The Ship Inn, Retford

Traditional Pub - Batemans Gold in good condition. My visit was marred by the place being run by just one member of staff on a Saturday afternoon. Merely inquiring to the the covid rules was met by a "I'll be with you in a minute!". Took an age to get served, as she had no idea of who was next in the garden. Too scared/bored to attempt to order a 2nd.

Although I haven't reviewed this pub in its previous guise as the Rum Runner, I've been here numerous times since my first visit in 2004 and noticed a bit of a tailing off in beer quality in recent years, so wasn't surprised to see the pub closed when I was last in Retford. There has been a thorough refurbishment by Batemans, a return to the original name and an enthusiastic young manager put in charge. The biggest change inside is that the bar has been opened so that it faces both rooms - previously the dining room had no bar access. There are four hand pumps on each side (see photos) with quite an impressive beer offering, though I was disappointed to see no Batemans XXXB. I went for their Salem Porter instead, and this was a very nice drink in tip top condition. A very welcome fire was in the large fireplace and I have to say it was great to be back. It must be time for a reprise of my old pub crawl: Lincoln-and-back by train. Date of visit: 24th November 2017