Gone are the days when we attempted the legendary Crown to town pub crawl through Eaton Socon to St Neots town centre. Not only have we attempted and failed this many times but we also have responsibilities now. These responsibilities come in the shape of a fluffy white dog named Fozzy. This Saturday, in honour of Lemming’s birthday, we decided to try a dog friendly pub crawl instead. Here is the route we took:

The Rivermill

We often walk Fozzy from St Neots, through the campsite and along the river to this pub. Dogs are welcome downstairs in the bar area, and a jar of treats can be found on the bar. If it’s a nice day it’s great to sit outside and look out at the boats on the river. Doggie water bowls are available and most of the benches are smoke free (which to me is an unusual bonus for an outside area) but there are a couple of benches at the end for smokers.

The White Horse

A short trot across the green took us to The White Horse. The outside bar was open but the music was way too loud and the decked area around it was empty. Small people played on the bouncy castle and ran around with toy guns. The beer garden is huge so we found a relatively peaceful bench on the grassed area. Dogs are welcome in the bar area which is quiet and traditional.

The Old Sun

Not far down the road is The Old Sun. Dogs are welcome in the bar and football is often shown on the many TV screens. The decked area at the back of the pub tends to be in the shade but the pub has created a roped off, astro-turfed area with benches and doggie water bowls next to the car park. Although it’s not particularly scenic it did allow us to sit in the sun a little longer.

The Waggon and Horses

Across the road is another regular haunt, the Waggon and Horses. This is a Cask Marque pub which apparently is good news for ale drinkers. There are a couple of benches outside in the sun but they are next to the main road. The sun was starting to drop now anyway so we headed inside where dogs are welcome in the bar area. By this time we needed food and this was a good place to get it.

The Barley Mow

We walked along the Great North Road towards town and dropped in at the George and Dragon, where dogs are usually allowed. However, a live band was due to play so dogs had to take a night off. We carried on down to The Barley Mow where treats were immediately offered to Fozzy. This is also a Cask Marque pub and was showing the Champions League Final.

The Bridge House

We made it over the bridge and into town where we finished our pub crawl with a couple of games of pool in The Bridge House. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the landlady brought a treat over to Fozzy. It was dark and chilly by now but this is another good place to sit outside and look out across the river on a nice day.

We thought about continuing on to Ye Olde Sun, where dogs are allowed in the bar, but made a rare but wise decision to call it a day and head home.

Please feel free to comment with any other dog friendly pubs near St Neots.