The Dyffryn Arms, Pontfaen - pub details
Address: Gwaun Valley Road, Pontfaen, Dyfed, SA65 9SG [map] [gmap]
Tel: 01348 881305
Pub facilities/features:
- Real ale
Pub suggested by nomild_walkout_mac on 14 May 2006
NB: Information may be incomplete or out of date as this pub is not currently registered.
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> Current user rating: 9.0/10 (rated by 6 users)
user reviews of the Dyffryn Arms, Pontfaen
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
| Bessies is best adhocgardener - 24 Apr 2008 17:20 |
| I went to Wales with my now ex boyfriend back in Oct 06. Being an American living here at the moment he's keen to visit and see as much of Europe and the UK as possible. I admitted (shamefully) that I'd never been to Wales and so we decided to go. He'd found details of Bessie and the pub in I think it was The Lonely Planet (??) He was determined we had to go and find Bessie and see the pub having read about her. We drove from the Gower Peninsula to Pembrokshire for the day and our last port of call was to find Bessie! It's not easy to find and as I drove further and further down tiny windy roads I didn't think we'd ever find her. But we did...and when we did she was an absolute delight! Such a fantastic character, sharp tongued, bright eyes that you know she's totally all there! But she was genuinely interested in us and where we were from and chatted with us whilst making a fire out of crisps packets and empty chocolate wrappers (much to my ex's amusement who sat with eyes on stalks!) He showed her the piece about her in the book and she was pretty embarrased and very modest... If you want to do something different then I throughly recommend it! It was like you'd stepped back in time...mismatching furniture and decoration.....but this only added to the charm.It is a very unique place! I had a white wine that Bessie had open....it wasn't something I'd want again but it wasn't the worst I've had either and my ex loved the Bass once he got used to it......She has soft drinks too and I think we could have had pork scratchings...but that's as far as it goes so I wouldn't go hungry! It was an experience and definitely something different so don't miss it....She's a great lady Londonsouth35 - 18 Mar 2007 15:55 |
| I have to agree with Mr. No-Mild-Walkout, below. A fantastic place, that is incredible to visit. Small local pub, with such honest, and real traditional character. The sort that is not produced by a pub group. Good beer, beautiful surroundings, wonderful conversations. If the evening is nice, sit on some of the benches outside, stare over the quiet, isolated valley, sup beer. Wonderful. If the evening is grim, sit close to the open fire, and engage the wonderful Bessie in conversation, or chat to the couple of locals who are probably in and out... This pub is amazing, go there, and just one last thing... Its been in every single Good Beer Guide, except the very first one... now that is a pedigree!! alistair_cross - 29 Sep 2006 09:18 |
| As a mild drinking anglophobe you may have better luck in North Wales.Classic pub nevertheless. founddrunkinyourgarden - 25 Sep 2006 15:00 |
| A real gem. You would not know there was pub here, being well off the beaten track about 5 miles south of Fishguard, in the Gwaun Valley off the B4313. A confession. As a MILD drinker I wouldn’t normally rate a pub that does not serve MILD. This however is an exception. This is the home of an amazing Welsh old lady, Bessie Davies who must be well into her 80s and has run the pub for best part of half a century. The dog barks to alert Bessie to a customer. The front room is the bar and Bessie appears at the serving hatch and with a kindly welcome in Welsh, draft Bass is served straight from a barrel into a jug. Please note the Bass is the only beer served at the Dyffryn Arms, and a most refreshing drink at that. Do not ask for anything else. (And don’t ask for food – take your own sarnies). It can be a real hoot to see the New Labour hoi poloi turn up and ask for some ridiculous euro-fizz, wine or whatever trendy rubbish is flavour of the month in Islington. Bessie lets them know in no uncertain terms that there is only beer available. This is a local pub for local people, so show some respect. So, a challenge to all the English trendies currently invading and polluting this part of Wales: If you want to sample some real rustic unspoilt Welsh hospitality then pop into here, sample a pint of Bass and sit up in the beer garden and enjoy the quiet tranquillity of the Gwaun valley. When Bessie finally serves her last pint this little piece of Welsh history will be gone forever and no doubt the pub will become another English holiday let. So get there while you still can. By the way, the BASS beer is not flat. This is how beer should be, straight out the barrel, no head and at the right temperature. An exception to the rule of: NO MILD WALK OUT. top marks nomild_walkout_mac - 14 May 2006 19:39 |
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