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Beer By Bus
Using public Transport can be a great, cost-effective way to visit many North
Oxfordshire branch pubs.
This section
features details of six pub-crawls that you can do via the bus services
operating in North Oxfordshire. Each crawl allows you to visit at
least three locations and they all include the return journey to
the place where you started.
Although these pub-crawls have been carefully planned, pub opening times and
bus services are subject to alteration. It is advisable to contact the bus
company and the pubs you wish to visit prior to setting off. See full Disclaimer.
Click the links below for details and timetables for each bus route listed.
Stagecoach 488
Banbury to Chipping Norton
Start by boarding any Stagecoach bus toward Banbury and ask the driver for
a Dayrider Gold. This ticket allows unlimited travel throughout Oxfordshire
on all Stagecoach buses for 24 hours. It costs a very reasonable £7 (£5
for seniors).
| 1305 : |
Leave Banbury Bus Station (Bay 7). In Bloxham get off just before Bloxham
School. This particular bus journey doesn't go through the village centre, past
the church, so be sure to get off here. The Elephant
& Castle, the Red Lion and the
Joiners Arms should all be open. |
| 1419 : |
Leave Bloxham by the church. Get off in Milcombe at the West End stop for
a short walk to the Horse & Groom Inn.
This pub closes at 1500, plenty of time for a drink, though. You'll have to wait
a short while for the next bus. |
| 1528 : |
Leave Milcombe, West End. Get off in Hook Norton by the church. The Bell
Inn and the Pear Tree should be open. |
| 1638 : |
Leave Hook Norton across the road from the Pear Tree. Get off in Chipping
Norton town centre. The Chequers, the
Blue Boar and the Red
Lion among others should be open. |
| 1810 : |
Leave Chipping Norton from West Street back to Banbury or stay an hour longer
and catch the 1910 back from the same stop. |
Stagecoach 488
Chipping Norton to Banbury (short crawl)
Start by boarding any Stagecoach bus toward Chipping Norton and ask the driver
for a Dayrider Gold. This ticket allows unlimited travel throughout
Oxfordshire on all Stagecoach buses for 24 hours. It costs a very reasonable
£7 (£5 for seniors).
| 1305 : |
Leave Chipping Norton, West Street. In Hook Norton get off by the Pear
Tree. As well as this pub, the Bell Inn
and the Sun Inn in the centre of the village
should also be open. |
| 1428 : |
Leave Hook Norton by the church. Get off again in Milcombe at the West End
stop for a short walk to the Horse &
Groom Inn. This pub closes at 1500, plenty of time for a drink, though. You'll
have to wait a short while for the next bus. |
| 1533 : |
Leave Milcombe, West End. In Bloxham, get off near to whichever pub you want
to visit first; either opposite the church for the Joiners
Arms or the Red Lion, or at the bottom
of Humber Street for the Elephant & Castle. |
| 1642 : |
Leave Bloxham from your nearest stop. You should get to Banbury Bus Station
at about 1655. The Olde Reindeer Inn, the
Coach & Horses and the Bell
among others should all be open. |
| 1805 : |
Catch the last 488 bus from Banbury Bus Station (Bay 7) back to Chipping
Norton. |
Stagecoach 488
Chipping Norton to Banbury (longer crawl)
Start by boarding any Stagecoach bus toward Chipping Norton and ask the driver
for a Dayrider Gold. This ticket allows unlimited travel throughout
Oxfordshire on all Stagecoach buses for 24 hours. It costs a very reasonable
£7 (£5 for seniors).
| 1205 : |
Leave Chipping Norton, West Street. In Hook Norton get off by the Pear
Tree. As well as this pub, the Bell Inn
and the Sun Inn in the centre of the village
should also be open. |
| 1323 : |
Leave Hook Norton by the church. Get off again in Milcombe at the West End
stop for a short walk to the Horse &
Groom Inn. |
| 1433 : |
Leave Milcombe, West End. In Bloxham, get off near to whichever pub you want
to visit first; either opposite the church for the Joiners
Arms or the Red Lion, or at the bottom
of Humber Street for the Elephant & Castle. |
| 1542 : |
Leave Bloxham from your nearest stop. You should get to Banbury Bus Station
at about 1555. The Olde Reindeer Inn, the
Coach & Horses, the Banbury
Cross and the Bell among others should
all be open. |
| 1805 : |
Catch the last 488 bus from Banbury Bus Station (Bay 7) back to Chipping
Norton. |
Stagecoach 59/59A
Banbury to Steeple Aston or Tackley
Start by boarding any Stagecoach bus toward Banbury and ask the driver for
a Dayrider Gold. This ticket allows unlimited travel throughout Oxfordshire
on all Stagecoach buses for 24 hours. It costs a very reasonable £7 (£5
for seniors).
| 1345 : |
Leave Banbury Bus Station (Bay 6) on bus 59. In Adderbury get off
by the Green and head first for the Bell
Inn. This pub closes at 1430 but the Coach
& Horses and the Red Lion should
remain open. |
| 1501 : |
Leave Adderbury by the Green on bus 59. Get off in Deddington market
place where the Deddington Arms, the
Red Lion and the Unicorn
Inn should all be open. |
| 1606 : |
Hop on the 59A out of Deddington market place. Continue through Duns
Tew and get off in Middle Barton at the bus shelter in North Street (at around
1623). Both the Fox Inn and the Carpenters
Arms should re-open at 1700 so you'll have to wait a little while for either.
Recommendation:
I would recommend the Fox Inn first as it is the furthest away from the bus
stop, allowing you to kill more time. A gentle stroll to the Carpenters Arms
afterwards will take you 10 minutes. |
| 1823 : |
Leave Middle Barton at the bus shelter on the 59A and get off next
in either Steeple Aston or continue through to Tackley. In Steeple Aston the
Red Lion and the White
Lion should both be open.
Recommendation:
I would recommend getting off at the stop just past the Red Lion and going
to this pub first followed by a gentle 6 minute stroll down to the White Lion.
There is a bus shelter right outside for your return journey.
In Tackley the only pub in the centre of the village is the Gardiners
Arms which should also be open at this time. It's a short walk from the
Green where the bus stops. Leave to come back from opposite the same stop.
|
| 1945 : |
From Tackley. Catch the last 59 bus back to Banbury. |
| 1953 : |
From Steeple Aston. Catch the last 59 bus back to Banbury. |
| 2020 : |
Arrive back at Banbury Bus Station. |
RH Transport X9
Chipping Norton to Ramsden
This pub-crawl via RH Transport differs slightly from Stagecoach in that RH
don't offer a one-day, go-anywhere ticket. This crawl requires you to purchase
a single ticket for each section of your journey. You will need to buy 5 separate
tickets for a total cost of £8.40.
This particular pub-crawl also differs from all the others in that you travel
to the furthest place first and then work your way back. This is necessary
due to the opening hours of the Royal Oak Inn at Ramsden.
| 1312 : |
Leave Chipping Norton, West Street. You should get to Ramsden at about 1337.
Get off in the centre of the village right outside the Royal
Oak Inn. |
| 1409 : |
Leave Ramsden across the road from the Royal Oak. When you get to Finstock
there are bus stops close to both of its pubs so you can get off near to whichever
one you want to visit first; either at the far end of High Street for the Plough,
or opposite the Post Office at the far end of School Road for the Crown.
Both pubs should be open all day.
Note:
If you want to try both pubs a gentle stroll from one to the other will only
take you about 6 minutes. |
| 1513 : |
Leave Finstock from the nearest stop to your last pub. Get off in the centre
of Charlbury outside the Bell Hotel for a short walk to all the town's pubs;
the Rose & Crown, the Bull
Inn, the Olde Three Horseshoes
and, as mentioned, the Bell Hotel.
Note:
The Saturday opening hours for the Olde Three Horseshoes tend to vary. However,
it will be open by 5pm, possibly earlier. |
| 1725 : |
Leave Charlbury from outside the Bell Hotel. Get off at Chadlington in Chipping
Norton Road opposite the junction of Church Road. Take a 3 minute walk to the
Tite Inn. You'll see their sign board from
the bus stop. |
| 1836 : |
Leave Chadlington from the same stop opposite Church Road back to Chipping
Norton. |
Heyfordian Travel
Bicester to Bletchingdon
Heyfordian now offer a Day Explorer ticket on this route. For about
£4.75 this ticket is all you'll need for the day's travelling. Buy it
from the driver at the start of the crawl.
| 1300 : |
Leave Bicester Bus Station, in Bure Place, on bus 25A. You'll arrive
in Lower Heyford at about 1315. Get off at the first (and only) stop as soon
as the bus enters the village. Just ahead of you you'll see a turn on the right
for Freehold Street. Follow the road all the way to the bottom to enjoy a drink
or two at the Bell Inn. From the bus
stop to the pub will take you 8 minutes at a steady stroll. |
| 1415 : |
Leave Lower Heyford on the next 25A from the same stop where you got
off. In Kirtlington get off by the Post Office right next to the Oxford
Arms. This pub closes at 1500. Allowing for drinking-up time you'll have
to wait a short while for the next bus. |
| 1526 : |
Catch the 25 bus out of Kirtlington just by the Post Office. In Bletchingdon
get off right opposite the Blacks Head Inn. |
| 1619: |
Leave Bletchingdon on the 25 bus at the stop just along from the pub
and head back toward Bicester. In Weston-on-the-Green get off by the Green to
visit the Ben Jonson. You have over an hour
and a half in this village so why not take the 10 minute walk along the main
road and visit the Chequers. |
| 1814 : |
Leave Weston-on-the-Green on the last 25 bus back to Bicester. From
the Chequers walk toward the centre of the village, just past the mini roundabout,
cross over the road from the Chequers and flag your bus down here.
Note:
Although there is no official bus stop here, Heyfordian assure me that, if
requested, the bus will stop to pick up from here. |
| 1840 : |
Arrive back at Bicester Bus Station. |
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