please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
My trip to the North Lakes on holiday wouldn't be complete without a visit to Britain's first community owned pub, The Old Crown.
Situated in the centre of this pretty village its also the home to the Hesket Newmarket Brewery. The only beers are from HN and there were a total of 9 available during my visit. I went for a pint of Skiddaw @ 3.6%.
Lovely carved wooden motifs on the bar front. Open plan fireplace, lots of plaques and pictures on the walls, including the 2 plaques depicting Prince Charles visits in 2004 & 2007.
A real gem and a lovely pub, that even though it's fairly remote to get to without a car its a must visit.
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Like others on here, I have visited this pub previously when in the area, and did so again on a quiet Wednesday night. Despite it being quiet however, it did not disappoint and where other pubs can suffer from a lack of atmosphere, this retains it in spades.
Still a great pub, with several rooms, a real fire and a bar serving Landlord as well as their own Hesket Newmarket beers, Skiddaw, Doris's 90th Birthday and the best of the lot, Dark Sail.
If you are in this area of Cumbria, this is a must visit.
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Excellent country pub for the drinking man but after several visits can only describe the food as passable.
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A great pub that I visit every time I'm in the area to see my old school friend. The range of beers is always good, with some of the stronger ones on in rotation as and when they're brewed. The food is good and hearty in large portions. The place has a really nice feel to it whatever time of day you go in and the locals are more than friendly.
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Went here for a saturday evening whilst staying up the road in Caldbeck. A real gem, just like a pub should be. Lovely selection of beers from their own brewery - tried as many as I could! Interesting things dotted about all over. There were 8 of us, and I had booked a table in the restaurant; Food and service both good, pleasant staff. Didn't want to leave, but the wife made me!
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really nice friendly local pub far enough away from the tourist trap of the lakes, convienient timings on the 73 bus allow 3 hours here on a Saturday afternoon, enough time for trying all the ales and having a leisurely lunch.
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The best pub in Lakes. The roaring fire is a welcome respite to soaked walkers and makes the small bar particularly cosy. They have their own brewery on site and 5-6 Hesket Newmarket ales with Lake District themed names are always on tap - you are really spoiled for choice. Try the Grat Cockup (3% ABV), the best mild you will ever find.
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A not so secret gem well away from the more populated chocolate box areas of the lakes, and all the better for it.
The 5 beers offered should offer something for everyone in terms, of style and taste and all in price terms - the cheapest being �2.35 and the dearest �2.75.Superb Value
Real pub, real beer and real people !
This worth seeking out and worthy of a detour.
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A small traditional pub in a nice looking village near the North lakes.
On our visit, they offered five hand pulled beers from the on-site Hesket Newmarket Brewery, all of which were tried, and all were very nice.
Good atmosphere created by the locals. No guest ale offered, but with this range, there should be no complaints.
Fantastic !
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Lovely location, just north of �The Lakes�. I think it�s the only community owed pub I�ve been to and it�s a great concept. Everybody in the village uses the pub because they own a bit of it. It is the ultimate community pub. The beer, brewed round the back of the pub, was superb. Try �Great Cock up Porter� only 3%ABV. Nice feel :-couples and family�s enjoying a meal round the back. A packed public bar with traditional music and a pool table attracts mixed clientele. 10/10
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A lovely pub with excellent real ale in a beautiful village location, albeit that the eating rules are a bit strange, the food only just acceptable, and the back eating area horrible and like a transport cafe. We hear that the friendly landlord and his less friendly missus are leaving, so hope that the co-operative finds nice and people-friendly replacements shortly.
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Possibly the finest i have ever been in and i've been in one or two. The beer is superb, very friendly atmosphere . I can't praise it highly enough.
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Well known traditional Cumbria home brew village pub given considerable publicity due to 2 visits by Prince Charles as part of his "pub is the hub" campaign. The pub is owned by a cooperative of local villagers, who own the pub independently of the brewing operation which takes place behind the pub.
There are 2 interconnecting bars with a seperate restaurant / dining area at the back. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the two bars is largely given over to a large snooker table. There are thankfully no TV's or other distractions
I enjoyed the home brew and the sociable locals.
If travelling past on the M6, the pub is well worth the detour ( Junction 41 ).
Note that it closes at 2.30 pm on Sunday afternoon, not 3pm as per the 2007 GBG. You might want to phone ahead to check hours if travelling from far.
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Anywhere that has porter on tap is immediately in the running to be nominated as my Perfect Pub. The fact that this is in the Lake District, in a dreamy little village, is obviously the centre of local life and has its own brewery out back must surely make the 'Old Crown' top dog.
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1st visit 08/04/07 Excellent village pub-what a local should be like. Good Hesket Newmarket real ale-Blencathra was my choice-not quite my style but in good condition.
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Brilliant pub,excellent beer(s), very friendly and relatively new landlord.
clientele friendly too.
One of the best pubs I've beento for yonks.
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Most of the Hesket Newmarket brewery range of beers are usually on - just limited by pumps and bar space. Worth the detour to visit
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Just spent an evening here (20th July 2004). The "curries" served were recomended. There were 5 of us and we each chose a different one. My "steak" curry was described in the menu as "in a thich rich sauce, with a hint of sweet and sour" - I have to say it was stewing steak dipped in Bisto, it was very dry and there was no sauce whatsoever. The rice was boiled to death and congealed, we actually heard the microwave oven "ping" from the kitchen with the naan bread in (it was as solid as a rock and would have been more use as a priest for despatching trout) and the pompadums were filled with small puddles of fat after being deep-fat-fried. Anybody who describes this "food" as a curry has obviously never had a real curry in their lives. To top it all we were served with a pint each moments after the last-orders bell had rung only to be immediately thrown out after being pestered to drink-up. We all left three quarters of a pint behind! Don't bother ordering a pint once the bell has rung!
Gary - 21 Jul 2004 23:32 |
This is fine pub owned by a cooperative drawn, I think, from the local community and selling beers from the Hesket Newmarket Brewery which is also run by a cooperative. The beers, like many of the new Cumbrian micros, are very good and kept in fine condition in this pub. There is good value food served in a tiny dining room or - if you're lucky - at one of the 4 small tables in the bar and a friendly atmosphere prevails in the cluttered, slightly scruffy (in the nicest possible way!), rooms. I wish it were my local.
dr-tim - 21 Jun 2004 18:09 |
