Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

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mjr
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by mjr »

thelawnet wrote:
mjr wrote:[ I think it's just that you've not been able to find anything online on his views about cycling either, so have made up that he's OK with it!


Why do you doubt it? Why are you so determined that he must hate cyclists?

Not determined at all. It's based on what I read in his mag years ago and, as mentioned, it was bad enough I avoid them since.

pwa wrote:I use Wetherspoons as an eatery sometimes, when I just want some decent food without a high price, and I find it reliable.

If you want such food, there's no shortage of places serving Brakes/3663-style food, even other chain pubs, but with the proliferation of cafes, we can usually do better unless gagging for a beer before the sun is over the yard arm.
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pwa
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by pwa »

mjr wrote:
thelawnet wrote:
mjr wrote:[ I think it's just that you've not been able to find anything online on his views about cycling either, so have made up that he's OK with it!


Why do you doubt it? Why are you so determined that he must hate cyclists?

Not determined at all. It's based on what I read in his mag years ago and, as mentioned, it was bad enough I avoid them since.

pwa wrote:I use Wetherspoons as an eatery sometimes, when I just want some decent food without a high price, and I find it reliable.

If you want such food, there's no shortage of places serving Brakes/3663-style food, even other chain pubs, but with the proliferation of cafes, we can usually do better unless gagging for a beer before the sun is over the yard arm.

Depends where you are. I don't go in Wetherspoons a lot, but last summer I used one in Chepstow after walking up and down the main drag and finding nothing more tempting. And it was okay.
Ben@Forest
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by Ben@Forest »

pwa wrote:Depends where you are. I don't go in Wetherspoons a lot, but last summer I used one in Chepstow after walking up and down the main drag and finding nothing more tempting. And it was okay.


We ate at the Kilmarnock Spoons arriving at 10pm after a very, very long day in the saddle. By that time it was that or a kebab van, there was nowhere else. I am eternally grateful it was there and the kitchen was open.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by Sweep »

661-Pete wrote:I should, perhaps, point out that my earlier comment was inspired, to some extent, by Sweep's attempts to moderate his/her own thread. Here, and here. Of course I didn't mean to seriously impute that Sweep is a paid agent of the said organisation!

I would feel tempted to use the word "boycott" to sum up my own attitude to same organisation. But you can't "boycott" an establishment which you've never patronised in the first place, can you?

Moderating my own thread indeed!

As for the fact that you have never been in one, it doesn't altogether surprise me. I kind of sensed it from the tone of your response. Have in the past come across folk slagging them off who later reveal that they don't like or even ever drink beer. These folks can often be the most vicious in their criticism. Funny old world.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by Sweep »

mjr wrote:

If you want such food, there's no shortage of places serving Brakes/3663-style food, even other chain pubs,.


Don't think anyone would ever claim that they are high cuisine, and of course the food comes out of boxes. In truth it does in lots of lots of eateries, including I would guess most cafes - boxes, tins, bags etc etc. Very few slaughter their own cattle round the back. Me and a riding pal used to very regularly go for their bargain burger deal after a long ride. The steaks are good. The lamb shank not half bad. The breakfasts I think pretty damn good and reliable - have had some truly awful things in cafes in my time. Its the sausages you have to be wary of with cafes. By the by, spoons will swap sausage and bacon elements of a breakfast - ie - if you don't like the sausage so much (they are OK but kind of so so) they will swap for more bacon.

CTC folk are of course great cafe fans - have ridden with CTC groups a fair bit - I seem to recall that the favourite order of many on cafe stops was beans on toast - hardly high cuisine though of course good cycling food. I don't think any of the cafes ever baked their own bread or grew their own beans. Let alone carry out whatever that process is that makes them go that strange shade of orange.

On the app referred to in a post above - yes it is kind of neat but I only used it once to try it. It does have serious drawbacks though.

@ The time I used it I ordered a coffee. It arrived at my table impressively quickly. I then had to get up and walk across the room to get the milk

@ You can't order the guest beers on it - the main and wonderful reason I go in - just the branded stuff

@ In a truly wonderful civilised fashion, spoons let you taste the beer before selecting your pint - you can't do this from an app. I also kind of like the bar experience.

If you do know Downham Market intimately as it seems you do, you could tell me about the garden access. I will be wending that way soon from Peterborough towards Kings Lynn - first day may involve a few halves as they seem to have opened a few in that neck of the woods.

I do find the attitude to spoons from some folk intriguing and even educational. Probably the best one I know for beer is not particularly cycle friendly - does have an outside yard but not a wonderful spot. Inside the pub is OK but a bit so so. But for sure if it was in central London its fine and large beer selection (the place has a particularly large cellar apparently) would make it a hipster's "craft beer" dream.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by paddler »

Good to read some positive replies, especially since, lets not forget, the OP specifically -specifically! was asking only about recommendations for Wetherspoons, as apposed to direct comparisons with other eateries. I too can't understand the negativity. If you don't like them, avoid them. Wetherspoons and threads.

Not a place I'd have thought of while on tour, but I will now. I know I can Google it - but do they actually open in time for breakfast?

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mjr
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

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Sweep wrote:If you do know Downham Market intimately as it seems you do, you could tell me about the garden access.

As far as I can tell from the photos of the refurb I've found online and remember of its previous incarnation as the White Hart, the former car park is now a paved courtyard seating area and I'm not sure it has/had a public garden. The car park used to be accessed through a gated arch, but if it's like other Wetherspoons locally (current ones like the Globe and the Whiffler and former ones like the Norwich Gatehouse and the Lattice House), I expect that gate from the street will be locked and access only allowed through the bar.

I don't remember the current situation because I tend to have a bit else to concentrate on while dragging up Bridge Street rather than look into the archways of crap pubs! I tend to use Paradise Road unless I've a compelling reason to visit that part of Bridge Street, or London Road if coming from Denver or Stonecross.

paddler wrote:Good to read some positive replies, especially since, lets not forget, the OP specifically -specifically! was asking only about recommendations for Wetherspoons, as apposed to direct comparisons with other eateries. I too can't understand the negativity. If you don't like them, avoid them. Wetherspoons and threads.

Some people might have been unaware that better alternatives to these flying pubs (watch how quick Wetherspoons shut or sell a pub once they feel they can't extract more money) are available which don't obstruct cycle parking and offer no cycle parking of their own, aren't anti-European and don't extract so much money from local economies.

paddler wrote:do they actually open in time for breakfast?

Only if you get up late (8am). Do your body a favour, skip the pint and go to a bakery or cafe instead.
Last edited by mjr on 14 Jun 2018, 11:47am, edited 1 time in total.
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jgurney
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by jgurney »

I have mixed feelings about them. While they can be good sources of cheap food and drink, and some branches have real ciders which I like and can be hard to find, OTOH I don't like the owner's anti-EU politics and I find it hard to take a place which bans dogs seriously as being a pub. (I don't have a dog, it's just that it seems to me that dogs and British pubs have a long history together. Saying dogs don't belong in pubs is rather like saying pedestrians don't belong on roads).
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by PH »

paddler wrote: Not a place I'd have thought of while on tour, but I will now. I know I can Google it - but do they actually open in time for breakfast?
Dave

Some at 7am, most at 8. I've been in a few where it's been the first place in town open to get a coffee, particularly on a Sunday.
Breakfast is pretty good, the fruit and yogurt my favourite, coffee is also good and cheap.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by PH »

pwa wrote:Depends where you are. I don't go in Wetherspoons a lot, but last summer I used one in Chepstow after walking up and down the main drag and finding nothing more tempting. And it was okay.

I think the a group off us used the same one at the end of the LLC, we'd done a tour of Welsh 'spoons and were really looking for something else for the post tour celebration, somewhere serving food and alcohol, up and down the Hight Street a couple of times and nowhere that could accommodate us, so the 'spoons it was.
The day had started with a 'spoons breakfast in Abergavenny, parking outside was a bit limited so we asked if there was anywhere else and were invited in

Image
W'spoons parking by Paul, on Flickr
simonhill
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by simonhill »

To answer the question.

Leigh on Sea , W'spoons, The Elms. Large car park that can be easily seen from some of the tables. On the other side of the pub is outside seating, accessible from road and carpark, where you can sit and cuddle your bike.

Southend, W'spoons, The Last Post. Road access from 2 sides, garden looks like internal access only, no obvious safe bike parking. Plenty of 'rough' types hang around the area so I wouldn't leave my bike outside. There may be secure parking in Station over the road.

Maybe you could offer a bike review service to Tim and see what he says.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by paddler »

PH wrote:
paddler wrote: Not a place I'd have thought of while on tour, but I will now. I know I can Google it - but do they actually open in time for breakfast?
Dave

Some at 7am, most at 8. I've been in a few where it's been the first place in town open to get a coffee, particularly on a Sunday.
Breakfast is pretty good, the fruit and yogurt my favourite, coffee is also good and cheap.



Ok, Thanks!

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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by Sweep »

paddler wrote:
Not a place I'd have thought of while on tour, but I will now. I know I can Google it - but do they actually open in time for breakfast?

Dave


They open for breakfast at 8am.

Though I don't think they will give you a beer until 9am.

I know this as a while ago I got a very early train London to Birmingham to then ride back.

I think this was the one I went to for breakfast fuel.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all- ... birmingham

There were tables outside when I was there - though not I stress for the benefit of the poster upthread obstructing the handy bike racks you can see in the pic.

Come 9am I did sinfully have a pint as it made me feel kind of good sitting there watching folk hurry to work.

You can also have endless coffee refills for a fixed price if you need a jolt of caffeine pre or post ride.

As you imply paddler the fact that they are a chain makes it easy to find them.

edit - to see bike racks you will have to scroll to the outside pic and click on it to enlarge - I thought the link went straight to the pic.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by Sweep »

mjr wrote:
I don't remember the current situation because I tend to have a bit else to concentrate on while dragging up Bridge Street rather than look into the archways of crap pubs! .

Will investigate myself then. Some do stop gates opening from the outside - maybe something to do with ideas of security or safety. Some don't. Will leave you to enjoy a thread you find more conducive as despite your "crap pubs exclamation mark" jibe it is very clear to me that you have never actually been in that pub. As I understand it it has only just opened.

Will report back in this thread on its access and other factors when on my tour - using tablet and free wifi.

cheers

edit - thanks for reply above simon. Maybe I will contact them. Must admit I was a bit p'ed off when they stopped providing a gpx file on their web page - useful for garmin. Luckily a boffin a know provided a handy means of extracting a gpx from their other provided data - they expect everyone to use a smartphone these days but I prefer the garmin.
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Re: Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

Post by mjr »

Sweep wrote:Will leave you to enjoy a thread you find more conducive as despite your "crap pubs exclamation mark" jibe it is very clear to me that you have never actually been in that pub. As I understand it it has only just opened.

That's a misunderstanding: it has only just reopened but it was The White Hart from around 1800 until 2015, but the new owner insists recent history like the name must be obliterated in favour of legends from the 1700s - much as he wants for UK politics!
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