The Boat Inn, Melton Mowbray

The Boat consists of a long narrow room with the bar on the right and a cosier seating area on the right as you enter as well described below. It was doing a good trade on my Saturday afternoon visit. There are just four hand pumps here which had a dull mainstream selection of Marston's Bass, Oakham JHB, Well's Bombardier and Adnam's Broadside. I went for the JHB (£3.30) which was in excellent nick. I was intending to stay for more than one here but after seeing the depressing choice of beers I necked the JHB down and went to get a train to Peterborough and hour earlier than planned. Despite that it seemed a decent local's boozer.

We phoned ahead to check whether we could eat our locally purchased pie here & the guv said no prob, although when we arrived he did admit to having thought we were on a wind-up! Small pub, nicely furnished with surround settles at the front, plasma & dartboard to the rear. Look out for the bank of four interesting handpumps (decorative) opposite the bar – unfortunately the bar itself offered only IPA, Abbot & Bombardier, but the latter was in fine fettle. And the Thompson pies were splendid with local pickles & mustard.

The Boat Inn is the closest pub to Melton Mowbrays train station. Once inside there was a long L shaped room which ran to the rear of the pub,the floor was tiled and the ceiling was low beamed giving the room a cosy feel to it,the seating was bench type which faced the bar and small stools. There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Bass which was a very nice drink,the other beers were Thwaites Lancaster Bomber,Bombardier and Theakston best. The pub was fairly busy on our late Saturday afternoon visit,we quite liked this pub,it is the sort of pub i could settle in for a session. Pub visited 19/10/2013

A traditional single roomed pub with dartboard. This pub was very welcoming and we enjoyed our Shepherd Neame Spitfire and Wells Bombardier here. Seemed to be more of a locals community pub.