ReviewOccupying a remote position in the Gloucestershire countryside on the banks of the River Severn is The Boat Inn, a splendidly unspoilt family owned free house.
From the outside, the pub, to a large extent, resembles a private house and this feeling is reinforced as we enter through the front porch entrance down a small corridor and into the front parlour bar on the left. The wooden counter is small and garlanded with hops. There’s a large splendid fire place. Furniture consists of old settles, benches and chairs which extend back as far as the front window. There’s several rooms on the other side of the corridor, one of which, with several sofas, a mantelpiece and a TV really does look and feel like someone’s living room.
The walls are decorated with some local photographs and maps. There’s also a framed beer listing from the pub’s first beer festival in 1999. Small posters advertised a forthcoming Charity Beer Festival to be held between 7-9 October.
Outside on the right, there’s a very large barn like area to accommodate smokers. Here there’s several framed information boards containing details of local walks. Also of note here is a flood mark – just above head height – showing how high the water level reached in July 2007 when the pub had to close for as long as 4 months. This is all the more amazing when you realise that there’s a few steps and the riverbank to negotiate if you arrive by boat and moor up at the pub’s dedicated moorings. Disappointingly, apart from one barely visible photo behind the bar, there’s no framed newspaper cuttings / articles etc relating to the flooding.
A separate brick building in the garden at the front – signed as The Brew House – houses a separate deli style food counter where a basic selection of filled rolls may be ordered at certain times to accompany your pint.
Reflecting the fact that the car parking area and river bank at the front of the pub do not form part of the pub premises, there’s a rather natural unspoilt feel to sitting on the grass verge by the river bank. Dotted about here, there’s several park bench style seats in memory of various members of the Jelf family ( who have owned the pub for over 400 years ) – eg Sybil Jelf 1910 – 1991.
Pleasingly, the pub enjoys a good loyal regular trade and, on my recent Saturday lunchtime visit, the local cricket team were meeting up prior to a game later that afternoon.
Beers are served by gravity and included RCH Firebox, Pitchfork and Hobsons Twisted Spire. The latter ( ABV – 3.6%) was an enjoyable pint. The pub has been a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular for many years.
This is a marvellously unspoilt pub in an idyllic setting and its well worth making the effort to get to
