Castle Hotel, Bishops Castle

Nice old hotel high above the town hall and Market Square in what claims to have been England's smallest borough. Comfortable three-room bar in an overall 'L' shape; traditionally furnished and decorated as you would expect. Hobson's Best, Three Tuns Rantipole, Six Bells Nev's Best and Clun Pale (£3.30). However, if the weather allows, head through the small patio yard and up the steps to the elevated beer garden with its splendid view over the town roofs to the Shropshire Hills AONB beyond. Further uphill again you can find a bowling green atop the former castle mound.

A fabulous hotel whose bars are more akin to a pub's. Really good ale on tap and a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. With good food on offer, this is a place to seek out.

This very sedate Hotel bar is situated at the top end of town and whilst it does seem more geared towards diners, it does still have a few merits to justify a visit although it is somewhat overshadowed by its 2 brewpub neighbours. The hotel is to the right whilst the squeaky door to the left leads to the first of 3 sections in the pub side, a rather quaint paneled room with a small bar area and open fire but laid out for diners on my visit. The next room is slightly larger and a bit more pubby in décor but this too was laid out for diners. The main bar area is at the rear but you cannot fail to escape from that subdued hotel bar feel and the seemingly large proportion of bare floor space makes it a appear a bit empty and hollow. One corner is dedicated to the local cricket club and among the bits and bobs is an interesting 1833 inventory of the stock. The current stock included 3 ales, Hobson's Twisted Spire, Hobson's Best and Six Bells Big Nev from down the road. Given the number of customers, 3 ales is probably as much as you would want to see in order to retain the quality. One big plus is the presence of a bar billiards table and there are also various traditional board games, dominoes and flat screen TV, albeit quite badly positioned. The old time piped music is probably enough to ensure that the customer base is largely mature and civilised although for a Friday night, the place was alarmingly bereft of people altogether. I gather the garden is something to behold but as it was dark I couldn't see much beyond the initial patio and small pond. The Castle is certainly worth popping into but I wouldn't particularly make an evening of the place although in the summer, it may be amore appealing thanks to its garden.

Official site of the Castle Hotel - www.thecastlehotelbishopscastle.co.uk