The Huntsman's Inn @ Newby Bridge Hotel, Ulverston

Pub SignMan left this review about The Huntsman's Inn @ Newby Bridge Hotel

Attached to the Newby Bridge Hotel, this smart pub straddles the line between hotel bar and proper pub, with a notionally separate dining room in an otherwise largely shared space. It occupies a handsome old building directly opposite the eponymous bridge, with a tidy beer garden and ample parking. Inside, the bar and restaurant are divided by a remnant partition wall, with the bar tucked in the back right corner and the dining room to the front. There’s good quality wood panelling around the space and a mix of comfortable bar seating in an arc layout, anchored by a grand fireplace and a bay window that gives the room character. The dining room has elegantly framed mirrors, padded chairs and classic paintings, giving it a slightly upscale tone. Through an open doorway at the far end is the hotel reception and a Garden Room set for more diners, with simple décor and ample capacity.
Cask ales on this visit included Ulverston Lonesome Pine and Tyrill Kirkstone Gold, with one pump unclipped. The bar counter is traditional and smart, with a mirrored back and a few stools. Staff were friendly but rigid on food service – the kitchen shut promptly at 20:30 despite plenty of customers still arriving. Unusually for a restaurant, dogs are welcome, which made for a bit of a fraught dining experience when they all decided to start barking furiously at one another at various points throughout the evening.
As hotel bars go, I thought this was a pretty good one, especially with the dedicated drinking area over to the right, which has the essential quality of not making drinkers feel like second-class customers. The separate dining space helps preserve this feeling and with a couple of interesting cask options, the place is certainly worth a quick look, even if it’s far from being a destination pub in its own right.

Date of visit: 11th April 2025

On 8^th September 2025 - rating: 6
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