There are now just two pubs in Aldershot which are in the Good Beer Guide, and only one of them was near to the centre of town. This was the Garden Gate, which unfortunately didn’t open until 17:00, although since my train left at 19:00, I was able to get time for a visit.

Slightly blurry, but this is the image that customers get when they first enter the pub. It’s a good first impression in my opinion.

Pubs have to be brave to put up material such as this…..

Although this was amusing (to me anyway), captioned “is my friend in the bunker or is the bastard in the green?”.

The welcome in the pub was friendly, and they had a beer from the St. Austell Brewery and as that was the darkest they had, I went for it. It tasted fine and was well-kept, although I would have ideally liked a more inventive beer selection. The welcome seemed genuine though, although it was a customer who answered my question about what dark beers the pub had.

A slightly old-fashioned interior, but that absolutely suits the style of the pub, which is a comfortable location for locals and visitors alike. There’s a feeling of tradition here and it’s only through good management that the pub has remained trading, as its future looked in doubt just a few years ago.

I liked how the staff member offered me a friendly farewell as I left the pub, it’s never a very good final impression when staff just let customers walk out without making some sort of effort to thank them. Overall, it’s a decent pub and one which I imagine has a real community feel to it.