Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

[Cunobelin]

Not sure how you could suggest they have a monopoly brynn.

As regards the partial move to non EU sourcing I think that despite some exaggerated responses to that, it's mainly a business decision. Which is fair enough. I would expect them to still have foreign and EU beers in their beer festival.

As above, read the actual releases as opposed to the biased reports and propaganda and that is indeed the case

[Cyril Haearn]

Spoons plans to drop "European" beer and offer instead products from English-speaking countries! (USA, Aus)
Mr M has some interesting political views apparently, would it be worth boycotting his places? Do his views win him approval and custom too?

Does Spoons have a semi-monopoly? Where is the biggest place without one?

The actual statement made clear that British beers would be a priority along with British wines, with "Some" products being sourced from teh US and Australia. Not as suggested here that they would be a main source. It was also pointed out that this was a policy under review, and that contracts with some European companies had more than 5 years so it was not the immediate ban being mis-reported by many

I would love to see the actual quote where Wetherspoons have stated "English speaking countries" - any evidence to back that statement?

It really can't be long before the propaganda staple that they have children on the menu, the anti-propaganda continues......

English-speaking countries: I read that beers were to be bought from "America + Australia", I abbreviated that to "English-speaking countries"

[Sweep]

Yes, the "english speaking" jibe was particularly bonkers. Hell my local spoons is one of the most diverse establishments you could imagine, and one of the reasons I like it so much. Bryn, I have never been much good at crosswords. Care to tell me/us what the word with the ***s was?

[Sweep]

[
English-speaking countries: I read that beers were to be bought from "America + Australia", I abbreviated that to "English-speaking countries"

You may as well have accused spoons of switching their supplies to places beginning with A.

Will be back with another couple of recommendations for beer quaffing cyclists later.

[TrevA]

The HQ for a recent audax I rode was the Acorn Inn in Lichfield - a Wetherspoons pub. It's a town centre pub, but has rear access and "beer garden" where you can store your bike and even sit outside to enjoy a pint. Would be alright for a daytime or early evening visit. Quite a few audaxes use Wetherspoons as their HQ, as they open early and are open all day, offer reasonably priced food and drink - including free refill tea and coffee.

Regarding the non-EU beers, surely their business model is about selling real ale, most of which is brewed in the UK? I'm sure they will continue to sell Carlsberg, etc (though that may also be brewed in the UK). My local one sells bottled Estrella Galicia.

[PH]

The HQ for a recent audax I rode was the Acorn Inn in Lichfield - a Wetherspoons pub. It's a town centre pub, but has rear access and "beer garden" where you can store your bike and even sit outside to enjoy a pint. Would be alright for a daytime or early evening visit. Quite a few audaxes use Wetherspoons as their HQ, as they open early and are open all day, offer reasonably priced food and drink - including free refill tea and coffee.

As mentioned a few pages back - they also opened an hour earlier than usual for the Audax.
I had a coffee at the start and a pizza and pint at the end, all decent. The only Lichfield rides I've done before started in a car park because there was nothing open. That's OK if the weather is fine, but not pleasant if you're waiting around in the rain having already ridden a couple of hours to get there.

[Sweep]

The HQ for a recent audax I rode was the Acorn Inn in Lichfield - a Wetherspoons pub. It's a town centre pub, but has rear access and "beer garden" where you can store your bike and even sit outside to enjoy a pint. Would be alright for a daytime or early evening visit. Quite a few audaxes use Wetherspoons as their HQ, as they open early and are open all day, offer reasonably priced food and drink - including free refill tea and coffee.

Regarding the non-EU beers, surely their business model is about selling real ale, most of which is brewed in the UK? I'm sure they will continue to sell Carlsberg, etc (though that may also be brewed in the UK). My local one sells bottled Estrella Galicia.

Thanks for the tip on Lichfield Trev - could be handy. The reasonable priced food thing is important on group rides I think as folk may have different ideas of how much they want to pay and sending groups to places with premium prices doesn't make cycling seem inclusive. I used to lead lots of rides and always too care to ensure that the food stops were both bike friendly and had at least some cheapish food. I well remember one ride leader taking to us to a pub which had become more of a restaurant - not only was the menu expensive but all the dishes were somewhat tiddly - I remember cycling away from that place glad that I had brought some serious snacks with me - I didn't feel as if I had eaten.

Yes, as you say, the great thing about spoons is their choice of real ale (I refuse to call it "craft") from all over the country. It doesn't make me a nationalist for welcoming that. If I was a tourist I'd be happy to find such a place. I go to Italy a lot and must admit to cycling to a fair few wonderful cantine that sell cheap but great wine they will pour into a bottle/gerry can/whatever. Maybe some of the spoons naysayers upthread would complain to the cantina that they don't sell fine british real ale or melton mowbray pork pies. I personally can never understand folk who wander into a spoons and buy a bottle of wine or the (more expensive) branded fizz beer.

[TrevA]

The HQ for a recent audax I rode was the Acorn Inn in Lichfield - a Wetherspoons pub. It's a town centre pub, but has rear access and "beer garden" where you can store your bike and even sit outside to enjoy a pint. Would be alright for a daytime or early evening visit. Quite a few audaxes use Wetherspoons as their HQ, as they open early and are open all day, offer reasonably priced food and drink - including free refill tea and coffee.

As mentioned a few pages back - they also opened an hour earlier than usual for the Audax.
I had a coffee at the start and a pizza and pint at the end, all decent. The only Lichfield rides I've done before started in a car park because there was nothing open. That's OK if the weather is fine, but not pleasant if you're waiting around in the rain having already ridden a couple of hours to get there.

So you did. Did you do the 120 or 200 at Lichfield?

I had the pleasure of the Van of Delights at Hulme End on Saturday's Lutudarum audax . Nice to sit and enjoy a cup of tea and cake in the car park, but only because the weather was good.

[Cunobelin]

Spoons plans to drop "European" beer and offer instead products from English-speaking countries! (USA, Aus)
Mr M has some interesting political views apparently, would it be worth boycotting his places? Do his views win him approval and custom too?

Does Spoons have a semi-monopoly? Where is the biggest place without one?

The actual statement made clear that British beers would be a priority along with British wines, with "Some" products being sourced from teh US and Australia. Not as suggested here that they would be a main source. It was also pointed out that this was a policy under review, and that contracts with some European companies had more than 5 years so it was not the immediate ban being mis-reported by many

I would love to see the actual quote where Wetherspoons have stated "English speaking countries" - any evidence to back that statement?

It really can't be long before the propaganda staple that they have children on the menu, the anti-propaganda continues......

English-speaking countries: I read that beers were to be bought from "America + Australia", I abbreviated that to "English-speaking countries"

There are many who would argue that neither Australians or Americans speak "English" at all

[Mick F]

I had a couple of hours to kill in Taunton yesterday late afternoon before taking the 19:51 train to Plymouth.

A couple of days ago, I'd found the Wetherspoons website and put Taunton into the search box and found two. Great stuff eh?
Looking at Google Streetview I checked them out to see if they looked cycle-friendly, only to find they weren't. Too on-street without a seating area out at the front where I could watch the world go by as well as keep an eye out on my bike.

Searching around, I found a Brewer's Fare - The o'Bridge - with tree-lined front gardens (note the plural) and bike racks and facilities.
That was my destination!
Beers and food and somewhere to put the bike safely - just what I wanted.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.02768 ... 312!8i6656

[pwa]

I had a couple of hours to kill in Taunton yesterday late afternoon before taking the 19:51 train to Plymouth.

A couple of days ago, I'd found the Wetherspoons website and put Taunton into the search box and found two. Great stuff eh?
Looking at Google Streetview I checked them out to see if they looked cycle-friendly, only to find they weren't. Too on-street without a seating area out at the front where I could watch the world go by as well as keep an eye out on my bike.

Searching around, I found a Brewer's Fare - The o'Bridge - with tree-lined front gardens (note the plural) and bike racks and facilities.
That was my destination!
Beers and food and somewhere to put the bike safely - just what I wanted.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.02768 ... 312!8i6656

Looks like the sort of thing you would welcome after a long ride.

[Sweep]

The biggest spoons in the world.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q4tl0f ... sp=sharing

My Ridgeback expedition on the glorious sun terrace looking straight out to sea.

No special spoons provided bike parking as such but they were perfectly relaxed about me carrying my bike up there. On one visit a nice person on the door downstairs offered to let me bring the bike inside but I didn't think this right so didn't.

Another view of the wondrous terrace:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1inVuAy ... sp=sharing

and of the sea view:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RWvvsr ... sp=sharing

Downstairs at the back you can sit with your bike pretty much on the beach. There may be smokers there of course.

This spoons is also particularly good for touring cyclists due to the multiplicity of power and USB charging points. Most spoons are very easy going about you using their sockets but this new one has been designed with many of the tables having their OWN power and USB sockets.

I well remember sitting outside this building on a group ride about five years ago. It was a greying semi derelict hulk.

A piece on it by the esteemed deserter.

Caution for the nervous upthread - includes a pic of and meeting with the boss. Also includes a pic of the view from some of the interior tables downstairs where you can look through glass (handy if it's a bit nippy) straight onto the beach while drinking fine beer, twiddling on the free wifi, recharging your stuff.

https://deserter.co.uk/2017/09/the-bigg ... the-world/

Ramsgate is an interesting place - once very fashionable - it's also on the wonderful Viking cycle trail.

The other wonder of Ramsgate, apart from the spoons, is Pugin's own church - a short traffic free pedal away.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view ... ajaxhist=0

(I'm an atheist by the way).

will try to embed images later.

[Sweep]

I had a couple of hours to kill in Taunton yesterday late afternoon before taking the 19:51 train to Plymouth.

A couple of days ago, I'd found the Wetherspoons website and put Taunton into the search box and found two. Great stuff eh?
Looking at Google Streetview I checked them out to see if they looked cycle-friendly, only to find they weren't. Too on-street without a seating area out at the front where I could watch the world go by as well as keep an eye out on my bike.

Searching around, I found a Brewer's Fare - The o'Bridge - with tree-lined front gardens (note the plural) and bike racks and facilities.
That was my destination!
Beers and food and somewhere to put the bike safely - just what I wanted.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.02768 ... 312!8i6656

sounds nice and checking out that streetview pic it looks great, but what was the beer like? I must admit I tend to distrust anything with the word "fare" in it, especially if there is a superfluous "y" chucked in. Thanks for the taunton info.

[Sweep]

Spoons Margate, which glories in the name "The Mechanical Elephant".#
Had an intimation of what this was like when I got nattering to a local as I cycled further up the coast. Asked him about it and he blanched slightly and said it was nice upstairs. True.

Downstairs not very nice.

But upstairs is a nice sort of lounge area which can be quiet during the day, allowing you to recharge stuff in peace.

Has a balcony with seats, albeit a bit narrow, which has this nice view if you filter out the road.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h1rXNl ... sp=sharing

From there you can see the Sheffield stands where your pride and joy sits.

I asked the barmaid why no one seemed to be upstairs when it was so nice and civilised. She said that the regulars didn't like to walk downstairs for their beer

The view of Margate bay was rather appreciated by Turner, though there is no evidence that he painted it from the spoons.

Modern art gallery can just about be seen from there as well.

[Cunobelin]

Ramsgate is an example of how Wetherspoons often take up derelict buildings and restore them to use.

Of course I am sure for some this will be taking advantage and destroying the local community etc, etc