Kings Head, Keswick

Oh dear, we have been staying at the Kings Head fairly regularly since 2008. The place has changed - A lot. Unfortunately not for the better. It is still clean, and the bed we were in was comfortable, but the room was so,so damp and cold. The food - Expensive and they serve chips (6 or 7 to a portion) in a "Jenga" style, or a little galvanised bucket. What's all that about - It's a pub! The beer is also relatively expensive, and not as well kept as it used to be. I think that a lot of other people have had similar experiences as the pub itself, the hotel and the restaurant, were consistently empty. Other pubs/inns/hotels are available..................

Long low hotel, with succession of rooms including restaurant, lounges etc. The pub part is the the right hand side, and features a 'local specialities' shop at the end. All in well looked after condition, with a fairly modern feel to it. Jennings beers fine and food looked ok. Outdoor garden areas to front.

Jennings Ales - Kept well but served a little cold, but they soon get to a proper temperature. Bar menu fairly reasonably priced - if a bit on the "n'chips" side. The St Johns Restaurant, at the opposite end from the bar, is excellent. You can stay here too, some residents have said that the Llamas can make a bit of noise! But who cares as they are very dog friendly. Sitting in the lounge, in front of the fire watching the steam rise from a wet spaniel, while supping a pint of 'Sneck, is quite rewarding.

This typical old, long farmhouse-type hotel stands beside the main road from Ambleside to Keswick. A sign beside the reception entrance directs bar users to the door to the right, where a typed notice directs the frustrated would-be drinker back to the reception entrance! (Just a temporary state of affairs, I expect, perhaps because of the cold weather.) The old part (original farmhouse) is very pleasant: typical Lakeland farmhouse on the grand scale. The dining room, through which the by now fairly desperate drinker seeks the way to the bar, has low beams and several nooks and crannies. The bar itself, by contrast, is all modern wood and uncomfortable chairs. There are five hand pumps serving a selection of Jennings beers. On the occasion of my visit there was just one available, but fortunately for me it was my favourite: Sneck Lifter.