The Catherine Wheel — Restaurant in Cotswold District

In the Domesday Book (1086), a record of survey done under William the Conqueror, the place was named Becheberie, and it is recorded that the lands and church in Bibury were held by St. Mary's Priory at Worcester, from whom it passed in 1130 to the Abbey of Osney, which it until its dissolution in 1540.

So the village Bibury has history dating way back, as does the Catherine Wheel, the only tavern in the area and is deeply on the the tourist trail, very popular with the Chinese.

Waifu and I met my son and his party here, he coming from Coventry and us from Bath, on another of those irregular family meet-ups. We always choose establishments on the Cask Marque Ale Trail, both of us aware that life is too short to drink less than perfect ale.

And indeed, the accreditation was well deserved and the ale in good condition, but at least one of the three options could have had a trifle more 'oomph.' The strongest on offer this day Otter Bitter, a mere 3.6% abv - but this is just a personal preference of one who likes stronger beer.

The meals however, Trout for me and my son (caught from the nearby farm & whacked over the head that very morning) were, we both agreed, superb. His partner made swift work of a 'wonderful' dish of Gloucester Old Spot sausages and her daughter a pizza. There was some contention with this last, as what was served was not quite what was ordered. Well done the serving staff who presented without scruple, a replacement dish lavishly adorned with the correct ingredients.

The service was affable, courteous and and swift enough, considering shortly after our arrival, half the city of Shenzen descended on the place. It is, as I said, deeply on the...

I’m shocked to say we actually encountered an unkind person on our travels in the Cotswolds. We stopped in here - to be fair, with no reservation. It is so beautiful inside and a perfect location if you’re exploring Bibury… plus it has parking! Unfortunately, when we asked to be seated we were told the kitchen was too busy serving others to be able to serve us too. No problem - we decided to stay for drinks. But, then, we noticed additional folks were ordering food. We thought maybe the kitchen had caught up, so we asked if it was possible to order something quick at this point or if they had something premade, like crisps for purchase. The person we asked told us they “said no twice but now felt bullied” then handed us a menu to order from. We were confused and, frankly, embarrassed. Not only had we not asked twice before… we were watching them serve others who’d walked in. Then, the same person walks back over and asks what we want to order. When I said we were leaving, they said “are you sure? It’s no bother.” At that point, we paid for our drinks and left. So disappointing and not even remotely reflective of any other experience we’ve had in all our time in this...

Set in the Cotswolds village of Bibury, described by William Morris as "the most beautiful village in England." A feature in the Alastair Sawday pub guide and a local family wedding brought us here, and very pleased it did for two nights bed and breakfast and an evening meal. A spacious and comfortable bedroom with en suite; stone walls and vaulted ceiling. All you need, with a sofa. A handy maintenance form which was employed for a problem with the plumbing, our only negative along with light dust remaining here and there. An unpretentious and very good breakfast. At dinner I chose the local trout which was excellent and delicious. "When in Rome" as is said. Delightful team with Debbie at breakfast who is engaging and full of bonhomie. My only negative at meal times was the ghastly plastic sauce sachets. So called "English" mustard not at all English but to my joy Debbie went forth and returned with "proper" mustard in a pot. This saved my five stars. I find it shocking that some spiteful one star reviews are often lodged by those who have only ever had the energy and time to write one negative review in their entire lives. Outstanding value for the room and...