Ring O' Bells, Kendal

This is a cosy locals' pub on the south side of the town centre. Entering through the left-hand entrance, you find yourself in a small lobby with a door to the right for a tiny snug with a couple of tables and a small hatch through to the bar. The door straight ahead of you takes you into what felt like a public bar, with comfy banquettes around two sides of the stone tile floored room and plenty of low stools in support. The servery is to the right and has a white, wood panelled counter front, nice mirrored back and an attractive stained glass gantry. On a bracing afternoon, a lit fireplace on the back wall was a welcome sight, and easily spotted thanks to the large and rather striking painting of highland cattle above it, whilst some shelves stacked with board games stand to one side. There are potted plants in the window sills and various signs have been dotted around the room, all bearing unbearably dumb slogans such as "Nobody Gets Out Sober". I spent much of my visit wondering if there was a second bar in an adjoining room, but never managed to figure this out, as everyone seemed happy to pile into the compact front bar. On the bar, a decent selection of cask ales comprised Crafty Brewing Hop Tipple £1.95 a half) Lancaster Blonde and Handsome Mr Cat and Stranger. A board outside said to expect six cask ales, which adds weight to the 'second bar' theory, as there weren't enough handpulls on this side. The landlord was a real character, endlessly cracking jokes and bringing an infectious energy which other punters joined in with. I'm fairly sure I only really saw a small part of this pub, but with no corridor connecting the front bar to any of the other rooms, I wasn't about to take my pint outside to check out a possible second bar. What I did see was a pretty impressive pub that does a lot of the basics well and benefits from a good bunch of staff led by an affable landlord. I enjoyed my time here and imagine it would be a great place to have as your local. Date of visit - 14th January 2024

good pub only half-ruined by a sweary reactionary nobhead of a landlord this time. it's a bit worse for wear and the pub sign now just reads 'O'Bells'. inside it doesn't appear to have changed for about 50 years, which is mostly a good thing but it could use a spruce up in places. three real ales and one real cider available on both sides of the bar. Wainwrights, something from Coniston and a black ale from an obscure brewery i've forgotten. easily worth a visit as a fine example of an old school proper pub.

An A-board outside was declaring the presence on the bar of "the best mild in the world"! Tempted and intrigued, I entered the pub and lifted the sneck of the public bar door with trembling hand, but it turned out to be Thwaites Nutty Black: admittedly a good mild and one of my favourites, but I'm afraid I would have to disagree with the judges at the World Beer Awards about this one. The Ring O'Bells ought to be a haven of peace, situated next to the parish church and close to the river, but externally there's Kendal's race track of a one-way system and internally some very loud and annoying modern pop music to contend with. Having purchased my half of the best mild the world has to offer (the other beers were Thwaites Wainwright and Hawkshead Bitter), I gave up the unequal struggle and went and sat in the Bell Ringers Snug, or what others might erroneously think of as the passage leading to the lounge bar and the toilets. Both the snug and the even smaller entrance hall have serving hatches in them, the latter presumably for off sales in the past. It was pleasantly quiet in the snug, which has room for about four people at the most, with scarcely room for a game of dominoes, never mind swinging a cat. I liked it here, but would have given the pub a 9 rather than my slightly stingy 7 if the radio had been turned off.

Unspoilt historic pub in quiet end of town. Two rooms either side of bar, with a little snug between, and a dining room at rear, which all feel nicely aged. A couple of good ales on and sometimes listed in Good Beer Guide. A step into the past.