Shipwright Arms, Helford Villageback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I thought the pub across the water was good but it pales into insignificance compared to the Shipwrights. At first this thatched pub doesn''t seem much upon entering from the road with quite a small bar with a nautical theme but then you see the the terraced patio and verandah overlooking the river and you start to realise how characterful this pub is. The full-width doors of the verandah were open to the rain but the tables are next to radiators so it wasn''t cold sitting there. There are also 2 further rooms off the verandah (one may be a private function room) again with spectacular views over the water. St Austell Tribute and Skinners Porthleven were the ales on sale - not very adventurous but I forgave them. Almost impossible to get close to by car so leave yours in the village car park and walk 500m down the hill and over the little bridge.
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Lovely thatched pub overlooking the Helford river, real ales well kept, the bar staff were very friendly and efficient and the locals were chatty. Didn't try the food but what was being served looked good. A good pub.
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Wonderful pub with great food and beer. I gather it must have changed hands late last year/earlier this year and the new people are doing an excellent job. Lovely spot on the Helford River. The loos are now updated and spotless too!
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Just reopened for Easter 2013. Didn't try the food but visited several times on our week in Helford. Very welcoming and well kept local beer. The views from the new rooms to the river are brillant.
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We thoroughly enjoyed the Shipwrights Arms, a cosy but fresh pub right on the waterfront in lovely Helford. It has bright stylish touches and is a wonderful place to sit watching the water with a pint of Doom Bar or glass wine.
We went there twice for dinner over the long weekend, most of the ingredients are locally sourced and the menu states their heritage. We ate delicious huge Cornish Mussels, fish and (crispy, chunky handcut) chips, local sausages and rustic mash with a red onion gravy and a local sirloin steak - all very reasonably priced. Our lunch on Monday was great too, Helford Blue cheese and Brie Ploughmans, a truly lovely open crab sandwich on Vickys wholegrain bread and a pasty. The staff are lovely and we had a great time � thanks The Shipwrights.
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The ferry was delayed due to tide so we were looking forward to a couple of hours in the Shipwright Arms .Unfortunately there were very few people in the pub, and the food was overpriced by a long way.- a baguette priced at �8-10 pounds was ridiculous!! There was a mackerel ploughmans on the menu, I asked the waitress if it was local, and she very kindly went to ask the landlord. He immediately appeared and told me it certainly wasn't from Russia but that the wood chips used to smoke the fish might have come from Scotland. He was so rude I felt speeechless, and the waitress and the bar tender looked so embarrassed. We went to the Post Office up the road and found a great locally made pastie without the hassle of a landlord who feels he has a captive audience who he can abuse because they have no other choice .
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The ferry was delayed due to tide so we were looking forward to a couple of hours in the Shipwright Arms .Unfortunately there were very few people in the pub, and the food was overpriced by a long way.- a baguette priced at �8-10 pounds was ridiculous!! There was a mackerel ploughmans on the menu, I asked the waitress if it was local, and she very kindly went to ask the landlord. He immediately appeared and told me it certainly wasn't from Russia but that the wood chips used to smoke the fish might have come from Scotland. He was so rude I felt speeechless, and the waitress and the bar tender looked so embarrassed. We went to the Post Office up the road and found a great locally made pastie without the hassle of a landlord who feels he has a captive audience who he can abuse because they have no other choice .
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We called in on this pub last week on bank holiday Monday for a drink. We decided to give the food a miss due to the prices. The place gives the impression of being totally neglected as the previous reviewer noted. Also in the previous report was a description of the ladies loo, I can report that nearly a month later they are exactly the same, so not much effort being put in to that area. On the bright side the Betty Stoggs was in great condition. Incidentally you can get good reasonably priced food in the cafe near the car park.
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The location of the Shipwright's is probably what draws most people to the door, straight on the Helford with the boats bobbing away outside. Sadly though you get the feeling that they're resting a bit on the location rather than trying to make the pub match up to it.
We called in on a typically busy bank holiday Monday in May; lots of tourists, walkers and people who'd come to shore from their sailing boats were sitting both inside the pub and on the terraces outside. Service was polite and efficient, but the food was really expensive for what it is.
They offer about 7 types of baguettes, a couple of ploughmans and four or five salads plus chips for lunch, which isn't that extensive. We paid �8 for a ham baguette which was exactly that. A piece of baguette loaf cut in half with butter and normal thick cut ham with a little pile of cress, a slice of cucumber and some lettuce on the side. A bowl of chips (it comes in a tupperware plastic bowl too which really adds to the sense that you're being ripped off!) is also �8. Someone's commented about this being 'London prices' but as people who lived for 5 years in London and now live about 15 mins from this pub in Cornwall we think that not only do you get a bit more than that for your money in London itself, but also there are numerous great pubs in this part of Cornwall who charge less and serve better food.
Aside from the food the pub is veering towards the run down side of old rather than staying on the quaint side of it. The thatch needs redoing, which is fair enough as they'd probably put prices up even higher to afford that, but the terraces where you sit outside are pretty trashy with weeds sprouting up all over the shop and the toilets are awful. The ladies has 3 loos - one was marked out of order on the door, the next stank and was packed full of suitcases - very, very odd and you wondered what the heck they were doing there, and the only 'operational' loo was blocked. We left with an overwhelming feeling that this is an amazing spot and the owners are either milking it for everything it's worth without investing anything back into the pub or they've had enough and given up.
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Just had a pint and a pastie while sitting outside by the river. The staff were friendly. Sharp's Doom Bar, Skinners Betty Stogs and bottled Helford Creek cider our group had were very good. The pastie was good too. It did just what we wanted.
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Personally, I was disappointed by this pub. Had long been meaning to visit after paddling past on a kayaking trip. Looks really cute and cosy from the outside. When I finally got a chance, I called to book for Sunday lunch. Was told that they don't accept bookings. Arrived at 13.45 and was told by barman that I was 'just about' in time for Sunday lunch as they finished serving at 14.00. The only food on offer was a salad bar (seemed very expensive - around the �13 mark for crab salad) and really, really jumbo pasties. While they were OK to share between two (at �7.50 including side salad) they were not what I'd come for. Was told that roasts had to be ordered in advance...so why wasn't I told that when I called to book? Inside, the pub is really old-fashioned, but not (in my view) in a good way. Half the inside (which is tiny) was taken by two tables of people tucking into Sunday roasts. The other tables are tiny with sort of half-width pews. Not a place to sit and relax. Drinks seemed horrendously expensive - �4.90 for a pint of ale and a pint of soda water (that's a lot for Cornwall). Overall, I have sympathy for this place. Obviously unlikely to get a lot of passing trade so I can understand their reasons for limited Sunday opening (the whole pub closed at 14.00, not just the lunches), but they're unlikely to get repeat business if they behave like you're inconveniencing them by going there. One group of four came in seconds after last orders and were refused a drink which I felt was a bit churlish. Don't particularly care what anyone else thinks of this post as it simply reflects my experience, but compared to the hospitality found elsewhere in Europe (though not necessarily the UK), it was pretty sad.
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I've been frequenting this pub whilst on holiday for over 20 years. It's always had great beer and fabulous food. Make sure you pre-book for evening meals as they only have a small no of tables inside. The (outside) views of the Helford River add to the ambiance. Like most good establishments in Cornwall these days, you can expect London prices. But it's well worth it.
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Sits next to the Helford River with great views, the pub is old, pretty and quite small with thatched roofing and white-washed walls with seating next to the river and creek. The ferry's nearby with its own system for hailing a lift. Good beer and food
blamm - 26 Jan 2007 12:20 |
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