good pubs near brill / verney jct lines?

Can't help with the pubs question, but good luck with tracing the route of the Brill Tramway. It's very difficult to find any traces of it, apart from the Brill station site on Tramhill at SP656152 and the place where the tramway crossed the GW line at SP673154 (there's a car park on the west side, just north of the road junction). The grass verge on the east side of the yellow road at SP726176 is unusually wide and the tramline probably ran along it.

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

Last time we went to Quainton Road, in 2006, we had a good meal at the George and Dragon in Quainton village, on the green. Can't remember what we drank, but the pub is in the 2007 Good Beer Guide.

It's a good pub - as is "The Verney Arms" at Verney Junction itself

If you have a look at my Disused Railways site:

There is probably less to see of the Verney Junction line but it is worth visiting the site of bridge 189 at Shipton Lee. A small amount of platform remains can be seen at both Grandborough Road and Winslow Road. Verney Junction itself it definitely worth visiting.

In terms of pubs, the Lion in Waddesdon does good food and usually has an interesting guest beer (St Austell Tribute last time I went in) but it isn't cheap. The Peacock in Brill does reasonable food but I can't remember what the beer is like. Other pubs worth trying would be the Crooked Billet in Kingswood and the Black Boy in Oving. There is also the Verney Arms at Verney Junction which is more of a bistro than a pub - not sure if it is open at lunchtime though.

Hope this helps. Have a good day.

Roger

I'd add The Pheasant in Brill village, one minute's walk from Brill Windmill, itself worth a few minutes of your time to see. Full lunch menu is available and the puddings are worthy of note. I can't vouch for the presence of real ales, I'm afraid.

THC

site:

Oops. I meant The Pheasant in Brill, not The Peacock.

Roger

site:

I've had a good meal in the Black Boy at Oving and recently had a excellent (and totally unexpected) Thai meal in the Bell at North Marston....

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

Agreed - excellent spot but better in sunny weather allowing use of the outside tables.

Guy Gorton

How did you get on?

phil

I would say, given the weather, that if the plan was followed he would have got soaked :)

It was a very wet, cold and muddy day and in that respect not ideal for walking, but we found all of the station sites on the Brill tramway easily enough - remote though they are!

Quainton Road has become a far more commercialised steam centre than it was last time I visited, which is a bit of a shame. They seemed to be doing a good trade, but it was all family-oriented 'Thomas the Tank Engine' stuff. Their shop was full of toys and tat and only had one small shelf of railway books - none of which had anything to do with the lines that once ran from the station!

The station sites at Wotton, Westcott and Wood Siding and indeed Brill were all easy to locate, albeit without that much to see these days.

Wotton is rather amusing, as the only other building in the vicinity of the tramway station was actually another station - on the GCR line.

We took up the recommendation of the Pheasant in Brill, which is a lovely pub but which sadly only did food until 2 which we'd missed, so went to Spoons in Bicester for a late lunch instead, via a quick inspection of the charming little church in Ludgershall.

BTN

I've often wondered to myself whether said organisation had ever considered buying the land and running a line up to Verney Junction or Buckingham from Quainton road along the Met's trackbed instead of just sharing the single freight line as they do. The other preserved railway organisations seem to manage it well enough.

They stock what sells............... There is a second hand bookshop, located on the down side, which has wide range of railway books however this is not always open unfortunately.

I have to say the second hand bookshop is really excellent. However I wish it was possible to get to it without having to pay to enter the centre.

RPM

That has actually worked against them on a number of occasions when I've had a clear out and wanted to donate books and magazines. They've ended up elsewhere, instead.

Understood, I think, but am not certain, that it's possible to arrange access by booking an appointment in advance.