The Barley Mow, Bath

We were there recently and the atmosphere was very welcoming and friendly, would have loved to stay a little longer but we came for sightseeing Bath. We will be back though, hopefully not too long from now.

A pleasant enough pub that looks as though it may have recently had a makeover. There is rather a preponderance of gastro-pub green paint, although it doesn’t appear to fall in to that particular genre. It’s essentially a single room affair, although it is partitioned off to an extent to create a couple of separate areas. The bar has wooden flooring and there’s a small pub grub menu chalked up on a board next to the bar. The landlord seemed friendly enough, and was happy to do food even though I don’t think it was their normal serving time. There is a small courtyard at the back which is quite sheltered by the tall buildings nearby. It’s a reasonably attractive spot, with chippings stuck to the floor, a couple of pot plants and a small awning to keep the rain off. Beers on this occasion were 6X, Old Speckled Hen and Otter Ale. Ciders were Thatcher’s Gold, Addlestones and Gaymer’s Pear.

The main area is a L-shaped space, vinyl floored, with the bar in the corner. Another smaller room to the rear. There is a fireplace with what looked like a wood burner, but this was not in use on what was a pretty miserable day. Traditional seating at banquettes, chairs and bar stools. There was a shelf of board games, newspapers available on a table. There is an outdoor area at the back but due to the weather I didn't bother taking a look. Beers were Otter Bitter, Old Speckled Hen, Wadworths 6X with one pump remaining unclipped. My general impressions were of a fairly unremarkable pub, but this may have been improved upon perhaps if the fire had been lit.