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Detail Pages
The Pilot, Swansea
Mumbles
Postal town: Swansea
SA3 4EL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Pilot
A wonderful little L shaped pub with traditional décor; slate floor, undressed brick, varnished fittings (including the ceiling!), a lovely stained glass bar topper, jugs and general paraphernalia. Also spotted half a boat above the bar. No TV, no music, no games machines. Seven ales on including three from their on-site brewery and a load of different (bottled?) ciders. I went for the Bass (‘served flat unless otherwise requested’) an NBSS 4 and Pilot Wrecker (3.5). Filled-up quick a few minutes after opening which attests to its popularity. I didn’t really want to leave. You must do this one.
On 22nd September 2021
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5089 recommendations about 5072 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Pilot
A proper tradition pub this one and the best of its type we visited whilst in Mumbles. A solid stone pub with lots of internal dark wood, stone flagged floors and no TV, no music, no games machines, just good service, good drinks and good conversation.
Although the available beer range has been reduced during these restricted Covid times there were still enough ales on to make it interesting, including a couple from the in-house brewery and my pint of Pilot Gold was spot on.
I can see why the local CAMRA branch like this one.
On 22nd June 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Pilot
This is a fairly innocuous looking seafront pub on the South Eastern edge of Mumbles. Inside it's something of a real ale Mecca which includes a small brewery at the rear. As noted below it's an L shaped room with the bar at the front and a slightly raised area at the rear. There is loads of boaty memorabilia around the walls. The brewery can be seen at the rear on the way to the Gents. There was a fair crowd in on my Thursday afternoon visit, possibly helped by the fact that other Mumbles pubs worth visiting are late openers.
I counted eight hand pumps which had a cider, three from their own brewery, Tenby Hang Ten, London Pride, Worthington White Shield and one unused. I tried the Pilot Gold (£3.20), Revolver (£3.20) & Black Storm (£3.40) and the Tenby beer (£3.30). All were excellent.
I liked this pub and would happily return.
On 3rd December 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Pilot
Attractive seafront pub, and home of the eponymous brewery. Pleasantly traditional inside, with a compact 'L'-shaped bar with an interesting stained-glass gantry above the counter and a mixture of nautical decor and old photographs of the former tramway, etc. Limited seating at the front, and nearly all high stools and chairs at that (which won't suit everyone) but there is also a further raised seating area at the back with standard furniture. Excellent choice of real ales and a cider from seven of eight handpumps, including their own Revolver (made with Delta hops, £3.20) and Viper Vermont IPA.
On 30th July 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Pilot Inn
I last visited this pub in early 1999 during a crawl of the now seemingly defunct 'Mumbles Mile' pub crawl, of which this was, for most participants, the final pub of the crawl. Returning over 16 years later - a period which has seen so many of its contemporaries close or converted into coffee shops, cafes etc... - it was reassuring to find the place much as I remembered it. In fact, the only significant changes I could detect were the signs advising large groups, such as stag and hen parties, to steer clear and a much improved ale range, thanks in part to the pub's own Pilot Brewery. Three of their beers were available on this visit - Pilot Gold, Black Storm and Black Revolver - alongside a varied selection of Weird Beard Mariana Trench and Little Things, Bass, Wells Bombardier and Hook Norton Old Hooky. At least one real cider was available on handpull, but a board listed a great many more cider options. I tried the Pilot Gold, which was a good session ale and kept in excellent condition. The bar area was packed on a Friday evening yet the friendly bar staff successfully served me over half a dozen punters' heads and seemed well drilled in dealing with such crowds.
The pub is typical of many of the old Mumbles pubs, occupying a small seafront property with a compact L-shaped layout. The front part is a tile floored bar area with the servery directly opposite the front door. The bar has a nice dark wood counter, tongue and groove bar back and an eye catching back-lit stained glass canopy which depicts pleasant images of rural and urban life. To the left there are some high tables and stools under arched windows and a large board listing all of the beers, whilst over on the right hand side a few more tables and stools stand under bare brick walls with a drinking ledge running along one and a ship's wheel on display under a high shelf stacked with various bottles, glasses, tankards and the like. The room extends further back on this side, passing a series of ship's flags, a lovely low stone fireplace, a collection of board games and books, some CAMRA certificates, plenty of photos and paintings, a rack with the day's papers, a couple of tables and chairs, a stack of wood for a small burner and a most unusual old ship departures board. Eventually you reach a small rear raised seating area with more standard tables and chairs and a few low stools in an area with half panelled walls, local photos and info boards and a stained glass window with a ship's wheel image. A bar skittles table was propped up to the rear and I also noticed a shove ha'penny board. No music was playing and there was a TV screen in one corner, but it remained off and didn't look like it got much, if any, use.
This is an excellent pub that has reacted to the loss of trade now that students no longer complete the Mile, by targeting the more discerning drinker and judging on this evidence, it has been very beneficial doing so. There are a few very good pubs in the Mumbles and this one might just be the best of the lot.
On 7th January 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Paul Critcher left this review about Pilot Inn
Hi grumpy bastard. I don't remember trying to lick anyone last time I was in the Pilot, but then I had drunk several pints of the Oystermouth stout. Fortunately my doggies know their way home! They also drag me in 'cos Joe keeps jars of dog treats on the bar! My excuse etc..
I was trying to add some links to their websites,but as a semi-luddite, I don't know how. So here they are.........
http://www.mumblesbrewery.co.uk/ and........ http://www.thepilotofmumbles.co.uk/
Keep up the grumpy good work.........Phredd
On 3rd January 2014
- rating: 10
[User has posted 4 recommendations about 3 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
grumpy bastard left this review about Pilot Inn
This made me thoroughly miserable as there was only one thing I could complain about: no music, no smell of cooking, no children kicking about, no one-arm bandits. Nope the only complaint was they allowed dogs in. Quite why people feel the need to take their dogs into a pub is a mystery to me. Nothing worse than the smell of dog and then they start trying to lick you after having smelt all the other dog s**t in the area. Uuugggghh! (And that's just the dog owners!)
Otherwise pub is nearly brilliant.
On 3rd January 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5 recommendations about 5 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about Pilot Inn
This is a detached pub and home to the Mumbles Brewery. The pub (formerly the Pilot Hotel) is early Victorian, but the plan on display in the pub shows that it was remodelled and extended in 1967. It is a simple cottage style in a light blue render, with a couple of small upper windows and two larger, flat ones flanking the central entrance. The interior has a single L-shaped room, which is in brick and white at the front and green and white at the back (up a step or two). There is a stone flag floor, with a nice wood bar, with colour glass above. Old photos of the area are on the walls. There is a tiled fire and a few brass ornaments. The TV wasn't on and there was no music. The service was really friendly and the clientele maturer - they don't do stag/hen parties in fancy dress etc (so no scantily clad French maids, alas). Saying that, the beer more than makes up for it. Beer; usual tap stuff with Bass, Worthington E and then Mumbles' Gold, Mile, Gower Power, Gower Wheat and Xperimentale on handpull. I tried all their beers other than the Wheat - they were decent. Simply an excellent little pub, the one to head for on the Mumbles - a must.
On 2nd October 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Paul Critcher left this review about Pilot Inn
The Pilot has been bought outright by Richard and Jo, a very friendly couple, and has been refurbished. Jo worked behind the bar in the Park Inn ( Camra area pub of the year several times) for some time before the opportunity to buy the Pilot came up.They are a Real Ale pub, (5 brews last time I was in) plus the usual range of lagers etc.and will be brewing their own beer on-site from spring 2013....Phredd.
On 16th December 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 4 recommendations about 3 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
craig evans left this review about Pilot Inn
The Pub is now re-open and the new landlady is very welcoming and they are always snacks and stuff on the bar and you also get to sample the land ladies favorate music while you there lol
Good luck to the new owners
On 27th July 2007
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3 recommendations about 3 pubs]