Leominster and Leintwardine

The plan for Day 2 of our trip to Ludlow was to catch the train into Herefordshire and visit the town of Leominster.
First things first: a quite wonderful breakfast at CSONS down by the River Teme.  Following by a browse of local traders day at Ludlow market where we weighed out bags down with cake, locally roasted coffee beans, and SY8 rhubarb ketchup.

Before Leominster: a side-trip to the village of Leintwardine.

A Herefordshire village 10-miles from Ludlow, home to around 850 people, 2 churches and 2 pubs.
This was the one that we were interested in...

Always trust a weather-worn faded pub sign...and a blue plaque...

So, what's a parlour pub?
A change in the licensing laws in 1830 allowed private householders to sell ale and cider from their own homes as well as being able to brew beer, just so long as they didn't open on a Sunday or offer fortified wines or spirits.  So started the practice of beer houses, where drinks would be served from a jug in the parlour.  By 1838 beer houses outnumbered traditional inns and hotels with some 46,000 throughout the land.  
In 1869 the rules were changed again, making it harder to get a licence and preventing new beer houses from opening.  Over the following years many closed, whilst others transformed into regular pubs applying for full licenses.

Sun Inn (Rosemary Lane, Leintwardine, SY7 0LP)
Remaining examples of parlour pubs are few and far between, so what a treat to step into the Sun Inn and the parlour that Flossie ruled over for 74 years...

To the other side of the entrance corridor is the bare bones red-brick-floored public bar...

This could have been lost forever when Flossie passed away in 2009.  CAMRA launched a "Save the Sun" campaign and a neighbour and local brewer brought the pub from the family, whose desire was for it to continue as a pub.
The original rooms remain intact although all the action is through the back in an extension which contains the bar, additional seating and access to the garden.
Beers available on our visit came from Ludlow Brewery, Hobsons and Wye Valley.

Much as I liked the front rooms, it made sense to take my Hobson's 'Best Bitter' (and a pickled egg) to the toasty seats by the wood burner, in the extension where a handful of locals sat around the edges with pints of beer and newspapers.

One remarkable pub ticked off, it was time to head back into Ludlow and catch a train to our second destination of the day.
The Transport for Wales service whisked us to Llanllieni in 10-minutes, Welsh announcements first - not that the English pronunciation is especially helpful being as it has three extraneous letters on paper.

Leominster
This north Herefordshire market town is 9-miles south of Ludlow and is home to around 12,000 folks.  As is often the case, it doesn't look especially appealing stepping out from the station, but a short walk took us to the centre where we could OD on timber-frames and listed buildings (in excess of 150 of them).
We made our way to the market square where a quick check the time on the impressive clock  (pictured at the top of the post) confirmed it 14:30 - beer o'clock.
Our first port of call was to the Press Room in the corner of the square...

The Press Room (1 Corn Square, Leominster, HR6 8LR)
Many years back this building housed a pub called the Duke's Head.  That is long gone, later uses being as a printing business and as the tourist information centre.  So it's great to see it returning to selling beer, albeit alongside coffee and cakes.

The bar counter has been constructed by a local carpenter to include an unusual window to show the workings of the beer engine...

Rather like the Blood Bay in Ludlow, parts of the bar are salvaged from closed pubs - the bar back has come from Penarth and the beer engines from Nottingham.

On our visit they were serving Hobson's 'Town Crier' or Hop Shed 'Java Pale' from the hop farm brewery in Worcestershire.  This was formerly just called 'Pale' and has been given a rebranding that make me think 'coffee'.  Brewed with three varieties of British hops, it's a floral hoppy and fruity brew.

I left Mrs PropUptheBar and the dog sipping an Erdinger Alkoholfrei isotonic beer, whilst I took the opportunity to pop into Wetherspoon's a couple of doors down.
The darkening sky is indicative that the weather was about to take a turn...

The Duke's Head (Corn Square, Leominster, HR6 8LR)
And indeed it did - hail-stones briefly pummelling the skylight extension to the rear of the Duke's Head which the bar counter sits under.
The pub looks fairly traditional and small from the frontage on the square, and would be were it not for the conversion to extend it into two additional areas at the back.

Quick bit of Spoons carpet appreciation...

The onward to see what cask ales were on offer: Ludlow 'Gold', Moorhouse 'Pendle Witches Brew', and Pheasantry 'Dancing Dragonfly' sharing space on the hand pumps with the Spoons regular fare.
£2.20 for the guest Pheasantry from East Notts, a fruity and boozy 5% golden ale.

Moving on, we strolled up Drapers Lane and quickly found our next destination.
Changeable weather on this day which has gone from a downpour to deep blue skies...

Grape Vaults (2-4 Broad Street, Leominster, HR6 8BS)
This was a cracking pub.
Am I pushing my luck if I claim that all pubs with 'Vaults' in the name are brilliant?
The Grape Vaults is a 19th century inn that has never been spoilt by any flashy refurbishment, retaining many historic features within a simple interior.  No music or games machines to distract from the chatter of a group of folks spread across the small tables in front of the bar, the sunshine beaming through the windows.

Beers came from Ludlow Brewery: Best, Gold or Blonde.
The Best was on superb form, a fittingly good pint for the delightful surroundings.

Moving on - slightly reluctantly - from the Grape Vaults, we strolled along the lane to the Priory Church of St Peter and St Paul, busily bell-ringing on a midweek teatime.  Then through the greenery of The Grange park with the old market hall as its focal point - a building dismantled to open up a junction in the town centre in 1850, then rebuilt near the church in 1859.

Back out on Eltham Street we made our way to the 2026 Good Beer Guide listed Chequers - another Grade-II-listed good-looking old timber framed building.

The Chequers (63 Etnam Street, Leominster, HR6 8AE)
This is considered to be the oldest pub in town, dating back to at least the 1600's when it was operating as a coaching inn with stables to the rear.  It was first recorded as being 'The Chequers' in 1843.  The front room is the most characterful bit of the pub with wooden beams and a spectacular fireplace.

Those would be the best seats in the house on a winter's eve with logs burning on the hearth.

This is a Wye Valley house, with the biggest range of their beers I can recall seeing in one place: six in total - Stout, Pyoneer, Butty Bach, Hopfather, HPA, and a seasonal mild.
I'm never one to turn down a mild, picking 'The Malt Awakens' with its Star Wars themed name and pump clip.  Another cracking pint.
The music didn't live up to the beer - Lukas Graham, Bon Iver, then Niall Horan making for a bit of a bland-fest.

But I'm not complaining...it's a super pub which began filling up with customers whilst we were sat in the front window alcove.
Four varied drinking establishments visited in Leominster, decent beer in all, the Grapes Vaults standing out as the town highlight.
We briefly thought about calling into the White Lion close to the railway station, but then figured we could do much better hopping on the next train back to Ludlow.  And so we did, with Black Country Ales and a much more modern parlour pub.

Ferry Across the Wye

This post contains pubs in two counties...

...a brewery tap.
...a hand-pulled ferry.
...and lots of Wye Valley beer.

We were spending a long weekend in Symond's Yat, staying in a cottage in the tree-lined gorge that the River Wye runs through, with friends Tim and Marta and Luna - chaos reincarnated in canine form.

But first, I'd spotted a midday beer diversion in Gloucestershire where we could sit next to shiny brewing equipment.

Bespoke Brewing (Building 5, Church Farm, Church St, Littledean, Cinderford GL14 3NL)
Bespoke started brewing in 2012 in nearby Micheldean.  They were brought by the current owners six years later, who proceeded to move the brew kit to a new home in 2021.
That home is located up a gravel lane running between the church yard and a field of sheep, eventually leading you to farm buildings and reassuring banners advertising coffee and ale. 

There were a decent number of folks in the sunshine on benchs outside, the barn-like taproom proving less of a draw in the fine weather.  Just me that gets a silly grin sitting drinking next to fermenting vessels, then.

Draft beers came in the form of Arbor 'Mosaic', Stround 'Easy Peasy', a mysterious 'Bohemian Lager', plus two of their own concoctions.
We stuck with their own, ordering halves of the Bespoke 'Forest Gold' and 'Test Brew': the test brew being a 6-point-something % American IPA with lesser-seen hops.

  And very nice it was too.

Top marks also for the coffee counter here who brewed a quite marvellous and expertly presented espresso and cappucino, as well as having tempting sweet treats that could very well have scuppered my appetite for lunch.
Top marks for the WC too, a mini musuem of breweriana... 

Our rendezvous point with our friends was in Blaisden.
Guess who picked a former local Camra award winner to have lunch in?

The Red Hart (Blaisdon Ln, Blaisdon, Longhope GL17 0AH)
At least I picked well (this time).  It's a former local CAMRA Pub of the Year, serving a South West selection of cask ales from Otter, Butcombe, and Glastonbury Brewery.

The Red Hart has its bar counter facing the front door, with a pleasant rustic dining room to the right and trad village pub seating to the left.  Super flagstone flooring, random tools on the wall, an odd bit foliage failing to hide the speaker...

We took advange of the good weather, sitting in the lovely peaceful garden, enjoying the Glastonbury Best Bitter and the chefs interpretation of Indian street-food samosa chat.
A great place.  Which I knew it would be as soon as I caught a glimpse the old battered pub sign...

We'd left ourselves with a final 14-mile leg of the journey to reach Symonds Yat, our home for 2-nights, located down mildly challenging lanes.  Which would be easy to drive down if only nobody else had had the idea of coming here on a sunny weekend.

Our cottage was in Symond's Yat West.
The 2025 Good Beer Guide entrant was in Symonds Yat East, the River Wye inconviently in the way.  Although that makes for a unique final approach to a pub...

The Saracen's Head (Symonds Yat East, HR9 6JL)
Whatever Chris De Burgh may tell you, you do have to pay the ferryman.  £2 each for the short distance across the water - cripes, on a cost:distance ratio that's more than even HS2 will charge us (probably).
Advance warning to this penny-pinching pub-ticker - you'll have to cough up £6 for a pint at the bar here too.

The Saracen's selling point is the location and the chance to sit on one of several outdoor terraces overlooking the river.  Inside there is a dining room with a modern feel, whilst the bar spoils its olde-worlde stone floors with the olive paint job.
Plenty of youthful high-season staff on duty, happily calling people to the end of the counter and scuppering the queue that the holiday-makers so desperately want to form.

Here's the beer choice - lots of similar ales, missing the opportunity to put anything mild or dark on...

The Wye Valley 'Sundowner' and 'Butty Bach' were both on reasonable form, supped whilst watching the ferry go and back and forth admidst the constant cacophany of busy pubbiness.

Symonds Yat East is all about the steep gorge and rocks and has a lot less buildings than its neighbour on the other side of the river.
We made our way back there the following day, walking the long-way round via the Biblins camp site rope bridge, being as the ferryman doesn't kick into action until the pub opens.
A short steep climb takes you to the spendid viewpoint which shows why this area has been given the area of outstanding natural beauty tag.

Back down at river-level we opted to poke our heads into the hotel instead of returning to the Saracen's.

Royal Lodge (Symonds Yat East, HR9 6JL)
This is very much a hotel rather than a pub, the route to the bar taking you past a check-in desk, then through a dining room, the cereal dispensers still on the table after breakfast service.
Tempting as a bowl of bran flakes was, one of our party (that'd be me) didn't need any as he'd left everyone in bed that morning and popped down to Wetherspoons in Monmouth for breakfast.

I was sure there'd be no cask in the hotel bar, but was proved wrong...

Another new variety of Wye Valley beer for me, ensuring I didn't end up drinking Butty Bach all weekend.
The 'Pyoneer' was a superb sweet malty amber ale, brewed with Target and Goldings hops.  On great form, although the less said about the condition of the Clavel & Hind beer on the second pump, the better.

A short walk alongside the riverside path took us to the Old Ferrie Inn, except for that pesky bit of water being in the way again.
This pub also has a hand-pulled ferry to collect punters from the opposite bank.  With a bit of added jeopardy that they could only take a limited number, all sat at one end, to prevent the ferry getting grounded with the low levels of the Wye.

Ye Old Ferrie Inn (Ferrie Lane, Symonds Yat West, HR9 6BL)
This pub claims to date back the 15th century; to a time when it provided refreshment to the folk using the ferry crossing here to transport livestock from one side to the other.  
As with the Saracen's, this has an enviable location to draw the crowds in.  We saw little of the interior - packed the rafters when we were there - sticking to the outdoor benches overlooking the water, knocking back the Butty Bach.

There was one more pub in close proximity a little further up the lanes...

The Wye Knott Inn (Symonds Yat West, HR9 6BJ)
And this was probably my favourite of the lot.
Inside there is a decent traditional pub room in front of the bar, with more seating by the windows along the front in an extension to the original building.
I can find little out about the pub other than it being nicknamed 'Jampots' after using jam jars to serve beer during a wartime glass shortage.  I think I prefer Jampots to Wye Knott Inn.

There were two cask ales on the bar: the tropical hoppiness of Ledbury 'Olicana Pale Ale' and the malty 'Llandogo Trow Ale' from Kingstone Brewery.  The landlord was enthusiastic about his beers and did a fine job of selling Tim both scratchings and chicharones.

 

Very much not vegetarian, but the Hobson's bags were worth manuevering into the picture of my pint.
The Wye Knott has a pretty non-descript garden across the road from the pub, so scores more local trade than the hotspots by the river.  It's also a short somewhat precarious stagger downhill on a path through to the trees to the caravan park from where I guess they pick up some trade.  Someone's certainly drinking the cask, as both pints were in great condition.

So that brings an end to exploration of a handful of pub in Symonds Yat and a fine sunny weekend.  Back to Oxfordshire now and a new 2026 Good Beer Guide waiting on the doorstep.