White Horse Inn, Craven Arms

Official site of White Horse Inn - www.whitehorseclun.com

Official site of White Horse Inn - www.whitehorseclun.com

I have been back to Clun many times since my review of 2013 below. A delightful village or small town, once an important cross-roads with a castle guarding the river crossing, but now a sleepy backwater. Of the two remaining pubs in Clun, this has the advantage of being open all day every day from 12 noon, while the Sun has, in my opinion, a slightly better beer range and a more congenial use of space. So the White Horse for the afternoons and Mondays, the Sun for later in the week/day. On my last visit there were six hand pumps on the bar, with one cider, three beers from Clun brewery and two from local Wye Valley and Ludlow. My half of Clun Pale was very good (NBSS 3.5). It was good to be back. Date of visit: 21st September 2022

Excellent pub in terms of it being a proper local. Busy at 6pm on a Friday. Lovely pint of Tumbledown cider. Diverse crowd. Cute beer garden. Would love it to be my local.

This is the brewery tap for Clun Brewery, and three hand pumps are dedicated to their beers: Citadel, Loophole and Clun Pale Ale (the first two deriving their names from the nearby castle). Also available were Wye Valley Butty Bach and Hobsons Best Bitter, with two ciders and two spare hand pumps for my midweek visit. I got quite a shock while waiting to be served when a vicious growl came from the previously unsuspected labrador under one of the tables, prompted by the entry into the pub of a prospective drinker and his jack russell. The ensuing peace was occasionally disturbed by a lively debate at the bar about the government's badger culling policy. This is a lively pub, but the service is sometimes rather impersonal, and I think this is because the bar staff are sometimes left to cope by themselves at busy periods when the landlord is on the pub floor mingling with customers. There needs to be a balance, so that sometimes the landlord makes his presence felt behind the bar, supporting his staff and enabling them to feel they have time to provide a friendly greeting rather than just pouring drinks as fast as they can go.