please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I think the last review was written by the landlord - the pub was totally empty - one beer Keswick Ale - food overpriced at £17 and a whacko menu - kids not welcome - eastern european staff - bedrooms really tatty and expensive - nice friendly landlord though
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This is a fantastic hostelry set in the beautiful and tranquil valley of Eskdale. Much of the beer is brewed on the premises in the Hardknott brewery. All of it is of the highest quality and made with a great deal of passion. The landlord is usually very happy to talk about his ales. It is very advisable to book food in advance as even a half empty bar with vacant tables is not a guarantee of a meal. The food is locally sourced and very well cooked. The staff are good fun. However do not expect to be able to purchase brand names such as Carling or Guinness. Instead there will be a traditional stout as well as a vast array of interesting continental beers. Also they sell bottles of fancy lemonade with bits in - very nice but not possible to make a bitter shandy out of it. They do sell bottled shandy for those that like it. All in all a fantastic place, great food, grub and customer care.
Washy - 30 Sep 2009 18:06 |
A must for real ale fans with a great range of draught and bottled beers, including those from the pub’s own Hardknott Brewery. Meals are made with fresh local ingredients, but are rather more expensive than average. Note tables must be booked in advance. Children are not catered for, with only specialist soft drinks and an adult menu. Dogs welcome. Don't ask for shandy, chips or Carling.
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Called in last week to use the toilets after a buttock clenching drive over Hardknot pass!! Had to try the Ales of course. Had 8 Real Ales on tap, mostly from its own micro brewery in the back plus Hawkshead and a few others. Pub in a nice spot, but very plain and open inside - almost like a village Hall. (Might be under new management). Will need to improve to compete with other pubs locally.
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When I last visited, we tried all the beers between us - small amounts. Those brewed on site were OK- dull and uninteresting, but not bad. Three guest beers were dreadful - normally fantastic beers anywhere else, but frankly - off here! We left them and walked out. Got much nicer samples of the same beers somewhere else that day. Setting of pub nice but everything else not!
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Weird one this. Fantastic location (as you could say about the majority of Lakeland pubs if I'm being honest), the beer was well kept and delicious. I didn't eat but I was told that the food was frankly bizarre by those of our party who did eat. I was thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere in here too, thinking how nice it was to be in a crowded Lakeland pub with bit of a buzz about it, then I realised that if you took everyone in our party out of the pub (we'd hired the whole Youth Hostel) the pub would have been empty except for the pleasant, though slightly odd barman. Overall it is not a bad pub and the beer was really great, just a touch odd.
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This rates as one of my favourite pubs in England, why?.......1st class beers, good food, good service and a warm friendly welcome.A good place to look forward too after a long day on the fells.
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Excellent. I sat outside at the end of July and watched the housemartins wheel and dive above me, and the cloud gather and disappear from the top of Harter Fell. My food was very good, and the beer, brewed in the pub, was perfect. A few days earlier I'd had a very pleasant last orders on Friday and was made very welcome by the owners.
This is a truely individual place, and in a magnificent part of the world.
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After an tiny and expensive meal in a huge empty dining room, I had a chat with the owner to find out what he was up to. He is completely deluded. He thinks you have to do fancy food to get people to travel further than the two (excellent) pubs a mile down the road in Boot. The thing is, nobody will travel any distance for the bizarre food he's offering (and cooking). He was too busy protesting about how wonderful his ideas are to listen to any feedback. What a waste of a fantastic location. Hopefully somebody competent will take it over soon. The one beer that was on was good though.
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We visited this place on a Friday lunchtime and there was just one other drinker. The beer brewed out the back is delicious, light and hoppy. But how do they keep going? The landlord was frankly sinister and the new barman from eastern Europe needed training on how to pull a pint - which he clearly wasn't going to get from the landlord. Our meals were VERY expensive for what they were, and we told them so (avoid the vege option and the ham lunch which are both tasty but spartan). There was no pleasant atmosphere, welcome, or comfort. This pub should be so good, but it isn't.
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The beer is the thing here. On my visit there were three beers brewed in the attached micro-brewery, another from Loweswater, a cider and, perhaps, another beer. The 5.6 percent (and strongest) local beer was delicious and the 3.6 bitter good. I sat outside on a sunny Sunday afternoon when traffic along the Wrynose-Hardnott road was minimal and the location seemed idyllic. I could imagine making this the goal of a cycle trip (and the classic 17 mile Eskdale skyline starts only a mile away). Inside is, however, very sparse and thus I hope they do something imaginative on cold winter evenings.
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Very disappointing for me. The bar is rough and I wasn't allowed in the lounge (as a non-resident), despite both being virtually empty. The barman was frightening. One of my beers was off. The food was too fancy and they could have done with a few basic bar meals. I wanted to like this place but it doesn't work for me.
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The "sparse" bar is perfect for walkers and climbers - the beer brewed on site is very good (I couldn't stop drinking it!), and it's a nice atmosphere (walk in order beer and chat to everyone in the bar!). We were lucky enough to see live music (Angie Palmer - really good!)- apparently this will happen regularly on Saturdays. It was a really good night - I will recommend to all of my friends.
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The beer is fine, but how do they keep so many in winter with few customers? The bar is sparsely furnished and not too comfortable. Not sure about the mural on the wall!
anonymous - 7 Mar 2007 22:42 |
good ale, proper food and a warm welcome awaits in a fine pub in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. treat yourself and stay overnight - the accommodation is fairly priced and the breakfast was top notch.
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The bar is stripped down and very basic, but none the worse for it. Friendly service and an excellent selction of well-kept cask ales. Lovely beer garden at the front.
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Brewing their own beer now. Other beers(4-6) are chosen from Cumbrian micros. Food is homemade, local produce and freshly prepared - not even a gravy mix!! Nice friendly place, live music possible, especially if you provide it yourself, or ask the landlord! (folk/rock) Cheap accommodation at youth hostel nearby, or camping. Better quality accommodation in pub.
Go walk up Hardknott Pass and come down for food and drink here. Bliss!!
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Great Food, Real Ale, Lovely people
George Fuller - 14 Aug 2005 00:01 |
