There was a Welsh rugby shirt hanging in the Hare on the Hill last Saturday afternoon, evidence if needed that the landlord here is a very proud native from the country on the other side of the Severn Bridge.
Come this Saturday morning and Wales’ semi-final appearance in the Rugby World Cup means that you can guarantee that this corner of Bristol will be one of many where a resounding Men of Harlech will be heard.
The Hare on the Hill is a Bath Ales pub on the slopes of Kingsdown, up from the Cube cinema, down from Thomas Street North with its small framed Banksy on one wall, and along from the Highgrove, a few doors down Dove Street.
I was here for a bit of a Saturday afternoon sports fest, having joined a few mates after a short walk from the bus station following a couple of days in London.
First there was Northampton vs Exeter, followed by Leicester vs Harlequins, both on ESPN in a corner of the pub we had made our own. On the television in another corner, Somerset’s run in the Champions League T20 was coming to an end on Eurosport.
Bath Ales seasonal tipple Hare & Hop was the order of the day for me, and if I had stayed longer I might have been tempted with their selection of “unique and rare” whiskies at £3.20, all on display above a jar of pickled eggs I was not so tempted to sample.
In the middle of watching sport, we played a game of Question of Sport’s Famous Sporting Faces, 1997 edition, with the only face stumping us being Olga Korbut.
That small disappointment and lack of Russian gymnastics knowledge aside, our trip to the Hare on the Hill was a successful one, a mighty fine pub and one where a certain national rugby side who play in red will be cheered to the rafters this weekend.
The Hare on the Hill, 41 Thomas Street North, Kingsdown, Bristol. 0117 908 1982.
