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Beer of the Week (w/e 28th April 2024) with Bucking Fastard
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Royal Hotel, Penrith
Dockray
Postal town: Penrith
CA11 0JY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about Royal Hotel
A more enjoyable visit than for my previous review, six years ago. After a long day in the saddle it was good to sit down on a settle in the cool of the bar area, while a gaggle of tourists were sat roasting in the garden out front and calling in from time to time to pester the staff about dinner. (It was five o'clock on a Saturday afternoon.) Bar and dining room were much as described previously, and still four hand pumps on the bar, but it was good to see Tirril relegated to an also ran, with three Keswick beers occupying the podium. I went for Cardinal, a 3.6% pale brewed with Maris Otter and the eponymous Slovenian hop. This was a very good beer: light, crisp and refreshing, and an easy NBSS 3.5. The hooray henrys in the hot and noisy beer garden should have tried this one instead of their industrial lagers.
On 27th June 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3748 recommendations about 3484 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Royal Hotel
This is a hotel that seems to have been added on to the front of a much older village inn that was in the farmhouse style still seen in some country pubs around here. The taller, more modern building is entered from the car park and beer garden that are screened from the road through the quiet valley of Matterdale by a hedge and some trees. The bar is quite a large room with carpeted floor to the left, modern-looking stone flags to the right. The bar counter is also modern, with wood panelling and four hand pumps. The ales available (see photo) were all from local breweries, which is good to see, though my Tirril 1823 Nut Brown Ale didn't pull up any trees as far as I was concerned - maybe it was a little tired.
Date of visit: 5th May 2017
On 13th August 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3748 recommendations about 3484 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Lands left this review about Royal Hotel
The Royal Hotel is just that, a hotel bar. In winter, if there are no residents the bar will close very early. The four handpumps have a variety of local beers (Keswick and Geltsdale while I was there) at an expensive £3.90 per pint. Good quality food available (until 8.30 the board outside states) but I would advise booking to ensure the Royal is open. It is difficult to see how the winter trade can support the 3 handpumps in use with limited opening, so quality will depend on recently the beer was tapped. It may be better in summer.
On 4th March 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 12 recommendations about 12 pubs]