Pipe Shops In West England

[ParkitoATL]

My wife and I are planning a 25 anniversary trip to the Cotswolds and the towns in the Western part of England. I am hoping there are some good, old-fashioned tobacco shops still in these small towns. Please chime in if you know if any. The trip is defiantly going to involve excessive lunting and significant amounts of tobacco.

 

[simong]

Lands in Stratford on Avon
Havana House in Oxford
Birds in Bristol
Turmeaus in Bath
Bad news is all of the above are a shadow of their former selves.
Good news is the Cotswolds takes some beating in any other regard. Chipping Camden, Broadway, Bourton on the Water, some of the prettiest little towns you could ever wish to see. If you can, take a day to visit Blenheim Palace. Ancestral home of the Churchills & if the sun is shining, the most beautiful stately home in the whole of England!

If you’re desperate to buy an English pipe, buy one ‘online’ have it delivered to your hotel & spend your time exploring the pretty towns & villages of the Cotswolds. Happy anniversary!

 

[ParkitoATL]

Lands in Stratford on Avon
Havana House in Oxford
Birds in Bristol
Turmeaus in Bath
Bad news is all of the above are a shadow of their former selves.
Good news is the Cotswolds takes some beating in any other regard. Chipping Camden, Broadway, Bourton on the Water, some of the prettiest little towns you could ever wish to see. If you can, take a day to visit Blenheim Palace. Ancestral home of the Churchills & if the sun is shining, the most beautiful stately home in the whole of England!

If you’re desperate to buy an English pipe, buy one ‘online’ have it delivered to your hotel & spend your time exploring the pretty towns & villages of the Cotswolds. Happy anniversary!

This is great! Thanks for the input. The wife is sold on the Cotswolds!

 

[paulfg]

Lands in Stratford on Avon
Havana House in Oxford
Birds in Bristol
Turmeaus in Bath
Bad news is all of the above are a shadow of their former selves.
Good news is the Cotswolds takes some beating in any other regard. Chipping Camden, Broadway, Bourton on the Water, some of the prettiest little towns you could ever wish to see. If you can, take a day to visit Blenheim Palace. Ancestral home of the Churchills & if the sun is shining, the most beautiful stately home in the whole of England!

If you’re desperate to buy an English pipe, buy one ‘online’ have it delivered to your hotel & spend your time exploring the pretty towns & villages of the Cotswolds. Happy anniversary!

not a bad brewery in Hook Norton either

 

[simong]

not a bad brewery in Hook Norton either

He can take his missus for a day out there as well.
Lovely old brewery, they still use the old horse & cart for their local deliveries round the village pubs.
Donnington brewery is another nice one, very quaint.

 

[jaingorenard]

The Oxford one (previously Frederick Tranter, now Havana House) is pretty good, I'd recommend it. Only been to Birds once, I remember it being okay. Interestingly enough, there's also a pub in Oxford that still takes it's deliveries with a horse and cart, called the Isis (on the river).

 

[ParkitoATL]

not a bad brewery in Hook Norton either

I checked their website. Is this a series of independent pubs that serve the Hook Norton brews? Or are they all owned by HN?

 

[paulfg]

I checked their website. Is this a series of independent pubs that serve the Hook Norton brews? Or are they all owned by HN?

Hook Norton own about 50 pubs of there own,mostly around the cotswolds area.There beers are also available in Free houses.
they are an older brewery which still has some of the old equipment in use,not like a lot of new brewery's all stainless stell and no soul

Hook Norton Brewery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[simong]

Just in case the OP prefers cider, just outside the Cotswolds in the county of Herefordshire is Weston’s Cider Mill. Best cider in the world, they do tours, including ploughman’s lunch etc. Well worth a visit, if you’re passing nearby.

Welcome to Westons Cider

Home

www.westons-cider.co.uk

 

[jaingorenard]

Slightly off topic (apologies OP), but @simong have you ever been to Wells on the North Norfolk coast? They have a great cider place there called Whin Hill. I believe that in years gone by Norfolk produced more cider than anywhere else in the country (which I found quite hard to believe when I heard it!).

 

[ParkitoATL]

Just in case the OP prefers cider, just outside the Cotswolds in the county of Herefordshire is Weston’s Cider Mill.

I do indeed prefer cider. Hops just isn't a great match for tobacco. I'd much rather have a cider or an amaro. Thanks for all the tips. We are super excited about the trip.

 

[simong]

Slightly off topic (apologies OP), but @simong have you ever been to Wells on the North Norfolk coast? They have a great cider place there called Whin Hill. I believe that in years gone by Norfolk produced more cider than anywhere else in the country (which I found quite hard to believe when I heard it!).

Yes, I worked at an event in Holkham Hall once & went to Wells for some fish & chips! Lovely little seaside town. Don’t think I’ve ever drank a cider from Norfolk. I’ve had Aspalls ‘reserve cru’ which is excellent, but I think that’s from Suffolk. So much cider, so little time!

 

[simong]

Hops just isn't a great match for tobacco.

Are you familiar with British ale’s & tobacco’s? If not, I’d have to suggest that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
No finer pairing!

 

[jaingorenard]

No better companion to a pipe than a pint in my opinion!

(Edited to clarify I mean a pint of beer, and I suppose real ales in the UK are very different from beers in the States?).

 

[ParkitoATL]

Are you familiar with British ale’s & tobacco’s? If not, I’d have to suggest that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
No finer pairing!

After posting, I realized I should have said most AMERICAN beers, esp the over-hopped nightmares known as American IPAs. Although I've gotten away from them these last few years, I've always had a fondness for Boddingtons, Newcastle, Harp, any and all stouts, and all the Samuel Smith beers. These all have a good balance between the hops and the malts.

American IPAs are in an endless hop war to see which brewery can make the bitterest, most unpalatable beer ever made. I had a Stone IPA last week that might have been the bitterest thing I've ever tasted that wasn't a gourd.

As far as tobacco goes, I ran through a bunch of different blends before trying Gawith Hoggarth, which are now most of what I smoke. After 25+ years with cigars, I wish someone had slapped me on the head and said "forget that overpriced shit! Smoke Gawith Hoggarth!!"

Speaking of which, do any of the small pubs around the country still let a man enjoy a pipe on the patio? I know smoking inside is probably too much to hope, but I do love a smoke on the patio in the cool of the evening.

 

[jaingorenard]

After posting, I realized I should have said most AMERICAN beers, esp the over-hopped nightmares known as American IPAs. Although I've gotten away from them these last few years, I've always had a fondness for Boddingtons, Newcastle, Harp, any and all stouts, and all the Samuel Smith beers. These all have a good balance between the hops and the malts.

American IPAs are in an endless hop war to see which brewery can make the bitterest, most unpalatable beer ever made. I had a Stone IPA last week that might have been the bitterest thing I've ever tasted that wasn't a gourd.

As far as tobacco goes, I ran through a bunch of different blends before trying Gawith Hoggarth, which are now most of what I smoke. After 25+ years with cigars, I wish someone had slapped me on the head and said "forget that overpriced shit! Smoke Gawith Hoggarth!!"

Speaking of which, do any of the small pubs around the country still let a man enjoy a pipe on the patio? I know smoking inside is probably too much to hope, but I do love a smoke on the patio in the cool of the evening.

I guess you won't be trying a pint of bitter then! Although they're not very hoppy.

Almost any pub will let you smoke outside. Certainly some pubs still do lock-ins where they're 'closed' but you can still drink and smoke inside (maybe more common up north these days!).

 

[gawithhoggarth]

Can't smoke inside anywhere in the UK. But can smoke outside (at the moment). Although most of the time you will then need an umbrella and a hat on! The Cotswolds is quaint but for really dramatic scenery you need to come to the Lake District or Highlands of Scotland.

 

[ParkitoATL]

Can't smoke inside anywhere in the UK. But can smoke outside (at the moment). Although most of the time you will then need an umbrella and a hat on! The Cotswolds is quaint but for really dramatic scenery you need to come to the Lake District or Highlands of Scotland.

I spent last night watching Gawith Hoggarth videos on YouTube, and I told my wife that after we do the Cotswolds our next trip will be the Lake District and the GH tour!

 

[jaingorenard]

I spent last night watching Gawith Hoggarth videos on YouTube, and I told my wife that after we do the Cotswolds our next trip will be the Lake District and the GH tour!

The Lakes is one of the most stunning areas in the UK, although it's extremely busy these days, particularly in the summer (depending on where you go). Somewhere I have some photos of their old Lowther Street factory from when I was last there. Unfortunately I don't think you can do tours of the current factory. I think there were plans to set the old Lowther Street premises up as a museum.

 

[gawithhoggarth]

Yes school holidays should be avoided! Central Lakes and the main tourist spots tend to get very busy but there are plenty of places away from the more common destinations that remain relatively quiet and undiscovered.

@jaingorenard I would be interested to see your photos. When were you here?

We do not really give tours of either the old or the current factory. The current factory is a working production unit and so for health and safety and insurance reasons we cannot just let anyone wander round. The old factory is in dire need of renovation (which we are slowly doing) and so a bit dangerous for tours. But the plan is to eventually have it as 2 apartments for rental, a function room for our own use and offices and a small shop/museum.

There are lots of photos on our social media of the old factory at Lowther Street and also some videos on YouTube.