The Royal Hotel, Ross-On-Wye

The Royal Hotel stands high on a ridge overlooking the Wye Valley on what was originally the site of the Bishop’s Palace. A subsequent pub called the Pounds Inn (it occupied part of the town’s animal pound) preceeded the current building which opened in 1837 and by the mid 19th Century had become the principal staging post in town attracting such luminaries as Charles Dickens as guests (and Charlie knew a good pub when he saw one). It is currently in the hands of Greene King under their Old English Inns banner. The bar (or Riverside Bar as it is labelled) is to the right of the entrance hall and consistes of a long narrow knocked through room but divided into 3 sections by a few wall remnants with the main bar in the centre section. For the most part it is all a bit featureless and whilst the décor and furnishings are pleasant enough, there just isn’t enough to make the place stand out. The drink selection was where the pub lets itself down with just the one ale (Abbott) available on my visit. A second pump had a reversed IPA clip so even by Greene King standards, the options were pretty poor. Our main purpose of calling was to eat and whilst I’m no gastro expert, I found the food reasonably good value although service was a little on the slow side. The place does seem to bridge a gap between the Wetherspoons/Hungry Horse type outlets and the top end the dining spectrum. One of the big plus points is the outside patio with some commanding views across the Wye Valley so if you’re not fussed about the ales and the weather is fine, you can while away time in what is quite a picturesque setting. There are better places in town (and worse) but you need really need to have a specific reason to make a visit worthwhile.