Badger Bar@The Glen Rothay Hotel, Ambleside

Pub SignMan left this review about Badger Bar@The Glen Rothay Hotel

A charming roadside hotel bar famed for its nocturnal badger sightings, the Badger Bar is a quintessential Lakeland stop full of character. You enter into a corridor with bare boards, leading to a compact central bar and several offshoot dining and drinking areas. First on the right is a beautiful, carpeted room with dark wooden panelling, rows of simple tables, a few pews, and a glorious fireplace flanked by horse brasses and old photos – one of the most atmospheric pub rooms I’ve seen in a long while. The central bar has a neat, traditional counter and specials board opposite, with a small area of bar stool seating that gives way to another busy drinkers’ room abuzz with conversation. This space leads out to a very pleasant beer garden, where I assume the nightly badger feeding takes place. The main dining room, to the left of the entrance, contrasts somewhat with a slightly glitzy feel – big decorative flourishes and some grand, if overdone, touches. The toilets, curiously, have large chunks of exposed rock built into them for no obvious reason, adding a final dose of eccentricity to a memorable visit. We drove here and all I can say is that parking can be a bit of a scramble – get there early to be assured of a spot.
The beer choice on cask was excellent: Barngates Goodhews Dry Stout, Bo’ness Bay Swan Gold, and Lancaster Red made up a good selection, from which the Swan Gold was in excellent condition, with throughput looking pretty consistent across all three pumps. Service was warm and efficient, and the packed car park meant a packed pub and a pretty decent atmosphere considering a lot of folk were there to eat.
I thought this was a cracking pub with a truly memorable interior, great beer and food, friendly service and a warm atmosphere. Sure, it can feel like a bit of a tourist trap and some rooms are better experienced if you’re dining, but this was by far the pub I enjoyed the most from my time spent in the Lakes and I’d have no qualms recommending it, regardless of your enthusiasm for badger spotting.

Date of visit: 12th April 2025

On 8^th September 2025 - rating: 9
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