please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
We revisited this pub, while in the area.
The new owners are still welcoming walkers.
Although still friendly, the atmosphere is less homely than before.
The food and drink are still good.
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R.I.P. Windie Goat is no more. Michelle and Chris are moving away from this pub, and the new owners are not interested in retaining the brewery.
Our concern is that the new regieme will take the pub "upmarket" and not wish to provide refreshment for people walking the River Ayr Way in muddy boots etc. Time will tell.
We wish Michelle and Chris all the best for the future, with thanks for a well run pleasant pub.
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I paid my usual visit to this great pub, while I was in the area.
Food and beer was up to their usual standard. A couple of pints of the Priest's Wheel (brewed on site) washed lunch down very well.
Welcoming atmosphere on a cold frosty day.
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Went to this pub today for my birthday lunch after looking at website. Was totally disappointed, was so dirty we decided if the bar and restaurant looked that bad we couldn't imagine what the kitchen was like. Left and had a lovely lunch at Stair Inn up the road. What a wasted opportunity!
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Made a special detour from Carlisle to Ayr to go to this pub and it was well worth it. A lovely, traditional country pub with restaurant and microbrewery. A fairly small bar area at the front, which leads into a restaurant area. Then behind the bar is the Windie Goat microbrewery (which can be viewed from the corridor) and there is also a function room at the back. Our group tried all of the ales on offer and were impressed by them all. Staff and locals were friendly and welcoming to a 14 strong party who were desperate for refreshments after a two hour minibus ride. Unfortunately there was no food available on our visit so I cannot review that. Well worth the detour!
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After reading Harz99's review i checked with the pub's website.
No sign of closure yet. I quote:
"Windie Goat Brewery's 2nd Birthday - Friday 16th May
We're delighted to send an open invitation to Windie Goat Brewery's 2nd Birthday at the Failford Inn on Friday 16th May. Join us to raise a glass to our little brewery that continues to thrive.
We'll show case four Windie Goat Beers;
- Priest's Wheel
- Peden's Cove
- Sheep's Linne, a new red malty ale
- and by popular request the Gutter Slab will be back."
Perhaps Harz99 ought to get along and have another look! I would if I could but Failford is 450 miles for me.
Cheers,
AR
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Superb pub. Brilliant conditioned beer. Friendly bar staff. Always worth visiting.
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Must be a different pub to the one I have been in-seems to be more interested in selling food than being friendly to a non local who drops in for a pint or three.
Pub is up for sale, so I guess the home brew beers will dissappear as well as the owners!
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Visited on a dark, wet lunchtime and found a cosy bar, warmed by a wood-burning stove with a friendly barmaid who made us welcome. No Windie Goat beer on, but fine Amber Ale from Strathaven and Misty Law from Kelburn made up for it.
There are hundreds of beer mats and pump clips displayed showing the huge range of beers which have been served here. A suggestions book for future beers sits handily on the bar! This is obviously a pub which takes beer seriously, and has fun in the process.
We ate a colossal bacon (best Ayrshire) and egg (two, slightly runny, free-range) ciabatta roll each. Thoroughly recommended. The rest of the food looks good too.
CAMRA members get 20p off a pint, by the way.
One to visit when in Ayrshire. A gem.
Cheers,
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I had a good pint of their Windie Goat Priest's Wheel on a recent visit. Unfortunately the Christmas beer Windie Red Red Robin had sold out. I was told that the Red Red Robin was still improving right up to the last sales.
A good pub with a well deserved reputation.
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I had a good pint of the Windie Goat "Big Wonky Wheel" on a recent visit.
The food was well served in a pleasant atmosphere.
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I can only compliment the Failford Inn on the fantastic service we received today. We hadn't booked and not realised it was Father's Day and the place was packed out. They helped us find a parking space, managed to fit us in for a meal and the service from all was excellent. The beer was in excellent condition and their own brew was a lovely pint. It's well worth a visit and I can't rate it highly enough.
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I went to Failford Inn while I was staying in the area and I have to admit I was hugely disappointed. Yes the real Ales are impressive if that�s your thing but if not then you have nothing at all.
Over the years I have been in countless pubs like this but rarely have I I felt so unwelcome, the barman (and then barwoman) did not introduce themselves and I honestly felt like I had walked into their living room uninvited!!!
Maybe I'm being harsh and I might have got them on an off day but I for one will definitely not be back, I also tried out Stair Inn which was a totally different experience, warm welcome, excellent value food and hearty banter with the locals all of which I was expecting at the Failford Inn.
I�m not trying to beat anyone up hear but if the owners are reading this can I please advise you clean the men�s toilets some time soon, I appreciate that men have lower standards than women but my standards were not that low.
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Visited the Failford Inn on a recent trip to Ayr and I must say that this pub is a real classic. The pub has a wonderful, warm character and a great atmosphere supplemented by good food and great ale.
The only downside to speak of was the fact that only two ales were available during our visit on a busy Friday evening. That said, the ales offered and subsequently imbibed (Kelburn Misty Law and a porter-style beer by the in-house brewery, Windie Goat) were in superb condition and worth the trip alone.
Cheers!
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Great pub, friendly atmosphere, beer in good condition. A pint of Their own Windie Goat "Pender's Cove" went down very well. A good CAMRA recomendation, deservedly a 'Pub of the Year'!
anonymous - 16 Oct 2006 15:41 |
Just heard from my cousin, that this fine pub is into the last 16 of BEST PUB OF BRITAIN and also won best beer of my local beer fest. Splendid.
As to the response from the campbell ......wot a fud. Since when is lager 'traditional', ya dobber.
Regards, John MacD.
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Huge congratulations to the Failford Inn in winning CAMRA Scottish Pub of the Year for 2006. A well deserved honour for a pub that keeps its beers in tip top condition and am loving trying the new beers out of their own Windie Goat Brewery. Keep up the good work!
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How anyone could not like this pub escapes me! I walked here from the Stair Inn and found the place heaving as you would expect on a long weekend. The staff were chatty and efficient and even found a couple of minutes to sort the dog out with a bowl of water and some biscuits. I spoke with the lady owner (apparently her husband is the chef) and she showed me the brand new microbrewery and explained about their commitment to good beer. There were three real ales on when I was in and as soon as one ran out something different came on, you can't beat that for variety. The awards and recognition that this little pub has achieved under the current owners are well deserved and there were a lot of happy people there on Sunday afternoon who would more than agree with me.
anonymous - 1 Jun 2006 02:17 |
I visited this country pub purely on the recommendations listed on this website, but can only assume that these are ficticious. The owners were not only cold but actually indulged in an argument with a customer which was petty to the extreme. While there may be a good selection of real ales????, there was only lager available as a traditional beer. Chatting to the (very) few locals that were there it seems that they would like the choice of light and heavy beer. Sadly, I fear they will have a long wait, just as the owners will have for my next visit. If this is progress in modern pub culture I yearn for the good old days of pubs with atmosphere!!!!
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My favourite local by far! I've lived in this area all my life and drifted away from the Failford Inn under previous owners but have since become a regular. They're a hardworking couple who fully deserve the success they're now seeing having turned the pub around. I've never found it anything but friendly and welcoming and the staff have always been polite and efficient. Food and serivce is great, its somewhere I'm equally happy taking the children or just the wife when we want a quiet night on our own. The beer garden has to be one of the best for miles around, you can't beat sitting by the river with a pint when the sun shines. This pub is well worth a visit any day, any time.
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Great beers on tap and well kept.Detect new owner syndrome, with locals being slow to warm to Chris and Michelle, just came along to their once a month folk night and had a great time with many locals reappearing and others from nearby Mauchline and Tarbolton for the Craic.I'll be back for more.
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Been in three or so times. Easily the best kept real ale I've had in a pub. Honestly, it's that good. Only �3-60 return on the #43(or is it 34??) bus from Ayr bus station. Popped in over the easter weekend with my better half and some chums. Luckily there was a 'Fullers' weekend on( my fav brewery, along with Kelburn ;-) ) The Chiswick Bitter was marv. At 3.5% an ideal 'all day drinking' beer. London Pride(all time classic & one that I start my palate out on at beer feschts !!). the 3rd beer was ESB. at over 5% a tad stong for me but nice none the less. To whoever looks after the beer....stand up and take a bow. Very well done. Perfect condition. If only all pubs kept their beer like so. If you're a beer nut like me, give this place a shot, you won't regret it.
I've had food a couple of times and it was excellent with no complaints regarding quallity or quantity. The King Prawns( not shelled, mmmmm ) with a lemony(?)sauce were esp nice.
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Been into the Failford Inn quite a few times over the last 18 months since I first found it and can say that I have yet to find a better pub to spend a summers afternoon eatinging and drinking outside in. A superb beer garden and selection of real ales, that I hear now has cask marque, that changes regularily and food that is not only reaonably priced but cooked as you like it. Inside on the not so nice days is warm friendly and welcoming with the staff friendly and polite and if you want to chat they will be more than happy to obligue.
One of the best features of Failford is the standard of real ales that are available, I have yet to be disappointed with any of the beers drunk there - even the ones I'm not particularily fond of from beer festivals seem to take on a different light when cared for properly. If possible look out for the special weekends that they have as these are always worth a look - the first being an Arran weekend last summer. Who could ask for more three excellent Arran ales to choose from and sample, a stunning beer garden and one of the best steaks I've had in ages.
Only small gripe I have is the location of it, but the good beer, food, chat and banter more than makes up for train and bus that I have to get to go there.
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I have recently visited failford and taken in the beautiful scenary on the gorge walk and been welcomed by the very friendly locals. Im afriad that is where the praise ends, i have done the gorge walk several times over the years and have always visited the pub on each occation but im afriad i think i have done so for the last time. I have always been greated with a warm welcome in the pub aswell as a hearty lunch but on this occasion im sad to report it was not up to its previously high standards. There was to conversation with the barman, no warm country welcome, no inviting atmosphere and the least said about the meagre portions of food the better. It wasnt all bad, the decor has been changed from my last visit and does brighten the pub up a little, But the policy of out with the old and in with the new seems to have included the customers aswell. The characters are no longer there and after talking to fellow regular walker it seems this is the norm nowadays. It is such a shame because the Failford Inn of old was a great Scottish country pub. I can only hope that one day it will be returned to its former glory, but for now id give it a miss.
Steven Gibson - 12 Nov 2004 19:19 |
Failford Inn used to be a lively, cosy, comfortable place to go for a drink with locals. Since Chris and Michelle took over the amount of people who changed their local to drink somewhere else is quite staggering. They changed the decor, which is nice, but unfortunately there is now no atmosphere, no welcome feeling when you arrive through the door. They'll choose to sit in a corner silently rather than interract and share some "banter" with their customers. Trying to bring in the English, more modern atmosphere to Failford obviously hasn't worked in this quiet, close community.
If I were you, I'd give it a miss.
anonymous - 27 Jul 2004 12:33 |
The Failford Inn serves food on a Wedenesday lunchtime the restarant is closed on a Wednesday night
Chris Kelsall - 19 Mar 2004 15:58 |
