Mardale Inn, Penrith

My first visit for almost 12 years and there seem to have been some changes inside the Mardale Inn at St Patrick's Well, as it is also known. The main change is that it looks spruce and professional, and the hatchet and nails mentioned in my previous review seem to have bitten the dust. On a hot day for cycling this was a haven of peace and cool quiet, with a very good beer: Loweswater Gold (NBSS 4). Just two hand pumps on the bar these days, but the quality of this beer really shone. It's hard to believe a small, out of the way place like this (ok, it's a tourist area but off the beaten track) ever offered as many as six beers! Worth making the effort to get here, but please note that parking is very limited, with notices throughout the village asking drivers not to park; there's a dedicated parking place at the road junction near Bampton Grange, but it's a 10 minute walk from the pub.

Facebook page of the Mardale Inn - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of the Mardale Inn - www.facebook.com

Official site of the Mardale Inn - www.themardaleinn.com

Official site of the Mardale Inn - www.themardaleinn.com

This is a very quiet village on the northeastern edge of the Lake District. The pub is a typical whitewashed building in the local vernacular, with a couple of benches out front, though the afternoon sun does not reach them. Inside the low ceilinged room there are rows of pine tables set out in front of the bar to the left, while a less formal area can be found to the right where a wood-burning stove has been placed in the large stone fireplace. A large tree trunk has been set up near the bar with a jar of five-inch nails and a hatchet, which is evidently used as a hammer for knocking nails into the wood. An unusual device for relieving stress, I guess. The tiny bar counter features six hand pumps serving five real ales and a cider. The beers are all local or from other independent breweries. The pub's own Bampton Emergency Ale takes pride of place, and there were also beers from Dent, Ennerdale and Hesket Newmarket (all Cumbria) and Cleveland (from Stillington near Stockton-on-Tees). There is food available, though I was just pausing to slake my thirst so didn't try any. The vegetarian option was asparagus and pecan pizza, which sounds interesting.