The Bear Hotel, Crickhowell

Located slap bang in the centre of Crickhowell, this hotel has a restaurant and a cosy bar area with a kind of sleepy feel, or maybe that was just me after 9 pubs? There was a mix of customers in, including a couple who had just finished their meal, a group of 4 foreigners (presumably tourists) playing cards and an elderly local gentleman sat quietly enjoying his pint. There were a few staff around, with probably a mix of bar and kitchen staff who had just finished for the evening. Brains The Rev James & Timothy Taylor Landlord are the regular real ales. Guests on for my visit were Evan Evans Cwrw & Gower Gold. Whilst I didn't have chance to explore much of the interior, I liked what I saw and was particularly impressed by the large fireplace in the front room and the spooky Halloween display was certainly a good effort.

An impressively grandiose pub-cum-restaurant-cum-hotel situated in the centre of picturesque Crickhowell, which is a 15th century coaching inn (see the ‘Post Horses’ sign above the entrance to the arched passageway). Whitewashed exterior with black trim and some nice frosted glasswork in the doors. I was rather taken with the hand-painted pub sign, depicting a somewhat humanoid bear looking pleased with his fishing catch, having used rod rather than paw. Inside holds a large, multi-roomed and rambling interior with plenty of cosily traditional touches such as original ceiling beams, raging log fire, parquet flooring, rugs, cigarette card collections, pewter tankard collection, wood panelling and a rather lovely grandfather clock. Four ales; 2xWye Valley, Box Steam Derail and Brains Revd James, plus a range of bottled Welsh ciders and an impressive single malt collection. The ales we tried came out well. Many of the rooms were set for dining but there were still plenty of places to sit and drink. Child and dog friendly. A point of interest was the abundance of geriatric staff. If you’re down this neck of the woods this well-worth diverting to.