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Beer of the Week (w/e 1st February 2026) with Wittenden on the Pub Forum

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Submitted on Friday, 28^th March 2025
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The Blood Bay, Ludlow

Pub added by Oggwyn Great

13 High Street
Ludlow
SY8 1BS

Correct details

Served areas

Ludlow Central

Reviews of The Blood Bay (Average Rating: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Ian Mapp left this review about The Blood Bay

Blackthorn's review matched my experience - of which I still have mixed feelings about.

Well described below - so I will just give my experience. I am a retired tourist on a solo adventure. I saw the no mobile sign and took it to mean not taking calls. I needed to check whether my bus was on time and as soon as I took my device from my pocket, I assume the same person Blackthorn describes couldnt wait to tell me to "put it away or take it upstairs".

Really?

On the positive sign - she held court and encouraged conversation and it produced a good atmosphere.

I just have an issue with pubs with rules and staff that are characters.

I left for my expected bus.... which was 24 minutes late. I would have stopped for a second if I had known :-)

Oh, the beer is from salvaged victorian handpulls with no pump clips. You need to check the chalk board to see what is on - which is limited to 3/4 beers and a cider. Not much else.

I know it gets a lot of love for online reviews. I'm still making my mind up!

On 24^th January 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1751 recommendations about 1724 pubs]

Soup Dragon left this review about The Blood Bay

A fantastic sort of micropub in a terraced former shop. An open room in wood nearly cut in half by the central serving bar, there is no music (actually, the local ukulele band were practicing upstairs), Olde tasteful pictures and photos are on the walls. Service was great and clientele mature, No music or TV, Returned the following day to take tea (in the form of ale) in the small upstairs room (ukulele free) which feels like a Georgian parlour. A must do. Four ales, including Manchester Stout (Marble) and Uley Best Bitter. Go, for God's sake.

On 12^th July 2025 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3113 recommendations about 3108 pubs]

Blackthorn _ left this review about The Blood Bay

A lovely little pub just off the Market Square, one might well surmise that this hasn’t changed at all for decades. That said, it has in fact only been here for about seven years when it was converted from a shop. Whether or not the shop had a similar décor, or whether it’s been very well planned to make it look old, I’m not sure. In keeping with the Victorian style of the pub, mobile phones were banned and this rule was enforced.

The front bar is quite small, with the bar counter taking up the back wall, and a few small tables and chairs. Much of the wall was wood panelled and painted a deep salmon colour, with the flooring being old wooden boards. A few old pictures were dotted around, including a portrait of Queen Victoria, and above this a small bookshelf. At the rear was a similar sized room that was broadly similar in terms of décor, but with green painted wallpaper on the walls. This served both as a corridor to upstairs but had also been further partitioned off to create a cosy snug. The partitioning included both etched and stained glass, whilst the snug had padded bench seating on either side, and more old pictures. There was also a small hatch to get service directly from the bar.

Beer selection seemed to be limited to just a pale ale, a bitter and a stout and on this occasion, these were represented by Cotswold Lion Brewery’s Shepherd’s Delight, Uley Taverner and Chantry Diamond Black respectively. The solitary cider meanwhile was Barbourne Traditional which went down very well. Oddly though for a Victorian style pub, there was no gin available. Overall, a cracking pub, and whilst the barmaid seemed a little standoffish to start with, she was quite pleasant once she got chatting.

On 2^nd April 2025 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2107 recommendations about 2006 pubs]

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