The Crown that slipped?

The camping field at the Crown Inn

The Crown Inn

Brian & Alma Herschell

stop off at a Club Night Stop to find out more

Alma and I recently booked to join the MCC Motorcycle Group for its Extravaganza rally at Kemble airfield – a journey of 168 miles and, as we had been asked to arrive with a full water tank, I decided to look for somewhere near to the airfield to stop the night before the start of the rally. A Google search came up with The Crown Inn, Cerney Wick – some 12 miles from our destination.

There were several comments about the site on Tripadviser, most of which were unfavourable – 'the site is like a tip', 'the Landlord is a scruffy unkempt individual', 'the pub had craft beers, which I like. I bought a pint, and it was horrible, then I realised why the locals were drinking lager'. One long post refers to 'The real Basil Fawlty'. On the site where I found it, it said ‘affiliated to the MCC’ so I glanced in our CL Sites & Night Stop magazine and there it was at the bottom of page 25, listed as a Night Stop with a charge of £10 per night, including electric hook up. I decided I could put up with it as it was just for one night and if the comments were true, I could then take steps to have the entry removed.

I telephoned the pub and a pleasant enough chap assured me there would be no problem accommodating us for the required night. We then arrived at the pub mid afternoon and the pub was locked, but a full timer who often frequents the night stop came over

Lock Keeper’s cottage on the old Cotswold canal

continued from p8 and said the landlord would be back in time to open the pub at 6pm. He told us to park in the corner and sort out a hook up. We did as he said and parked next to a motorhome displaying the MCC window banner and owned by Chris and Margaret (we travelled separately to Kemble and by coincidence were again sited next to them).

My first impressions of the Night Stop were favourable. The grass on the camping area was mown but patches of wild meadow had been left for the wildlife. There were four or five older cars at the side of the pub, and I later found out that the landlord was a retired garage owner/mechanic. The pub was a typical old country pub, set in a tranquil setting. The landlord, Graham Palmer, was anything but unkempt and scruffy and apart from him, the only other staff member was his chef. Graham explained that he had only recently re-opened the pub after the Covid shutdown and so business was just starting to pick up. We had already had our evening meal (tea to us Northerners) so I just had a couple of pints of very nice beer while talking to Graham and taking some photos. Chris and Margaret were

also in the pub. The menu looked good and included a Specials board; one customer had a beef chilli with rice and he said he really enjoyed it. I told Graham who I was The inside of the pub, with a headless Chris, Margaret (my glass on the table) and landlord, Graham, drinking tea. and told him I would write this article. I would thoroughly recommend this stopover to anyone looking for peace and quiet. Incidentally, I should just mention the two rallies with the Motorcycle Group were fantastic and value for money.

Brian Herschell.

Footnote: Graham replied on Tripadvisor to the chap who said he had had a bad pint and asked why he walked out without saying anything and not given Graham the chance to put things right.

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