Boat Inn, Monmouth

An attractive looking pub in an idyllic location on the River Wye, whilst the pub itself is in Wales (east side if the river) parking and access here is very limited with only a couple of on road spaces that we could see. The easier approach is to approach it from the western (English) side where there are a couple of good sized pay and display car parks as well as free on road parking. There is then a handy old railway bridge across the river directly opposite the pub that you can walk across. Internally the pub is fairly compact, with the larger L-shape room to the right, and a smaller snug to the left. Decor wise it’s quite traditional with old flagstones on the floor, whitewashed brickwork on the walls and rough white plasterwork on the ceiling, whilst the snug had cream wood panelling on much of the walls. A map of the local area was on the wall, and a large chalkboard next to the bar displayed an extensive cider selection as well as gin, spirits, and forthcoming live music. Seating was a mixture of wooden chairs and some fitted wooden pew style benches, with some padded seating in the snug. This also had a dartboard on the wall, and a few black and white pictures dotted around, as well as a small wood burning stove in the fireplace and a stuffed head of some sort mounted on the wall above. Beers on tap were The Friendly Pint and HPA from the Wye Vally Brewery, along with Hop 2000 from Grey Trees. Ciders meanwhile were Henry Weston’s Vintage and Stowford Press, along with a trio from Black Dragon in boxes at the back of the bar. The aforementioned chalkboard listed many more, but with no sign of them behind the bar, I assume these were bottled. All in all, a lovely old pub with a friendly welcome from the young barman. Well worth seeking out.

As Welsh pubs go, you won't find much better than this one. It's situated right on the border with England. In fact, the pub's car park is a good 20 minutes drive away by road in Redbrook in England, but easily reached by way of a footbridge (an old railway line) over the River Wye. We drove down a narrow lane on the Welsh side deep into the Wye Valley to get to the pub. But there is limited parking on the Welsh side. Inside is a two-roomed affair with stone floors and a real traditional rural feel. Outdoor areas include seating directly in front of the pub and a further undercover area on the opposite side of the lane that I guess emerged during Covid times. Wye Valley Butty Bach & HPA are the regular real ales. The guest beer was the local Kingstone Llandogo Trow Ale. Ciders are a strongpoint here, with 10 available - Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon, Happy Daze, Dabinett, Two Trees Perry, Welsh Warrior & Drew's Wild Cider, Monnow Valley Hillbilly Hiccup & Do The Fandango & Penallt Cider & Perry Wine. My Do The Fandango was very much on the dry side. The friendly barman was doing his best to sell the Penallt Perry Wine, with varying success. The samples he gave us were certainly interesting, but not interesting enough for me to purchase one! I do love pubs with a little character like this one. It's an easy 8/10 that could arguably be a 9/10, especially with a slightly more varied ale range.