The Royal, Penrith

Called in around lunchtime on a Tuesday and the the pub clean tidy and spacious. There was three cask pumps on with 2 functioning, The White Witch and Hobgoblin

Basic local, one of those pubs you won't get near the bar because of the locals on stools in front of it. There is some real ale, from Marstons [sic] but nothing outstanding

Tidy and comfy local, long and shallow with a sort-of W-shaped interior (would have been multi-roomed off the bar back in the day). There’s a nice tiled floor by the servery which has a varnished and stained glass upper, alongside a handsome wood panel fireplace in the left-hand area (though sadly no longer a proper hearth fire) with darts and a pool table in the rear room. GBG’24 listed with two cask - Wainwright and Oakham Citra – the latter of which for a Monday night was a superb drop (NBSS 4). Perfectly enjoyable place that had a few punters in and was turning-over the cask nicely. 7.5

Disappointingly now only has two hand pumps, and when we were there my first choice of beer, Stringers Wolf Warrior, was on the way out, though was readily changed for the alternative, Moorhouses Ice Maiden. The bar is now dominated by keg fonts seemingly about two meres high, which seemed to be making a statement of sorts. There are now better real ale outlets than this in Penrith. Date of visit: 24th December 2014