2001

Back to Latest News Latest News for 2001
27 December 2001 We're really pleased to announce that following our hint on the 19 November that a 'Multi National' company had chosen to 'recommend' us, we can now reveal that the company in question is none other than British Telecom. The Fat Badgers Site is now the one and only pub / inn guide to feature on the new Internet & email Multiphone. These Multiphones are popping up all over the country and enable you to surf the net, check email and find the nearest good pub ! For further information take a look at our BT page. 
4 December 2001 We've been working hard on adding information on the tourism suggestion pages which are being amended on a gradual basis. We're always happy to receive suggestions especially if the suggestion involves some pre-prepared text as Fat Badger Kathy does most of our typing but she's nearly always down the pub and it takes Fat Badger Barry ages to sort through the gibberish she sends to him.
25 November 2001 Sadly it appears that the Jinglers inn, otherwise known as the Fox and Hounds if being approached from the other direction, located near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, has closed its doors to the public and is now a private house.
19 November 2001 The Fat Badgers have had quite a few kind comments about our site, which we appreciate - we have recently also had some interesting news that we may be chosen as a 'recommended site' with a multi national company. We hope to be adding some news about this in the near future. If you wish to be kept up to date on what's happening with us please sign up using our mailing list and we promise to send you an occasional email - but will not give your details to anyone and we keep our word unlike 'Orange', who'll give your email address to any old Tom, Dick or Harry..
14 November 2001

 

 Click for the Fat Badgers About Us pageFat Badgers Ade & Andy suffering from Royston's SyndromeA few people have asked what Fat Badgers really look like so we've finally relented and started adding photos alongside each Badger on the About Us page. To see the photos click the camera. Some are not very pretty mind so you take full responsibility for your actions. We do wish to use this opportunity to remind everybody to drink sensibly. If you stop drinking too early, there is a strong change that you could catch Royston's Syndrome which blows up in a sudden blue rash. It usually happens when you've experienced an expensive little whine from the gearbox region.
10 November 2001 Thanks to those who've suggested inns for us to add to the guide - we haven't ignored you, we've added them to the database and are currently checking out a few details. Thanks also to Lyn Eden who pointed out that we'd got the telephone number of the Lamb on the Strand in Wiltshire wrong, this has now been amended and we apologise to the owners of the telephone which has been ringing in error.
28 October 2001

 

 A number of inns added and one removed as its 'gone right down the pan'. Our page listing websites that link to us has been updated although not every site appears as some webmasters don't even tell us when they've added a link to us ! We've purchased a new swivel chair for use in future board meetings along with an automatic bottle opener - apologies to those who've never watched 'Not the 9 o'clock news'. We also amended the National Parks page after Clive Smith pointed out that the Peak District was made into a National Park in 1951 and not 195 like we'd said - Somebody had stolen our 1 
22 October 2001 HALF TIME SCORE !!2001 League & Grand Final Winners - Bradford Bulls.Changes to the site have been slow recently due to a number of Fat Badgers attending many sporting events over recent weeks and a series of upgrades and changes to the site layout taking time. This doesn't mean we've neglected visiting some good inns - we just haven't added them yet. We've also spent some time revisiting inns although not the two that were recently suggested via the online form - mainly because we already list them !
Fat Badger Kilo & Fat Badger Andy paid a visit to Old Trafford, Manchester on the 13th to watch the Bradford Bulls thrash Wigan Warriors in the Rugby League Super League Grand Final. They then proceeded to relieve the local hostelry of all of their ale.
10 October 2001

We're constantly upgrading and amending the guide as you may have noticed from the recent change in the front page but having big fat paws - we don't type very fast. We have added the start of a guestbook page which we hope you will choose to add to - all feedback is gratefully received. We ditched the third party mailing list and set up our own because the third party decided we should pay them - if every pub we feature paid us a pound we may have considered it but as they don't, we can't. We've been asked by a company, if they could place their advert on the front page but as we don't like adverts, we've said no - but we are considering the possibility of allowing the 'County' pages to be sponsored, so if you'd like your company name up in lights please contact us. 619.jpg (20980 bytes)

Four of the Fat Badgers spent a very boisterous evening in the 'Emmerdale' pub - the Woolpack Inn in Esholt after watching England Qualify for the next World Cup. Fat Badger Ade needed some first ade the following morning !
30 September 2001 The Fat Badgers have decided not to supply pub items but to instead recommend other sites that do. We specialise in finding good eating and drinking establishments and feel that offering other services have limited the time we can spend in doing what we do best. The Merchandise page has therefore been amended to reflect the change. Companies who would like to be added should contact Andy at kilo@fatbadgers.co.uk - The latest company to be added is Bargizmos who supply items ranging from Bar Towels to Toilet seats with built in Crabs
22 September 2001 One luxurious hotel has asked us not to feature them ! They must assume that only the lower classes use the Fat Badgers to locate somewhere to eat, drink or stay. Well we know of three people that use our site who could afford to buy their particular hotel and as they are not charged for what is a free advert - then we'll decide whether we tell people if they have a nice hotel or not.
14 September 2001 We've been working on a useful addition to the site  - you can now download a add-on file for Microsoft Autoroute which will add the entire Fat Badger pub list with description, location and telephone number - See the Autoroute page for more information. We've also added a page of information about the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - A British charity which we regularly support. We have added a page which will give information on places to visit along Britain's coastline although this is still under construction.
29 August 2001 We have unfortunately had to cease selling Guinness memorabilia as for some strange reason, Guinness want to attract a younger market. This means than all their nice Toucan ceramics and 'Thanks goodness for Guinness' water jugs will only be available from disillusioned collectors or burglars. Seems a poorly thought out decision to us as they were making a fair bit of money from issuing licences to companies who produced their merchandise and we know that they have put some manufacturers out of business who purely made items for Guinness.
19 August 2001 Most of the past two weeks has been spent on the reorganising of our database along with spending some time on researching haunted inns after a request by Clare Day. Haunted InnsWe will be adding a new symbol for inns that claim to have ghosts on the premises. We take no responsibility for anyone becoming too scared to go to the bar and we do not condone anybody claiming it's the ghosts round and not theirs. We were pleased to find out that TravelNotes.org -- The Online Guide to Travel have given us a 'Thumbs Up' award Thumbs Up from Travel Notes which we assume means they quite like us as Badgers do not have thumbs.
We have also updated a number of pages along with adding a page on British 'Firsts'.
26 July 2001 Bay View Inn LocationLots of information due to be added in the near future with a feature page on the coastline of the British Isles, inspired by a visit to Somerset, Devon & Cornwall. New additions are also due to be added to the Focus pages as soon as they are collated. A particular mention must go to the Bay View Inn at Widemouth Bay in North Cornwall. A warm welcome is assured along with very well priced accommodation and some excellent local ales. There's play equipment for the kids and a view which any other inn would struggle to beat. If you stay over, a walk along the beach before a cooked breakfast cannot be beaten and if you tell them that Fat Badger Kilo sent you - they are sure to look after you ! They even sponsor the Cornish Links website - so you can find out all the latest information on the tides.
21 July 2001 Once again, we've been spending lots of time updating and adding information about the UK including adding pages on the Shipping Forecast and Beaufort Scale as well as splitting the information on People into separate pages as the list was growing far too long for one page. We've been working hard on our supply of seasonal staff for inns which require staff but our intended visit to the Bristol area had to be cancelled as Fat Badger Brian had to go and pick up a wardrobe. We've had a fair few inns recommended to us - please bear with us. We'll get them added and inspected as soon as possible - it wasn't our fault. Our server crashed as a family of Beetles moved in but we got rid of them by Rolling Stones at them.
16 July 2001 A number of pages have been added in our ever increasing information on Britain and all things British. Some are still very much in the early stages although all will be updated as time goes by. Pages added include information on Lighthouses, Piers, Saucy Postcards, Thatching, Dry Stone Walling, Place Name Origins and Castles. We've updated the Charity page after a few of the Fat Badgers took part in a mini Golf tournament in aid of the UNICEF. We've added a few inns as well and were very impressed with the Greyhound Inn in Penkhull. Most suburbs of Britain's main cities tend to be home to very similar styles of pubs including many of the 'chain' pubs. The Greyhound has a country pub feel to it whilst being within a mile of the City of Stoke on Trent.
2 July 2001 A number of inns have been added in the last couple of weeks along with general updates on many other pages. A page has been added giving information on the Act of Union and the Union Flag and we've finally relented to Grumpy Old Badger's wishes and added some of his views on life. We're continuing to add to our information on all aspects of life in Britain and have added a page on the Scottish Highlands which has some information on Highland Dress and Highland Games. We've also updated the page on Long Distance Paths after one of the inns we feature pointed out that they are located on a LDP and we only had information on the 'Major' Paths. Click Here For a List of Links to Inns with WebsitesThe list of links to inns with websites is ever growing so we've added a link button on each county page to give other alternatives to the inns we feature. We've also added a page on Lakes and Lochs and although this page is still under construction, many of Britain's wonderful inland waterways are featured.
18 June 2001 It's all been hectic in the last few weeks at the Fat Badgers Head Office - We've finally managed to add a Feature Page on our 'Inn of the Year' - the Red Lion. We've also added Henley on Thames to our growing list of 'Focus On...' pages after a delightful time visiting 'Oxfordshire's Jewel' although we haven't yet added any inns in Henley to the Oxfordshire page. We've tidied up the About Britain page as we'd added a page on Morris Dancing without telling anybody and we will be adding more information on many other aspects of Britain such as Castles, Cathedrals, Thatching & Dry Stone Walls and in fact we're always open to ideas and contributions. We've also found some time to raise money for Charity so the Charity Page has been amended along with a report on our first event at Aldershot Army Barracks.
All this means that we haven't added many inns recently even though we've inspected a few - we did remove one which has, as they say 'gone right down the pan' and we need to inspect another which we've noticed has become very shabby from outside.
7 June 2001 Caldon CanalLatest excellent inn to be added is the Boat Inn at Cheddleton in Staffordshire. Located in the picturesque Churnet Valley, the Boat is well worth a short detour from the main road and if you're arriving by canal, then you can park virtually outside.
1 June 2001 Red Lion - Inn of the YearThe Red Lion in Burnsall, North Yorkshire is awarded the Fat Badgers 'Inn of the Year' for 2001.

Further details will feature here in the near future.
28 May 2001 Inspired by visits to both Windsor & Eton in Berkshire and Ludlow in Shropshire, we have decided to have occasional Feature Pages on areas worth visiting. Whilst these pages are not yet completed there is already a fair amount of information to tempt you to pay either town a visit. If you know somewhere that you think we should feature - drop us a note at inns@fatbadgers.co.uk
24 May 2001 A number of inns added in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire following an exhaustive visit by Fat Badgers Cath & Kilo. The Fish at Bray impressed us greatly with their superb fish menu and warm welcome and both the Bell & Dragon at Cookham and the Bull at Bisham showed a level of service which is second to none. A special mention must be made of the Crown at Penn in Buckinghamshire. We shy away from including many 'chain' pubs as most are exactly the same as the next and particularly uninspiring - The Crown, part of the 'Chef & Brewer' chain is certainly an exception to the rule with a delightful building and service to match. A special mention must also go to Windsor & Eton - a 'tourist trap', certainly - but there are many inns of character which are well worth a visit. The railway station at Windsor is now a very pleasant place to watch the world go by with cafe bars a plenty and then a stroll past probably Britain's most impressive castle over the Thames into Eton gives you a plethora of good inns to try.
We've also found some time to add a page on the Islands that surround the mainland of the British Isles.
20 May 2001 841c.jpg (24474 bytes)Latest excellent inns added include Kelly's Tavern in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Refurbished in April / May 2001, Kelly's has been opened up to create a very interesting interior. The quality of the ales are excellent. The page on British Rivers has been amended with a few more photos added.
15 May 2001 Various minor amendments made to 16 pages on the site with a few inns to be added in the next few days. Sadly, the Ship Inn at Levington in Suffolk has been removed from the guide due to a chimney fire which spread to the thatched roof and subsequently destroyed what was a 14th century Inn. our thanks to Lilia Fountain for keeping us informed. Hopefully the Ship can be restored and returned to the guide.
2 May 2001 A new page of information on British Breweries has been added. This is information about breweries themselves and not links - although the Brewery Links page has been updated also. The top of this page now includes a link to the Latest Inns to be added to the guide - for those that want to know if their suggestion has been included.
23 April 2001 Moonpig added to our list of favourite sites. A superb source of purchasing some great greetings cards which you can not only customise with your own message but also the actual text on the front as well.
17 April 2001 A number of inns added to the guide, the Canal page updated and a page added on British Rivers.
10 April 2001 Latest excellent inn visited by Fat Badgers Andy, Kilo and Sam is the Three Horse Shoes located just to the South East of Leeds. Recommended for the magnificent 'Aberdeen Haddock' - it certainly didn't disappoint - not only was the portion huge, the fish was very tender and tasted great !
31 March 2001

There has been extensive worldwide media coverage about the current Foot and Mouth Disease and contrary to many reports, much of Britain is still open for business. Foot and Mouth disease is not a risk to human health and any precautions that are taken are there to protect animal welfare and minimise the chances of spreading the disease. There is no reason to cancel or postpone your trip especially a visit to one of the inns listed on this site as visits to the countryside are not banned. You can freely drive along tarmac roads and visit country towns, villages, hotels, pubs and the many stately homes and museums which are open
Up until the end of February there was NO foot and Mouth Disease in Britain - it is believed that the disease was brought in via an illegal import of meat. Whilst the Government may have been slow to act, the countryside has not been closed. There is still plenty to see and do in Britain, however, it is important to follow the advice below to ensure that you do not spread the disease.

Obey all 'Keep Out' and 'Road Closed' signs. Do not go on closed footpaths or bridleways.

Do not go near cows, pigs, sheep, goats, or deer. Do not handle or feed them or leave waste food around.

Don't go on farmland, or open country, or walk dogs even on a lead, unless you are sure that the land isn't used by cows, pigs, sheep, goats, or deer.

More information
19 March 2001 After a visit to one of our listed restaurants, Fat Badger Kilo has been roped in by Grand Master Fat Badgers Billious & Petros, to take part in a gruelling event for charity - FIND OUT MORE !
14 March 2001 Latest excellent find is the lovely Moat House Hotel in Staffordshire. Why anybody traveling on the M6 would use accommodation located 20 yards from the motorway junction in one of the many 'Motel' type chains that have sprung up over recent times, when they can drive a further mile to place like the Moat House is anybody's guess. Full of timber and comfy settees the Moat House has good food, accommodation and pleasant surroundings and yet you can still see the Motorway in the distance - if you miss all that traffic !
10 March 2001 Austrian BadgerSome of the Fat Badgers attend their annual ski trip and find a great little bar in Leogang near Saalbach in Austria although nobody was in any fit state to record whether the place was of a standard to appear in the Fat Badgers Guide.

They did spot an Austrian Badger out on the piste and decided to entertain him for the evening, but apparently he fell over after one drink.
28 February 2001 Annual Feeding the Ducks CeremonyAfter a fair bit of work 'behind the scenes' - a few visits are paid to inns that have been recommended by Joe Public - he's been a busy chappie in recent weeks. A number of Fat Badgers get together for the annual reunion trip to Llandrindod Wells and The Waterdine in Shropshire is visited on the way. The inn, formerly known as the Red Lion and taken over by a couple who previously ran a very popular restaurant in Ludlow, is quite a surprise with a lovely pint of Jack Snipe from local brewery Woodhampton along with some superb smells wafting from the kitchen.
Fat Badger Kilo finds the Triangle Inn in Rhayader and takes Fat Badger Helen along to show her how good it is, even though he consumes vast quantities of meat in front of the Worlds only vegetarian Badger.
13 February 2001 The Fat Badgers get together to discuss the future of football in the UK but end up trying out an inn which becomes the first to get an undecided decision on whether to be included in the guide. The conclusion was to take 'Molly' the Newfoundland dog for a walk and revisit later to see if the inn in question scores better next time round.
3 February 2001 Three of the Fat Badgers along with other friends and some of the 'Corks' (Don't ask !) attend the first of hopefully many beer festivals held to celebrate the opening of a new extension at the Fountain in South Staffordshire. They were pleased to see that a famous old Irish duo, the 'Two Pats' were back together after they split to form 'One Pat' and the 'Two Pats' after another Pat joined one of the Pats. That's the Irish for you ! Anyway, a great night was had by the Badgers and the what seemed like hundreds of other customers.
30 January 2001 The Fat Badgers officially open up their new 'Staff' office for dealing with finding staff for all the inns which are looking to recruit for the year 2001. For more information on jobs available go to the Jobs Page.
22 January 2001 Latest excellent inn to be added is the Fountain Inn in South Yorkshire, After heading towards Sheffield to inspect another inn, our alert Fat Badger spotted a signpost to the Fountain and decided to pay a quick visit. A warm welcome was extended and with a feeling of 'I'll go back there next time I'm in the area' our happy Badger wandered off to find the establishment he was originally looking for.
11 January 2001 After some busy Badgering on various pages of the site, we have added three new pages for those who are specifically looking for Inns close to Water, Inns close to Motorways and Inns with accommodation. These pages are simply a list of inns which fit the title, if you want to find out more, you then need to go to the relevant County. We've also added a page of information on British Sport because although we are fat, we still like to play around a bit.
05 January 2001 Golden Web Award

Shortly after being discovered by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers and being awarded a Golden Web award for 2000, the Association then also selected the Fat Badgers guide to receive the "2001 Golden Web Award"
03 January 2001 The Fat Badgers welcome aboard the newest addition to the Clan, Fat Badger David Elliott. Fat Badger David was a record signing from Dutch Royal Badger Family Clan and brings a wealth of experience in falling over without spilling his pint. If you want to know more about him, go to the About Us page.