Owl & Pussycat, Welshpool

Facebook page of Owl & Pussycat - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Owl & Pussycat - www.facebook.com

This venue is newly re-opened and is now called the Owl & Pussycat. The landlady of the Westwood where I was staying said that it had 16 beers. However, this was a bit of an overstatement, as the 2 cask ales were HPA & Butty Bach. A third handpull did however have Lilley's Pineapple Cider on and with the basic national keg selection, there could well have been 16 different draft drinks stocked. There are a couple of comfortable rooms and a covered outdoor area at the rear. All areas, including the outdoor one, were busy with all tables taken. So, I took up residence on a stool at the bar. This place was certainly popular, presumably because it hasn't long opened.

Formerly the Crown Hotel, this remnant of a much larger building now split into various uses is more a cafe than a pub, though it is still possible to get a drink without buying food, so justifies its continued presence on this site. It keeps pub hours - 11am to 11pm every day - and there are a few high chairs at the bar for drinkers. The staff were happy enough to stop serving soup and sandwiches, or coffee and cakes as the case may be, to serve me a half of well kept real ale, and I wasn't the only one supping a beer and sitting at the bar. To be fair, I was the only one dressed for a cycling trip, though. Beers available were Waen Festival Gold, Purity Mad Goose and Hobsons Best. I had the local beer, originally brewed in Newtown just down the road but now from slightly farther afield in Llanidloes. The beer was certainly in better condition than the Butty Bach I had round the corner at the Pinewood, and this was a pleasant venue for a brief pit-stop. If I ever find myself in Welshpool of an evening it would be interesting to see how this place changes when shoppers lunches are less of a priority. (Date of visit 23rd October 2013)

quiet pub bit out of the way down an alley, but well worth a visit