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Submitted on Sunday, 1^st December 2024
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The Ship Inn, Retford

Pub added by elizabeth mcgraw

Wharf Road
Retford
DN22 6EN

Phone: 01777860788

Correct details

Served areas

Retford Town

Reviews of The Ship Inn (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Strongers . left this review about The Ship Inn

The Ship Inn is a Batemans’ pub with four hand pumps on both left and right-hand bars, although the left-hand bar was lights-out, so I spent my visit in the flagstone floored right-hand side where banquettes are found under the front window and a burner sits on a plinth against the right-hand wall. There are steps up to wooden floored seating towards the rear and then down where there’s more seating and a pool table. Food is advertised, I noted an upcoming steak night, I assume that the closed left-hand side is the dining area. The service was polite and there was a bit of background music to cut through the silence during a quiet midweek late evening visit.

On 20^th February 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 6560 recommendations about 6522 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Graham Coombs left this review about The Ship Inn

A nice solid pub, with slightly weird dark decor but comfortable enough. As in an earlier review, the room behind the bar was out of use, leaving a main room and a longer extension behind, but plenty of room for me and the other customer. Four Batemans ales on the pumps, including the Gold which was waiting replacement, and they do sometimes have guests apparently. I did spot a sign advertising a 4-7 "Happy Hour" with all cask ales at £2.95, which seemed a good offer.

On 30^th November 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3900 recommendations about 3832 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about The Ship Inn

A random visit with half an hour to wait for my train to Sheffield, and I cycled past the busy-looking Brew Shed and the similar Idle Tap to get here and find it almost deserted at 2pm on a Friday. There were three Batemans beers on the bar and I asked for a pint of XB, then had to wait five minutes while the lass behind the bar tried to pull it through - she even went down into the cellar to make sure it had been connected properly - and the beer was only just NBSS 3 despite being a new barrel fresh on. The other beers were XXXB and Gold, and she also pulled the latter through while I was drinking my pint. Opening on a Friday lunchtime with at least two out of three beers not pulled through tells me something about this former very popular pub's change of fortunes, as it's either very sloppy or shows what the expectation of custom has become, or both. Of course I could be wrong - it's an old favourite, so I hope I am.

On 12^th June 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 4672 recommendations about 4281 pubs]

View more reviews of The Ship Inn (7)

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Lincoln-and-back by train by Will Larter

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