Robin Hood’s Bay – Laurel Inn

Our third and final pub on the Friday night before the Smuggler’s Trod, the Laurel Inn.

This little snug room is located at the entrance to the pub, with the bar area of the pub being up a few stairs. I liked this quirky room, it almost felt like a museum display, again all rather atmospheric.

There were lots of random artefacts decorating the interior of the pub, which was busy and there was an informal feel to the whole proceedings. The beamed ceiling and the rustic nature of the walls made me wonder whether the layout of this pub had changed much over the last century.

There were three ales on, and I’d already discovered that Leeds Pale isn’t well reviewed and I’ve had more than enough Adnams in the past. So, it was back to Old Peculier for me, although I had hoped for a more innovative selection of beers to choose from. The beer was fine, at the appropriate temperature and was well-kept, so that was all good. The service was also efficient and polite, with no wait to be served.

The three pubs we visited all did feel like they were a bit samey in terms of the beer selection, and there’s an article in Northern Echo from 2016 which stated they were all ordered to stop serving alcohol when the council discovered that the landlord in charge of them all had died. I have no idea whether they are still commonly managed, but it might explain the paucity of choice with the beers.