The first part of the summer vacation, proper
Yes, Hector and Marg sped back from Yorkshire, repacked their bags, and the very next day headed back to England. This time the aeroplane took the strain. Mr Stelios had brought our flights forward, nice chap. This meant we were in Crawley in good time to go for a Curry-Heute and some Biers before flying out to Santorini at an unearthly hour the next day.
The Downsman (Wakehurst Drive, Southgate, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6DH) has been spoken about by Lord Clive for some time. It is the pub closest to his home, but not his local. For Curry-Heute purposes, Hector would challenge the logic in this.
Lady Maggie was not available and so Debs was brought in to balance the numbers. She was out for the Curry only and did not go on to The Swan afterwards.
Wychwood’s (Witney, Oxfordshire) Hobgoblin at 4.5% was the Ale of choice to set the evening going. Why is this Bier available in bottles in a stronger version? The reality is, when Curry is available, Hector is not that interested in Bier, and so I switched to something, cold, yellow and fizzy afterwards. Given what faces me in Greece in the next 15 days…
And so to The Swan
Most of the Ales Hector has supped in Crawley over the years have been at The Swan (Horsham Road, West Green, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7AY).
Dark Star’s (Brighton) Hophead at 3.8% was a relatively gentle start. Despite its light strength it packs more flavour than many Ales at this strength. One always hopes for the American Pale Ale, but then that is why we go to the Evening Star (Brighton) whenever the chance presents.
Titanic’s (Stoke-on-Trent) Nautical Mild at 4.8% was a step up and a way of saying farewell to Ale. There will be nothing like this downed in Greece, unless I manage to get to a certain Craft Brewery in Athens.
It was an early night.