Leave the Car at Home: Four Pubs, One Bus Route and a Saturday That Actually Works

Every winter someone suggests a pub crawl and every winter it goes the same way: three pints in the first place, a taxi nobody booked, and a driver who ends up on lime and soda watching everyone else get loud. So here is the alternative we have actually tested — one bus route, four stops, no cars, and a plan for the last bus that doesn't involve running.

It is a Saturday, it is cold, and it is entirely doable. Bring a coat, a charged phone and about fifty quid.

The route at a glance

All four pubs sit on or within a five-minute walk of the same bus corridor, so you buy one day ticket and forget about it. Trains run from the village stop back into town until just after eleven, which gives you a built-in finish line.

Stop	Arrive	Leave	Why
1. The Watermill	12:15	13:45	Bitter, bar snacks, low fuss
2. The Old Post Office	14:00	15:45	Kitchen worth the walk
3. The Bell & Anchor	16:00	18:00	Back room, something on
4. The Glen Tavern	18:20	Close	Anchor, plates, last bus

Stop one: The Watermill, 12:15

Start early and start light. The Watermill opens at noon and its front bar has the two things you want at the beginning of a long day: a well-kept bitter and something salty within reach.

Have one pint, not two. Order the pork scratchings and the pickled egg and split them. This is the stop people ruin the day at — the first pub is where the pace gets set, and a slow start beats a fast one every time. Cash is still handy here for the bar snacks.

Cost: pint £4.40, snacks £4.

Stop two: The Old Post Office, 14:00

A short hop on the bus, then a five-minute walk. This is the food stop, and it is the one worth booking. The kitchen here does a short menu of proper plates — a pie, a fish dish, one vegetarian main that isn't an afterthought — and they will do smaller portions if you ask on a Saturday lunchtime, which is a kindness when there is more beer ahead.

Do not order a full pudding. Have the cheese if you must. You will thank yourself at six o'clock.

Cost: main £13–£16, half of something dark £2.80.

Stop three: The Bell & Anchor, 16:00

This is the back-room stop, and it is why the crawl has a mid-afternoon slot that isn't just another bar. The Bell has a function room that opens to the public on Saturdays — check the board in the corridor — with a record stall, a quiz, or a local history talk depending on the week. There is a fire, there are benches, and the beer range usually runs to something Belgian and something very sessionable.

This is where you should slow right down. One pint, or a half and a bag of crisps, and actually sit. Two hours here is the difference between a good day and a sore Sunday.

Cost: £4.60 a pint, event entry free to £3.

Stop four: The Glen Tavern, 18:20

The finish line, and the reason the route is shaped the way it is. The Glen is a ten-minute walk from the bus stop and about six from the station, so you can arrive, eat, drink and be on a train without anyone reaching for a taxi app.

Saturday evenings here mean small plates from the kitchen until nine, a rotating guest line on the second handpull, and the corner by the fire that you should ask for when you arrive. If you are finishing properly, this is the stop for a low-ABV pint and a plate of something hot rather than a fifth high-strength lager. Order in two rounds, eat slowly, and leave on the 22:52.

Cost: plates £6–£9, pint £4.20–£5.60.

The last-bus plan

This is the bit that people skip and then regret. Do not leave it to guesswork.

• Check the day ticket. A regional day ticket covers all four legs and is usually under £7. Buy it on the app or from the driver at the first boarding.
• Know your last bus, not your next bus. The final bus along the corridor is usually around 22:40, and it does not wait. Set an alarm for 22:15 and treat it as real.
• The train is the fallback. Services back into town run until roughly 23:10. If you miss the bus, you can walk to the station in six minutes from The Glen.
• Agree a bail-out stop. Everyone gets one free pass to go home early without a debate. It keeps the group honest.

What the day costs

Realistically, £45 to £60 for the day, all in:

• Bus day ticket: £6.80
• Train home: £3.20
• Beer across four stops: £18–£24
• Food: £18–£24

That is cheaper than a taxi home from the second stop, which is the comparison that matters.

A few last things

Eat at every stop, even if it is only a bag of crisps. Alternate pints and halves in the middle of the day. Carry a bit of cash for the pubs that still prefer it. And if you are the sort of group that gets to stop four and wants to keep going, remember that the train is there precisely so nobody has to make a bad decision in a car park.

Start at the Watermill, finish at The Glen, and let the bus do the work.