Arnside.
Unlike The Albion just up the way, which was unchanged, this had had a refurb from very traditional to a bit more modern. Decent beer, friendly staff.
Category Archives: Cumbria
The Graham Arms Inn
Longtown, Cumbria:
Our hotel for an overnight stop on our journey north, but clearly a local pub too, the other being The Tavern.
This is the plusher pub, and it’s clearly had a bit of money spent. Great staff, decent enough food, cask ale. TVs were showing MournHub, but not at high volume. Slight downer from local gammons with a show of ignorant racism *and* sexism, but at least they were non-violent.
The Tavern
Longtown, Cumbria:
We were traveling north to Scotland, and Longtown was our overnight stop just about south of the border.
We’d checked in at our hotel, and wandered to the only other still open pub in town. The entrance turned out to be down an alley, off a yard at the back, and we found a single-room pub that looked like it could be, as we like to say, “vibrant”.
As it was? Friendly locals, friendly barman, decent enough lager. Suspect it may have been a bit more vibrant later, but Friday early doors was pleasant.
The Furness Railway
Barrow-in-Furness:
It’s a ‘spoons, so mostly no surprises. Cheap beer, cheap food, nice building. About the only surprise was toilets on the ground floor, and that it was cold because of covid precautions leaving the doors open on an unreasonably cold May day.
The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel
Barrow-in-Furness:
It’s a hotel, but the bar feels like a self-contained pub. It feels airy but that hasn’t removed the character of a fine Victorian building. Great beer and food and pleasant staff, good, sensible covid precautions and I’d guess the hotel above is pretty decent too.
Connected to The Sun Hotel & Bar and Tite and Locke.
The Black Swan Inn
Culgarth, Penrith, Cumbria:
An overnight stop. This is a family-run inn in the old sense of the word: a pub you can stay in., and it’s doing a great job. It’s the village pub, and a decent hotel as well. Great food, 2 excellent cask ales on, brilliant staff, and a comfortable place to stay, having got our kicks on the nearby A66.
Best of all the bar is still a bar, and there’s two eating areas (one next to the bar, and a restaurant), and proper demarcation between them, meaning it becomes a “destination pub” for diners and hotel guests, but still does a good job of village pub.
The Shovel Inn
Carnforth:
Small traditional backstreet locals pub we came across while looking for somewhere to eat. Friendly enough, but a strong smell of dog. The beer was OK though, and we sat in the sun outside.
The Royal Station Hotel
Carnforth:
Large Victorian hotel near the station. Slightly reduced in size with some bits rented out, and a bit faded grandeur (but evidently under refurbishment). The bar was pub-like, and pleasant enough, full of locals on a Friday evening, we came for a drink, then returned for food as the nearby Chinese restaurant was shut. Food and beer both fine, though only 1 ale available, but decent lager as well. Could be absolutely magnificent with investment, and the current people seem to be doing a good job.
The Commodore Inn
Grange-over-Sands:
This didn’t give a good impression from one side- looking a bit tatty as we walked through town, but later, approaching from the prom it looked better, and in the event was pretty good, with friendly staff, great beer, and decent sandwiches. The place isn’t plush or fancy, but not tatty either, inside.
The Albion
Arnside:
Just up the road from Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, another Thwaites pub. Traditional-tending-to-modern-gastropub inside, and outside with clever glass screens to shelter you from the wind but not block the view, and heaters, making the outside space very pleasant. Great beer, food looked good (though we didn’t try it), friendly staff.