Pub-loving duo enjoy 'beautiful' Oakham on day 595 of Great British Pub Crawl

The duo behind The Great British Pub Crawl have visited Oakham on what was the 595th day of their mammoth pub challenge.

Dale Harvey and Holly Booth, a Nottingham-based couple passionate about great boozers, are attempting to visit every pub in the country, and recently visited some popular locals in Rutland's scenic county town.

The duo enjoyed twelve of Oakham's bars, and have pledged to come back to visit the rest.

The first stop for the pub-loving couple was at 'The Old Buttercross' where they said that the "staff were friendly and the pizzas coming from their impressive pizza station looked pretty good!"

Next up they had intended on visiting The Railway, but the venue has temporarily closed down while it is taken over by the former owner of The Angler and current owner of Bill's Bar, so stop two was 'The Grainstore Brewery & Tap'.

The Grainstore is a popular spot for beers, live music and food in Oakham. Image credit: The Grainstore.

They dubbed the popular brewery, bar, eatery and music venue "absolutely incredible! This is everything you could want from a pub/brewery... the food looks great, the staff are welcoming and attentive and the beer selection is plentiful. This is a vibrant and bustling place that was absolutely jam packed by the time we arrived (around 630pm). Not only do they have a great selection on the bar but there is a really good cask beer selection of cans in their fridge as well. This is a real drinkers pub and a must visit if heading to Oakham!"

Next stop was The Wheatsheaf.

They said: "This one is run by Everards and I think it's fair to say that we have never been disappointed by an Everards pub so far on this journey and this was no exception! The staff were really welcoming and the landlord even went and fetched an extra chair for us so that we could use the only empty table in the place, which was heaving with customers of all ages. There was a lovely open fire going in the main bar and plenty of gorgeous doggies out with their owners also enjoying the pub. A top notch establishment from top to bottom.

The Wheatsheaf hosts a regular quiz and steak night. Image credit: Nub News.

"Down to The Admiral Hornblower for stop number four and this was probably the pub that was 'most recommended' to us, and it's pretty clear to see why! This highly impressive old pub is also a fully functioning hotel and restaurant and is deceptively large inside and accompanied by a huge beer garden. Another beauty."

Just a short walk to Gaol Street saw the duo at Ovation Wine and Spirit Bar, where they enjoyed cocktails and tequila, adding: "The staff were really friendly and the over all vibe in here is 'date night' and classy. A lovely, lovely place!"

They had been told to head to 'Jinkys' next, but the venue was closed, so they instead headed down to Oakham's most popular sports bar, The Crown Tavern.

The Crown Tavern in Oakham's Crown Walk is a popular location for Rutland's sports enthusiasts. Image credit: Nub News.

The Crown, or the Tav as it is known by the locals, was dubbed "a phenomenal little sports bar with big screens and an even bigger welcome! This place is everything you could want from a sports bar, it's got a great vibe about it and although it has a great set of regulars and locals, we were made to feel incredibly welcomed as 'new faces' and felt included in the atmosphere of their Friday night! A truly great little place that may be slightly hidden off the beaten track but is seriously worth looking up and getting yourself down to!"

The Red Cat Pub Company's The Lord Nelson was next. The duo said: "This is a beautiful little corner pub, that has a few separate little rooms, a great beer selection and a really great looking food menu. The staff were really friendly, the pub has a rustic charm about it and there is even a 'doggy station' with water and biscuits inside the pub for your canine companions!

"Two doors down from there is The Whipper In Hotel and, my word, is this place impressive... Built in or around 1700, you can literally feel the history this place wash over you as you step foot through it's grand old doors. The staff are mega friendly and filled us in on a little history of the place which apparently, despite being over 400 years old, doesn't appear to have any ghost stories! A truly breathtaking hotel."

The Whipper In is being rebranded as The George. Image credit: Nub News.

Their trip took them to Mill Street's The Angler, which has recently been taken over.

The Great British Pub Crawl couple recounted their visit: "Luke the barman is very friendly and made us feel like long lost friends as we sat at the bar and chatted with him. Upstairs was pretty quiet which gave us a chance to also have a good wander round and get some good video of this really impressive pub however they also have a function room downstairs - that, rumour has it, is being turned into some kind of cocktail lounge very soon. A lovely place and we look forward to returning and seeing the rest of the business take shape!"

Next Dale and Holly visited the Wisteria Hotel, where the staff "regaled us with plenty of tales of ghostly goings on! This is such a great hotel and bar and any ghost hunters or fans of old pub/hotel buildings should most definitely go and see this one for themselves."

They also praised bar staff Katie and Amelia, who kept them entertained and "deserve a pay rise" according to the good humoured duo.

They had to drop into The Captain Noel Newton before heading to their final stop of the night, Bills Bar.

They gave the sports bar and late night club a "big thumbs up."

Captain Noel Newton, Wetherspoons on Oakham High Street. Image credit: Nub News.

They shared their overall thoughts on Oakham: "Well, this is just a beautiful little town and we can highly recommend it to all. It isn't a place to head to if you want an endless run of noisy bars and karaoke, but if you want a lovely evening out with sophisticated company and a host of lovely old pubs and bars to enjoy a drink in, then it is a definite destination to visit and then if you do want a party and a dance at the end, they have that too! Top work Oakham... we will be back to see 'The Railway' and 'The Royal Duke' at another time, as we just ran out of time to get to there before it closed."

Check out the antics from their recent visit on Youtube:

Alternatively, check out all of the pubs visited on day 595 of their crawl in Oakham:

2199 - The Old Buttercross

2200 - The Grainstore Brewery Tap

2201 - The Wheatsheaf

2202 - The Admiral Hornblower

2203 - Ovation Wine & Spirit Bar, Oakham

2204 - The Crown Tavern

2205 - The Lord Nelson

2206 - Whipper-In Oakham

2207 - The Angler Oakham

2208 - Wisteria Hotel