Pub of the Season
Pheasant Inn, Bassenthwaite Lake
Telephone: 017687 76234.
The Pheasant Inn, our winter 2005 pub of the season, is a 500 year old coaching inn. The inn stands on a back road just off the A66 between
Keswick and Cockermouth. Originally a farmhouse, it belongs to Lord Inglewood’s estate, as does much of the surrounding forest and part of
nearby Bassenthwaite lake.
For the last seven years the inn has been managed by Matthew Wylie, who previously ran a hotel in Wester Ross but with his wife fled the
notorious Scottish midge to settle in Cumbria.
The Pheasant oozes old-fashioned charm; despite a refurbishment the essential character of a traditional hostelry has been maintained. As a
hotel the Pheasant is busy throughout the year, and the restaurant also has an excellent reputation for food quality. Local produce is used
as much as possible: all the beef and lamb are Cumbrian, smoked salmon is Scottish and the fish comes from Lancashire.
the atmospheric bar
Of course one of the main attractions for residents is the bar, which has a unique character. The walls have a wonderful red-brown patina
which has developed with age, and there is a great collection of antique furniture: oak tables, chairs and settles. The bar itself is unusual
in that it is below waist height: not the most convenient position for pulling pints from the handpumps, but somehow much more intimate than
most bars.
The bar is open to non-residents, and you can usually have a crack with one or two locals in their regular corner next to the bar. On sale
are Jennings Cumberland, the Pheasant’s biggest seller, Theakston’s Best Bitter and Draught Bass. The beer range has remained the same for
many years, and the Bass is well known for its good quality. The bar and cellar have been managed for the past two and a half years by
Andrew Palmer from Great Broughton and the inn has had a Cask Marque award for a number of years. There is a fine collection of wines,
imported by Frank Stainton of Kendal, and malt whiskies, but no alcopops or other gimmicks.
Andrew Palmer (left), bar and cellar manager, with Matthew Wylie (right) who manages the inn for the Inglewood Estates, when presented with CAMRA's Pub of the Season award
Behind the hotel are extensive gardens where you can take your pint and bar meal. Just along the road is the hill fort of Castle How and
around the lake is a view point from which to watch Bassenthwaite lake’s breeding ospreys. The Pheasant is popular with walkers - the fells
of Skiddaw, Buttermere and Borrowdale are all within easy reach - and visitors who just want to get away from it all in this quiet corner of
the Lake District. For local beer lovers it’s a place where a quiet pint of decent real ale is guaranteed. We are therefore pleased to show
our appreciation of the Pheasant by making the award of Pub of the Season.
