Horse & Farrier, Penrith

A delightful pub, consisting of a group of white-painted buildings forming a semi-courtyard to the side of the steep hill out of the village; the pub's appearance is slightly spoilt by the cars parked in front. The bar is immediately on entering, with a large fireplace to the left having a traditional black range modified by the presence of a modern solid fuel stove. There's another room or rooms to the left, but I stayed put on a seat by the window and didn't explore. The bar, like parts of the walls, is painted in a pleasant shade of blue, with a varnished slice of a tree trunk forming the counter. Furniture is varied and in some cases improvised (often from cases!), and cushions made of sacks from around the world were a feature. There are five hand pumps and a similar number of keg taps. Three beers were available at the time of my Thursday afternoon visit, all from local(ish) breweries: Allendale Black Grouse, Great Corby's Corby Ale and Fell Brewery's Ghyll. I had a half of the first two, which were both in very good condition, with the Black Grouse being very impressive once the initial unusual flavour of the "oaked" porter had been assimilated. Two young women were serving in a friendly and efficient way; I don't know if they are part of the family or group that run the pub, and I did notice a sign outside advertising job vacancies (as seen at many pubs since Brexit and Covid). Food is available and I noticed a couple of regulars expressing their enjoyment and appreciation as they left; accommodation is available via Air B'n'B.

Facebook page of Horse & Farrier - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Horse & Farrier - www.facebook.com

Official site of Horse & Farrier - www.horseandfarrierdacre.com

Official site of Horse & Farrier - www.horseandfarrierdacre.com

Visted three or four times now. Excellent small pub, fantastic staff and friendly locals. Barmaid has a small dog who my dog just loves. good range of local ales, all well kept.