Restaurant: The Harrow
Trail: there's some debate about what the name of the trail actually was, though it's clear enough that there is a trail... we just used the map printed from web and followed the canal from Newbury right to the door. Coincides with National Cycle Route #4
- Eating: good and interesting, but the best value was the prix fixé menu with wine-match, so we all had that...which cut down on the variety we usually have at lunch.
- Hiking: 13.91mi, 4hr36mins on the march, but flat and fast and easy, and as we followed the canal mostly, very difficult to lose your way.
- Wildlife spotted: thin, but then it's February and things hibernate.
- Nature's bounty: February isn't the time, nothing on the bush or branch.
- Muddy boots factor: a little bit, but more due to construction along the canal-side path than anything else...the path itself is very civilised.
- Muddy boots tolerance: the staff spotted us outside changing boots, and our other couple were offered a side cloakroom to change in, as they needed to change all over. But I think they were relieved that we did change, since their room is more elegant than rustic.
Ideas and inspiration for gastrorambles come from many sources, some obvious and some less so. The Harrow crossed our radar with 160char from Jancis,
Well, who indeed--we mentioned it to a few friends and acquaintances and another couple popped up to say that a long walk and a long lunch might work well. I don't know why we were surprised by this-- it's the reason we're tapping these diaries after all. But in further conversation, they turned out to be harder core hikers than we are...Mrs always looks out for baggage transfer service, for example, when doing multiday hikes, where Hardcore Couple go with quickdry smalls, which they wash in the sink each night, and carry everything on their backs. But they do enjoy a good meal, and weren't daunted by the thought of an 8:18 train (this hike is further from London than we've done previously) so why not?
Gastroramble-planning should be simple: link train from London with restaurant with path. When we two travel together, the only thing we need to worry about is keeping to schedule so there's time for a glass before lunch. Add more, and it becomes more difficult... especially at the start of London's winter 2013 cold snap (two months later when writing first draft and it's still glacial out there) when people's boilers start feeling the strain to keep the houses warm, and more often than not, packing it in. And such happened to Hardcore Couple's boiler. They might be hardcore about some things, but a cold house and cold showers are not among them and the boiler repair guys don't make housecalls early enough to hit an 8:18am train.
This turned out to be one of the hidden positives from the hike-- that it was a modular design walk. The train in from Paddington--close to where Hardcore Couple live--follows the canal, and therefore the path, quite closely. This doesn't distract from the rural idyll (there's only a couple of trains an hour) but it's one of the few where people can say "I'll catch you up" and actually do so.
Mrs. and I walked round the town in Newbury, though what would (in a few hours) be a busy farmers' market but at the hour we came through (the 8:18 drops us off at 9:30am) was just farmers assembling their marquees and setting out their stalls. A quick turn up the high street (around a very good looking but very shut pub) and straight onto the canal. This is pretty to the point of twee: swans swirling (shivering, perhaps, given the February weather) with the weak winter sun on the water and I tap a couple of notes into my phone for reference while Mrs. makes jokes about "our public"
At Kintbury the Hardcore Couple join us. If fact, it's easy to spot their train as it flashed down the way and we waved at them though they didn't see us. Indeed, rather than hang out at the station for us to catch up, they started marching down the path to meet us. Having been in a cold flat until the engineer arrived, they were dressed for winter: Mrs. Hardcore was in Himalayan felt-lined trousers, which I'm sure were very toasty.
The canal path is quick and comfortable and the Hardcores set a cracking walking pace, rather quicker than our usual bumble along, which was good in that it kept us warm. Chatting as well kept up the pace--I hadn't seen Mrs.Hardcore for quite some time and we work in the same narrow speciality, and neither Mrs. nor I had met Mr.Hardcore before...so before we knew it, we were at a point where the road diverges from the canal and slopes gently upwards to the village of Little Bedwyn, and a short time again we're at the door. Here Mrs. and I simply slip from our hiking boots to our dining boots, unrolling our jeans and donning a slightly nicer sweater. The Hardcores however need to sneak into the side cloakroom as they needed a fuller change.
But this is where things came a bit unstuck. The pull was the wine list-- Jancis doesn't lie. There's a by-the-glass selection, but the list is the draw...and Mrs. had counted on the fact that there were two couples meaning we could order a couple of bottles from the list, and the set lunch meant that it'd be easy to match...well, not quite. Hardcore Couple were heading on to dinner with other friends later, and didn't want to arrive snapped, and the set lunch with winematch--while clearly the best value on the menu--was unbreakable. While we all pondered the difficulties that this threw up, and Mrs. contemplated the wine-list in hope that some other option would turn up, we ordered a glass each...rather than fizz as is usual at the end of a hike, they had a Dog Point Sauv Blanc from NZ on the glass list, and that sounded very tasty. And then they brought out an amuse of beetroot and blue cheese...and while we are certainly not picky eaters, Mrs. dislikes beets and neither of us are keen on blue cheese, so that sort of heightened the sense that things weren't going in the right direction.
It picked up a bit with the starter, a very delicate whitefish on orange and red peppers. But the wine match turned out to be Dog Point Sauv Blanc... a fine choice, but a bit of déja vu. The mains were proper winter-warmer solid: meat on top, meat on bottom, and spuds in middle, served with a hearty red. Things picked up strongly when we got to pudding, though the best was arguably a pseudo-pud rather than a full item: served in an egg-cup, with meringue whip and passion fruits, and a sugared finger, arguably the standout of the meal. And a ginger loaf, and a bread pudding, served with ice cream...possibly inappropriate given the cold day, but very tasty.
The walk to the trains is a bit more than a mile, so towards the end we were watching closely the time, and calculated we had just enough time for coffee with the puddings, before heading off again. Direct train has a lot to recommend it, we didn't even have to wake up for the connection. Though we're not sure whether Hardcore couple did make their dinner, or snoozed through.
Jancis Robinson @JancisRobinson SuperTuscan bargains now avlble at The Harrow, Little Bedwyn (Sassicaia 01/02 £150 + Michelin star food). Train direct ex Paddington. Steal!
If Mrs and I weren't doing what we do, we'd very much like do do what Jancis does, though we do suspect she works too hard. Well, if there's direct trains, then nothing easier than jumping off the train a little early, and getting some exercise. Mrs. sent me the tweet along with a promise that she would order something more pocket-friendly than the Sassicaia. The website showed winematch set lunch at bargain prices (historical note: was £35 and seems to have been republished on their website at £25? and now back to £35?) and who wouldn't be up for that?Well, who indeed--we mentioned it to a few friends and acquaintances and another couple popped up to say that a long walk and a long lunch might work well. I don't know why we were surprised by this-- it's the reason we're tapping these diaries after all. But in further conversation, they turned out to be harder core hikers than we are...Mrs always looks out for baggage transfer service, for example, when doing multiday hikes, where Hardcore Couple go with quickdry smalls, which they wash in the sink each night, and carry everything on their backs. But they do enjoy a good meal, and weren't daunted by the thought of an 8:18 train (this hike is further from London than we've done previously) so why not?
Gastroramble-planning should be simple: link train from London with restaurant with path. When we two travel together, the only thing we need to worry about is keeping to schedule so there's time for a glass before lunch. Add more, and it becomes more difficult... especially at the start of London's winter 2013 cold snap (two months later when writing first draft and it's still glacial out there) when people's boilers start feeling the strain to keep the houses warm, and more often than not, packing it in. And such happened to Hardcore Couple's boiler. They might be hardcore about some things, but a cold house and cold showers are not among them and the boiler repair guys don't make housecalls early enough to hit an 8:18am train.
This turned out to be one of the hidden positives from the hike-- that it was a modular design walk. The train in from Paddington--close to where Hardcore Couple live--follows the canal, and therefore the path, quite closely. This doesn't distract from the rural idyll (there's only a couple of trains an hour) but it's one of the few where people can say "I'll catch you up" and actually do so.Mrs. and I walked round the town in Newbury, though what would (in a few hours) be a busy farmers' market but at the hour we came through (the 8:18 drops us off at 9:30am) was just farmers assembling their marquees and setting out their stalls. A quick turn up the high street (around a very good looking but very shut pub) and straight onto the canal. This is pretty to the point of twee: swans swirling (shivering, perhaps, given the February weather) with the weak winter sun on the water and I tap a couple of notes into my phone for reference while Mrs. makes jokes about "our public"
At Kintbury the Hardcore Couple join us. If fact, it's easy to spot their train as it flashed down the way and we waved at them though they didn't see us. Indeed, rather than hang out at the station for us to catch up, they started marching down the path to meet us. Having been in a cold flat until the engineer arrived, they were dressed for winter: Mrs. Hardcore was in Himalayan felt-lined trousers, which I'm sure were very toasty.
The canal path is quick and comfortable and the Hardcores set a cracking walking pace, rather quicker than our usual bumble along, which was good in that it kept us warm. Chatting as well kept up the pace--I hadn't seen Mrs.Hardcore for quite some time and we work in the same narrow speciality, and neither Mrs. nor I had met Mr.Hardcore before...so before we knew it, we were at a point where the road diverges from the canal and slopes gently upwards to the village of Little Bedwyn, and a short time again we're at the door. Here Mrs. and I simply slip from our hiking boots to our dining boots, unrolling our jeans and donning a slightly nicer sweater. The Hardcores however need to sneak into the side cloakroom as they needed a fuller change.
But this is where things came a bit unstuck. The pull was the wine list-- Jancis doesn't lie. There's a by-the-glass selection, but the list is the draw...and Mrs. had counted on the fact that there were two couples meaning we could order a couple of bottles from the list, and the set lunch meant that it'd be easy to match...well, not quite. Hardcore Couple were heading on to dinner with other friends later, and didn't want to arrive snapped, and the set lunch with winematch--while clearly the best value on the menu--was unbreakable. While we all pondered the difficulties that this threw up, and Mrs. contemplated the wine-list in hope that some other option would turn up, we ordered a glass each...rather than fizz as is usual at the end of a hike, they had a Dog Point Sauv Blanc from NZ on the glass list, and that sounded very tasty. And then they brought out an amuse of beetroot and blue cheese...and while we are certainly not picky eaters, Mrs. dislikes beets and neither of us are keen on blue cheese, so that sort of heightened the sense that things weren't going in the right direction.It picked up a bit with the starter, a very delicate whitefish on orange and red peppers. But the wine match turned out to be Dog Point Sauv Blanc... a fine choice, but a bit of déja vu. The mains were proper winter-warmer solid: meat on top, meat on bottom, and spuds in middle, served with a hearty red. Things picked up strongly when we got to pudding, though the best was arguably a pseudo-pud rather than a full item: served in an egg-cup, with meringue whip and passion fruits, and a sugared finger, arguably the standout of the meal. And a ginger loaf, and a bread pudding, served with ice cream...possibly inappropriate given the cold day, but very tasty.
The walk to the trains is a bit more than a mile, so towards the end we were watching closely the time, and calculated we had just enough time for coffee with the puddings, before heading off again. Direct train has a lot to recommend it, we didn't even have to wake up for the connection. Though we're not sure whether Hardcore couple did make their dinner, or snoozed through.
Next month: unclear--we've left planning a bit to the elements as we have some holiday booked, and then winter weather, etc. means it's more difficult. But we've booked Offa's Lunch for the first May bank holiday, and very much looking forward to it.
Other people's reviews (historical):
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/the-harrow-at-little-bedwyn-little-bedwyn-near-marlborough-wiltshire-2250833.html
http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/australia/have-a-good-good-friday-at-the-harrow-little-bedwyn/
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurant/Little_Bedwyn-SN8_3JP-Harrow_at_Little_Bedwyn-188357-41102
http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/uk/view/81637/The_Harrow_at_Little_Bedwyn
and Andy Hayler (who is apparently famous for scoring very harshly "five is pretty good")
http://www.andyhayler.com/show_restaurant.asp?restaurantid=734&country=UK
...actually surprisingly little said about it, which is fine by us. One of the more interesting reviews was another Jancis one from 2005
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews051031.html
- Train: £35 return for the two of us, from zone 2 boundary to Bedwyn, though we jumped off at Newbury on the way there. I believe Hardcore Couple paid something similar, though they're not on the annual passes that we are.
- Map: off the web, printed--easy to follow
- Second Brek: Caffe Nero Paddington, which we are getting to know quite well, £7.90
- Carbohydrate Energy Drink on trail: I was cruelly denied here, no stopping. I suppose that's what happens when you invite the Hardcore along,but still. I'll bring a thermos next time.
- Meal: four set lunches for £140, two glasses of Dog Point Sauv Blanc 2008 for £14, and four cappucini for £16 made the credit card bill £85 per couple -- tip in cash was probably a tenner or so.
[The GPS trail from the Garmin finally worked! It even put a little knife/fork symbol in the right spot]
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