The town of Southwold on the Suffolk coast is a relaxing place to visit, one of the special features being the Adnams brewery right in the centre. Some of their excellent beers are available in many East Anglian pubs: The Castle Inn next to the historic Castle Mound in Cambridge is an Adnams pub carrying a large range and seeing the array of taps takes me back to good times spent in Southwold (and its pubs) through my life.
Walk in and you realise that you are in a ‘proper’ pub. Wooden floors and fittings, genuine old features, all a bit dark and timeless. The main bar is in the centre, serving the front traditional area and two more secluded rooms. Don’t despair if it seems full, it is actually quite a large pub, there is an upstairs space too and a substantial terrace with seating outside. Prices are what you might expect in this part of Cambridge just outside the city centre, but for the quality of the beer and the surroundings any slight premium is worth it.
No distractions of fruit machines and TV screens, instead there are books to borrow and occasionally some interesting choices of background music and of course, lively conversations. The menu boards sound tempting, as does the food you see being taken around but I must admit the only meal I have eaten in here was the simple perfection of fish finger sandwiches, sometimes that’s all you need to supplement a quality pint or two….
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