Busy tourist trap pub with folk ranging from walkers to families scattered about the pub. Efficient service kept waiting times minimal. Many of us compared it to The Jamaica Inn with many apparent similarites between the two.

This pub may well have developed substantially since Flying Geordie’s visit nearly 10 years ago. It is very large - two main bar areas, plus a separate restaurant and a brewery tap-room. We had just visited Homesteads, the centrepiece of Hadrian’s Wall, and stopped here on a whim. Glad we did - the local brewery ales that I tried were splendid.