Pete Roberts was a member of CAMRA’s East London & City branch whose passions were real ale and rambling, which he would often combine. After his death ELAC branch instigated a ramble in his honour to be held each summer. Previous rambles have included Windsor, Hampstead, Ware and Epping Forest. The crucial criterion for each ramble is a selection of interesting pubs along the way. This year we visited the medieval city of Winchester in Hampshire. Our chosen date, Saturday 6 September, was a lovely hot day with plenty of sunshine. We had a good turn out with members from ELAC, Enfield & Barnet, North London and Southern Hampshire branches in attendance.
Our first pub was the Albion, just a two-minute walk from the railway station. This is the latest addition to the Hop Back Brewery’s estate and was serving five of their ales. Latecomers were able to join us there. We then walked down to Winchester High Street, past the front of Winchester Cathedral and through Inner Close with its lovely old buildings to the Wykeham Arms. This Grade II-listed Fuller’s pub had a large selection of its real ales available. We then walked past the buildings of Winchester College to the Queen Inn. This pub has its own microbrewery and served a large selection of its own and guest beers.
We then did some exploring, walking out to the medieval buildings of St Cross Hospital which these days function as almshouses. The photo shows the party outside St Cross. Note the Pig’s Ear t-shirts! From there we returned to town through the water meadows and alongside a chalk stream of the River Itchen, stopping at the Grade II-listed Black Boy. This pub had four real ales available. On the walk back to the railway station we visited one last pub, the Hyde Tavern, which had four real ales available and is also Grade II listed.
We always raise a glass to Pete Roberts at some point in the afternoon. This year we also raised a glass to Peter Needle who was key in instigating the Roberts Rambles. Sadly, Peter passed away earlier this year. A tribute to him appears here.
All of the pubs visited are in the 2026 edition of the Good Beer Guide, except the Black Boy which was in the 2025 edition.
The day went really well with positive feedback from everybody. In summary, great pubs, good beer, lovely walk and good company! Our thoughts now turn to the venue for next year’s event. All members are, of course, always welcome to join us.
Andy Kinch