The Greyhound Hotel, Penrith

The Greyhound can be found on the main A6 through Shap. Although of course, the vast majority of traffic bypasses it completely on the M6. Not open until 3pm during the week (with all-day closing on Tuesday), I was the first customer in. It gave me a good opportunity to chat to the friendly landlady. A local did arrive to double our numbers shortly before my departure halved the customer count once again. Food seems to be the main source of income here. They were fully booked for that evening. Apparently, it sits on the C2C trail. So, it is quite popular with walkers passing through the village. The interior was nice enough with laminate flooring and a few different sections. An unusual feature was a beer engine sat on the floor next to the bar, which gives you a good visual of exactly how they work. I hadn't realised at the time, but apparently it is used to dispense water for dogs! Three beer engines on the bar had only one in use, dispensing Wainwright Amber. Somersby was the cider and Guinness was the only realistic alternative to the Wainwright for beer drinkers. There are some lovely views across the countryside at the front, with a pleasant suntrap patio the rear. The car park is beyond that. It was enjoyable chatting to the landlady, but with only one national cask ale, a clear focus on food and a lack of customers, it's difficult for me to score this one above average.

From the road this looks like a traditional Westmorland pub, and it's only when turning off the road to find the car park that it becomes clear this is a large and indeed modern hotel. The furniture and decorations are all corporate business class, though why modern business man are on the A6 through Shap rather than the motorway or better still the train is a question that will remain unresolved. I was only here because my preferred lunchtime beer stop had decided not to open, so I felt quite lucky to find a real ale or two on the bar here. In fact one of them was from local Tirril Brewery, whose beers I have shuddered upon drinking too many times to ever drink again, so that left me with Bowness Bay Swan Blonde, also local being based just down the road in Kendal. This was not really to my taste but was in reasonable condition and I was able to recharge my batteries in two senses of the word, as my phone was also at a low ebb.