Peterborough – Charters

Featured in the Good Beer Guide, Charters is located on the lower deck of this boat moored on the River Nene and it has been trading since 1991. Upstairs is the Thai restaurant of East and it all looks well maintained. So I thought I’d better have a little boating adventure on this barge, which was built in 1907.

The beer selection is chalked up on the board, it’s a wider choice than I had expected. I also liked how it was clear where to go on the boat when boarding, I feared it might all be a little bit complex.

I went for this as it looked like the best dark option and I was pleased to see that there was a CAMRA discount of 20p off. Every little helps…. The beer is from Oakham Brewery, which isn’t a brewery I’ve really ever taken to, and this stout was quite bland in flavour. There were some notes of malt, but it wasn’t exciting or rich in taste.

Other than the slight lean to the whole proceedings, it was easy to forget that I was on a boat. The surroundings were pleasant although it wasn’t as busy as I had expected.

I didn’t eat during my visit, but if I came again I think that I might go for the burger and a pint offer for £10. The service was polite and helpful, with the only slight negative about my visit being just how warm it was on the boat. I decided to go and sit by the door in the hope that people would keep coming in and out, thus also bringing in the cold air. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really busy enough for that plan to work out.