and sometimes you have to serve yourself when they are changing a barrel. Occasionally you have to boot the chickens out of the way when they stray in from over the road. Very odd place but well worth it for the ale and the experience.
anonymous - 26 Sep 2006 16:12 |
I was there a few weeks ago,one of the best pubs any where,the beer is in barrels behind the bar,the only thing that has changed in many years,
the landlord died and it has had a lick of paint,
there a not many pubs like this left anymore,
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