The Royal Oak & Castle Inn, Pevensey

This sizeable dining pub has an enviable location next to Pevensey castle, which must help it hoover up a fair few customers throughout the year, although there’s no real view of the castle from the pub itself. The layout is pretty simple, with a rather basic main bar to the front and a much better furnished dining area further back. The bar area is bare boarded and has a very simple bar counter along the back wall. Everything has been painted in quite pleasant, bright colours which make the place feel fresh and light, and there is a good amount of open space opposite the bar, which means there’s plenty of room to move around, but can make it all feel rather sad and empty at quieter times. Basic seating is available to the front and left and there’s also a cosy snug-like space to the right of the bar, offering comfy bench seating in what is easily the nicest spot in the room. Passing down the left side of the bar, you reach the rear room which has a good number of tables and chairs arranged formally in a nicely decorated room that feels like a dining area and not the sort of place you’d plonk yourself down in with just a pint. Paintings, flowers and ornaments are dotted around the room, giving it more of a homely, lived-in feel than the comparatively spartan bar area. To one side of the building, a sizeable beer garden has the best views of the castle and offers plenty of picnic benches in a nice green space. There are three handpulls here, one of which was out of action on my visit, leaving a choice between Harvey’s Sussex best and Long Man APA. I’m a big fan of the APA, so ordered a pint from the polite barman, which I found to be in pretty good shape. Most people were here for food or else sat in the garden with their dogs and my overall impression was that drinkers take a bit of a back seat to diners in this place. This is a nice enough place that’s not really got the charm of a village pub or the warmth of a local’s boozer, but nevertheless plays an important part in the area’s pub scene. I was perfectly happy sat here drinking a pint in the sun and would imagine other visitors to Pevensey would be too.

The Royal Oak and Castle Inn is located at the edge of an old village square that is overlooked by the perimeter walls of the Pevensey Castle ruins. There are a couple of picnic tables located on the tarmac outside and a large gate gains access to a beer garden that was closed when I visited at 18:30 on Wednesday. I have to admit that I was very disappointed as I walked through the door as I was confronted with a U shaped pub and the longer front bar area had no hand pumps or draught taps. In fact the only things on the bar were four Tupperware display containers that were storing cakes and the majority of signs up on the walls were advertising tea and coffee to accompany the sweets. Proper food is served and most of the tables were set for dining and I got a tea room vibe, which probably fits in with the needs of the day visitors to the ruins. Take away fish and chips are available from midday until 14:30 and from 18:00 until 20:00, but there was hardly a rush for them as the only other person in the pub seemed to be a friend of the governor. Around to the right of the bar is a small conservatory and there was a lap top set up which I gather isn’t for the use of the customers. Thankfully around to the left of the bar there are a couple of hand pumps and although one of these was unused Whites Brewery’s Envy was available. The governor informed me that he had just cleaned the lines and the barrel wasn’t hooked up so he took a jug down into the cellar and filled it to the top before pouring it into a pint glass for me. I prefer my Guinness, but have to say that it was a good pint. I didn’t have my usual Guinness as it is not served here as the very limited draught consisted of Kronenburg, Fosters and Stowford Press cider. There are no TVs in here, but there was some folk music playing lightly in the background. I found this pub/tea room to be very depressing and although the service was friendly enough (I didn’t meet the landlady) I would hesitate in making a return visit.