Pack Horse Inn

Keswick, Cumbria. Sitting on Pack Horse Court, this land was originally a 13th century burgage yard. Burgages were long, narrow plots of land rented out by a local Lord or the King. Tenants lived in timber framed houses fronting the main street and used the deep yard behind for their craft, trade, or livestock. The building dates back to the 17th century, and was originally established as a traditional coaching inn and livery yard to service the bustling trade routes cutting through the fells.

The inn takes its name from the reliance on packponies during the 17th and 18th centuries. These sturdy animals were the primary way to transport local Cumbrian wool, slate, and "wad" - the famous black graphite mined in nearby Borrowdale used to make early pencils - across the rugged terrain. Traveling tradesmen, carters, and coachmen used the alleyway to keep their horses in the rows of stables located at the back of the yard. While the animals rested, their handlers sought refuge inside the inn for hot food, homebrewed ale, and a bed for the night.

The interior features a vertical layout split into three levels (including a beautiful stained glass ceiling feature on the top floor). Walking inside you will find lots of classic old world architecture, including low ceilings, original wooden beams, stone flagstone floors, and fireplaces that have kept travelers warm for centuries. A Robinsons pub, it was hard to not have their Cascade IPA, my usual when visiting one of their pubs. But I couldn't not have a beer they brewed for this pub, Cumbria Way Golden Ale, probably brewed with Fuggles and Goldibgs hops. I was not disappointed. A nice conclusion to my day in Keswick.