The Villagers, Guildford

The Villagers is situated in a pretty village but a bit tucked away and the “This Way/That Way/Somewhere Else” signpost at the main junction doesn’t offer too much guidance – you need to take the unmarked direction. The interior is divided into a public bar with a modern inglenook style fireplace, flag stoned floors, a new stone cladded bar (with an awkwardly placed TV) and low beamed ceilings which can be a bit challenging to the darts players. The larger main bar is mainly for dining with a rear section of soft furnishings. To the rear is a large garden area with a covered patio containing an outdoor pool table although the cheap plastic furniture doesn’t didn’t do it any favours. We found the landlord quite accommodating – we were organizing an event and he opened specially for us late one afternoon although, as others have mentioned, opening times tend to vary, especially in Summer when the ramblers are around so best check beforehand. The beers on my visits were from Weltons and Horsham breweries but they were a bit of a mixed bag regarding quality. On the whole, whilst we weren’t over impressed with the pub in general, the place did cater for our needs at the time. It seems to be a pub that either pleases or frustrates and at the moment it appears to be weighing on the latter. The potential is certainly there but it really needs someone to make an effort to bring it out.