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Detail Pages
Folly Inn, East Cowes
Whippingham
Postal town: East Cowes
PO32 6NB
Pub Type
Old English Inns (Greene King)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Folly Inn
A large and historic waterside pub, quite commercialised and looking as though it can get very busy on peak summer days, but pleasant at quieter times. An older building in the middle is surrounded by low rise extensions and waterside patios overlooking the boat moorings on the Medina. The inside is unsurprisingly decorated in a timbered nautical theme and predominantly set out for dining. Being a Greene King house, draught beer is restricted to IPA and Abbot but the condition was very good on this visit. The long lane down from the main road (at Whippingham forge) is in better condition than noted previously; other access by boat or by waterside path from Island Harbour
On 25th October 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Folly Inn
A somewhat eclectic Greene King pub with its own moorings on a jetty on the River Medina. The pub is named after a nearby Victorian brick folly. The original building has mutated and grown to the pint where much of the original Edwardian structure is hidden by extensions and lean-tos, and there are several terraces at the front and sides with seating and tables overlooking the river. The seating at the front is non-smoking. Inside, there is a function room and a large atmospheric bar with timber floors and ceilings. There is WiFi available. Staff were very helpful, though some of the land-side clientele were a bit snotty about our scruffy boating attire. There are 3 ales on: Goddards Yachtsman, Speckled Hen and London Pride, all drinkable if a little over-chilled. WiFi is provided by The Cloud. Good food is available, but it’s a bit formulaic and expensive, not surprising given the location. It’s easy to sail onto the jetty, depending on your draught, and provided there is space; it gets predictably busy especially in the Summer. For those who need to go on a mooring buoy, though, the pub provides a water taxi.
On 29th March 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3294 recommendations about 3259 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Folly Inn
If pubs were all about location, the Folly would certainly be a front runner. Situated on the edge of the River Medina with the yachts bobbing up and down and waders scavenging the water’s edge, a pint on the front terrace could not seemingly be more idyllic.
The pub is accessed by a road that is little more than a dirt track and the car parking area is extremely rough and uneven, fine if you have a 4x4 but if you want like dirty cars, leave it elsewhere and walk or alternatively, there is a seasonal waterbus that operates between the pub and Cowes.
Legend has it that the pub started as a grounded French barrge and gradually evolved into the pub we see today (there is a notice saying the pub was established in 1792). It is clear that the initial building has seen a few add ons and extensions over the centuries and the large L-Shaped, mainly wooden (retrieved from ship's timbers), interior is a bit of an open plan sprawl aside from a few sections divided by some rustic pillars. There is an unobtrusive pool table and plenty of old boat pictures but it is the river views that people come here for and there are open air tables by the dozen on both sides of the pub as well as the covered riverside terrace. I get the impression that at peak times the place gets extremely busy.
The pub is part of Greene King and the beer selection is therefore rather mundane although the sole Greene King ale (Old Speckled Hen) was at least supplemented with the local Goddards Scrumdiggity. A third hand pump was unused at the time of our visit which was admittedly not exactly peak season. The pub did appear to be more geared for diners with an extensive pub grub menu, main courses between £7-£15.
As ideal as it initially appears to be, take away the location and the Folly isn't really much more than a pub that could be aimed at tourist coach parties and somehow I get the impression that the magic and tranquility of the area is lost when the place is in full swing. For me the pub is probably best enjoyed on a cold winter’s day when no-one is around, the birds aren’t disturbed and the patio heaters are on full blast.
On 3rd June 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]