Phil Gillam: Oooh Betty, I've been on a pub crawl!

"Two o'clock in the morning," I said.

Hey – come on – life is for living, right?

I'd met up with a couple of excellent chums at Montgomery's Tower in the town centre, not the sort of watering hole we would usually choose, but Chris (the leader of this expedition) had heard there was a beer festival on.

By the way, Chris is some sort of statistician, analyst, clever bloke, and all-round consultant genius, and he knows everything about everything – including beer festivals.

So you have to trust him, right?

After a couple of drinks at Monty's we set off on a journey to Coton Hill.

Now, Coton Hill is a mighty interesting part of Shrewsbury with a little cluster of three pubs (a watering hole-ly trinity?): The Bird In Hand, The Royal Oak, and The Woodman.

The consultant genius and our other pal had never been to these places before, and I hadn't visited these pubs for 30 years. It was an adventure!

All three of these pubs have pleasant mock Tudor frontages, allowing them to fit in with genuinely historic buildings in the area.

Okay. Time for some history.

THE BIRD IN HAND: First recorded in the mid-1700s. There is an account of a woman who was born in this inn and lived there all her life. At the age of 86 she recalled going (as a little girl) to buy a copy of the very first Shrewsbury Chronicle (in 1772) and said she never missed an edition.

On Friday night we three travellers found the bar sparse and basic; what dear old dad would have called "a proper pub".

THE ROYAL OAK: First recorded 1780 – but the pub there today looks like a 1920s rebuild in the Tudor revival style. A bit of research tells me there is said to be – under the floor of the main bar – part of the floor from the Abbey Church, and, in the snug, two stained glass windows, but no-one knows where they came from!

Upon arrival there on Friday night we were treated to the surreal (yet very enjoyable) experience of the jukebox playing There's A Hole In My Bucket by Harry Belafonte followed by Windmill In Old Amsterdam by Ronnie Hilton. Strange but true!

THE WOODMAN: The original Woodman on this site was built in the early 1800s but the one we see today dates from 1925.

This is because the first inn was destroyed by fire in 1923. The pub is reputedly haunted by the landlady who died in the fire.

No ghosts on Friday night, though. Just excellent real ale, a cosy atmosphere and great company.

POSTSCRIPT: On Sunday, I decided it was time to atone for my debauched Friday night; time to get some fresh air and exercise.

I decided to revisit Coton Hill in the daylight and explore some more. Now, it's not very often I get lost in my own town, but I was just about to. I began walking along Corporation Lane, off Berwick Road, and soon the housing gave way to open countryside, woodland to my left, fields to my right – really lovely.

I discovered Coton Hill community woodland, and open meadows.

Ah, there you go: a walk in the country. That gained approval from my mother-in-law – even if the pub crawl didn't!