OLD PUBS & GOOD FOOD
South Wales, Late Winter 2019
Felin Fach Griffin
After having a memorable meal at the windswept Gurnard's Head in Cornwall, we were very excited about visiting their sister pub, The Felin Fach Griffin. Distinguished by a sturdy terracotta exterior, this roadside inn can be found amid magnificent scenery between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. Originally built in the 17th century as a coaching inn, this is a country pub that matches character with seriously decent food, all without any pretension. It's no wonder they have won so many awards.
We stepped out of the car beneath the hills and spotted a thriving half-acre kitchen garden towards the back of the Griffin. With a fire roaring in the grate and a heartfelt welcome, it was sheer bliss to stumble inside for lunch after a long ramble.
The Griffin is a warren of cosy rooms: the front bar has timber beams, farmhouse tables, and timeworn, deep leather sofas to sink into, with books shelved in crevices amongst the thick stone walls. Think local ales and weekend papers, all very much geared towards hikers and dog-walkers. The vast double-sided fireplace leads through to a homely deep-red dining room with bright local artworks. You can also eat in the Aga room where flagstone floors and French doors open onto the garden. We were seated in a corner of the dining room; a spot to indulge a love of crackling log fires.
The kitchen takes advantage of a network of neighbouring suppliers, sourcing locally and by season based on the Welsh larder: fruit and veg from the garden and meat and game from the surrounding hills. On offer here is uncomplicated earthy food, much of it organic. Straight to the table came complimentary homemade soda bread and butter, followed by a truly delicious meal. The ingredients spoke for themselves; slow food and good quality worth raving about. There was also a superb wine list with the option of carafes, as well as plenty of local beers and ciders on tap.
The pub is a perfect spot to cosy up for a languid lunch on a rainy afternoon. On brighter days, they supply their own walking guides and you can order a picnic to hit the trails with. Plenty of nooks make for indulgent candlelit dinners and seven rooms are available to stay in for a night or two.
The Skirrid Mountain Inn
Located in the tiny village of Llanvihangel Crucorney, the inn looks out onto the Black Mountains to the west and the Skirrid Mountain to the east. The pub's namesake is also known as the Holy Mountain, a peak that legend says was split in half by a violent storm at the very moment of Christ’s crucifixion. As heritage pubs go, there are few able to boast a historic tapestry as vivid as that of the Skirrid. Reputed to be the oldest pub in Wales, the brooding inn has woven itself into myth and folklore. Though impossible to verify, it’s said there was an inn here as early as the 11th century. The building that stands today is mainly a mid–late 17th-century construction. However, in all likelihood an earlier watering hole stood on the site for many years by virtue of its position: settled along a pilgrim trail that led to Llanthony Priory (see below). As such, sections of the building are seemingly much older and many of its wooden window and door frames are considered original.
We arrived in the dark of a cold evening, the pub sign swinging in the howling wind. The bulky stone building looked defiant to the weather's harassments, a place to warm your cockles and quench your thirst. Making our way to the front door, we noticed a mounting stone in the forecourt – an original structure installed to help gentlemen climb onto their horses. During the 15th century, legend has it that the Welsh rebel Owain Glyndŵr used the Skirrid as a base, rallying his forces in the courtyard in opposition to the rule of King Henry IV. Taking in the surroundings, the cluttered thud of hooves across the cobblestones could almost be heard as we pushed open the heavy wooden door.
We were greeted by a grand fire in a room that could pass for a castle parlour, with flagged floors and thick stone walls that were singed around the fireplace from the glowing embers of years gone by. Some of the exposed beams overhead were fashioned from ship timbers and we tried to pick out the slots and peg holes where they were once braced together as we tucked into a bowl of chips. The inn also has an ancient wood-paneled restaurant serving up pub favourites. As well as attracting the tourists, we got the sense that it functions as a real community hub, sticking to the time-tested customs of billiards for entertainment and regional ales on tap. There was a Wales vs England rugby match being shown that night and the place was brimming with cheery locals (Wales won!).
The three upstairs rooms on offer are very popular with those preoccupied by the paranormal thanks to the Skirrid’s ghostly reputation. A couple of locals entertained us with their own uncanny stories: glasses and change flying off the bar, strange moving shadows, and cold spots with no logical explanation. Apparently even the landlord doesn't take any chances. At the end of each night he maintains the local tradition of putting out a special tankard filled with ale to appease the devil.
One thing that cannot be disputed is that the place has character and an atmosphere reminiscent of another time. Before leaving, we made sure to inspect the infamous 17th-century staircase. The Skirrid is said to have doubled as both a courthouse and a place of execution during its long savage history. Almost 200 convicted prisoners were supposedly hanged here, a sentence carried out from an oak beam over the well of the staircase. I examined the hard slab on which the bodies were said to have been placed. My gaze lifted to the high beam above, patterned by score marks from rope weighed down with swaying bodies. It’s so easy to let the imagination take control in such a place, particularly one whose history breathes down your neck.
Llanthony Priory Hotel & Pub
Buried in a little-known spot in the heart of the Vale of Ewyas is the secluded hamlet of Llanthony, where a scattered few houses and farms cluster around the remains of Llanthony Priory, which is celebrated for its wild and beautiful setting in the Black Mountains.
The Norman knight William de Lacy stumbled across a ruined chapel while out hunting and was so captivated by the spot, that he renounced his worldly life and founded a hermitage there. The hermitage attracted like-minded recluses which led to the formation of Wales’ first Augustine priory around 1118. In the decades that followed the resident canons were forced to retreat, but peace and renewed endowment in the latter half of the century brought them back. A great rebuilding of the priory followed, the remains of which can be seen today. Over the years, the fortunes of the abbey continued to waver and after being dissolved and destroyed during the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s it was left to decay.
We persevered along a narrow winding road until the significant ruins came into sight. Cradled in the deep crook of two towering ridges they dominated the lush valley floor. It’s hard to imagine how a small band of monks managed to build such a majestic structure in the 12th century, but as we explored, it was certainly easy to see why. A dramatic landscape of rivers and mountains and a patchwork of hills and fields are all framed by the priory’s remaining windows. The low winter sun cast long shapes from the ruined gothic arches and we wandered in and out of shadow and sunlight. It was a profoundly serene place, the ruins retaining a real sense of peace against such a stirring backdrop.
Across the lawn, the ruins also house a Grade I-listed hotel, originally a hunting lodge, that was fashioned out of the tumbled priory in the 18th century. This small country inn incorporates the south-west tower of the monastic building and has four antique-laden rooms, reached by scaling an ancient spiral staircase. We were so charmed by the place that we enquired about a room for that evening. Understandably it was fully booked – all the more reason to return.
We did however make full use of the welcoming pub and restaurant which serve food for hungry walkers. And what an inspired drinking den, sat beneath the medieval arches of the priory’s 12th-century cellar. Minding our heads, we descended into the atmospheric crypt – a tiny and remarkable undercroft bar with real ales on tap. Homemade meals can also be enjoyed in the dining room with its vaulted ceiling and open log fire. We tucked into the most delicious Welsh ploughman’s for lunch in the bar. (It’s best to check the opening times as they have limited serving hours in the winter season.)
Opposite the priory is a quaint camping field with simple facilities. Chickens amble freely around the site and their eggs are available from the farm along with homemade burgers and sausages to sizzle over barbecues. Down through the farmyard is a river beach by the footbridge; a great spot for a dip. A footpath to the back of the priory winds up to Offas Dyke Path, which runs along a lofty ridge for magnificent views across Llanthony and the peaceful border hills beyond.
The Bridge Inn
Located on the border edge of the Brecon Beacons, the Bridge Inn is the kind of pub that few people stumble across by chance. In the wilds of Herefordshire, the village of Michaelchurch Escley was a tricky place to find in the dark, but was, without a doubt, worth us persevering.
Tucked down a steep lane in a pretty river-side spot, the 16th-century Bridge Inn started life as a home, in later years a place for drovers to quench their thirst before taking their flocks across the river. Walkers, dogs, families and locals now descend on the pub via a footbridge fringed with willows that brush the surface of the brook. Tables by the water lend themselves to warmer days, providing a charming beer garden to watch ducks and spy trout while children paddle by the bridge.
It was equally welcoming inside on a late winter's evening. We bundled in from the brisk black air and were soon thawed by the wood-burner’s blaze. Dark beams were threaded with hops above solid wooden settles and scrubbed pine tables. We were greeted by easy-going locals at the bar, where we ordered pints of Wye Valley Butty Bach and Wye Valley HPA – the regular cask ales. The inn also stocks local cider, a selection of wine from small vineyards, Herefordshire apple juice, and their very own gin. We were seated in one of two dining rooms and enjoyed a locally sourced supper; hearty and tasty, just what we were craving. The Escleyside Pie in particular was the perfect comfort dish for a cold February night.
Back in the bar, we flicked through a large folder bulging with recommendations for local walks and chatted to the friendly landlord. On site there are camping and caravan facilities with yurts for hire. Country bedrooms are also available in the old farmhouse a short walk away.