White Swan Inn
Address: Stry-yr-ysgol, Llanon, SY23 5HY. Tel: 01974 202721 [gmap]
Last APG visit: Never!
A pub we'd never have discovered, being off the main road, and I have Anon on the Central's page to thank. Up a short hill, this doesn't look exactly like prime pub territory!
There's a clip here of Llanon through stills, White Swan comes in at 00:53.Some pics below are screen grabs from that.
The pub is a multi-roomed affair. A small public bar greets you on arrival, seemingly unaltered since 1967 - love the floor-to-and-including-ceiling wood panelling! There was telly in here and all the customers were watching the footy. A friendly barman greeted us (we were expecting a few issues in Llanon so this was a nice surprise). No real ale so I plumped for a Brains Dark on keg - which was truly vile. It takes something special to serve a keg beer badly but somehow they managed it. I decided to grin and bear it...
And to the side of that is a funny little room (a lounge bar I suppose) that clearly was the extremity of the pub many years ago until an extension was added. So you get the joy of a weird internal window looking out into a corridor (which in turn leads to a large function room at the rear and the toilets). There's plenty of nik-naks in here with a nautical theme and we settled in here as it was quite characterful and cosy. Plus I could scribble my notes in peace.
Note the impressive collection glassware, most of which is for stuff that rarely gets drunk - port, brandy, sherry etc. APG Agent Duck commented that it reminded him of cross-channel ferry bars from the 80's. Note the yard of ale - try that with the Brains Dark we were served for an experience you won't forget in a hurry.
Below is a pic of somewhere called the Commercial Inn which was in the lounge bar - the White Swan in a previous life I assume as it certainly sits on a sloping road. Should have asked about the picture at the bar but forgot.
Oddly we encountered two Hearts fans in the pub, confusingly watching the play off final and I mistook them for West Ham fans. Which was lucky as I loudly expressed disappointment at the Hammers successful promotion at the expense of the Tangerines.
A pub we'd never have discovered, being off the main road, and I have Anon on the Central's page to thank. Up a short hill, this doesn't look exactly like prime pub territory!
There's a clip here of Llanon through stills, White Swan comes in at 00:53.Some pics below are screen grabs from that.
The pub is a multi-roomed affair. A small public bar greets you on arrival, seemingly unaltered since 1967 - love the floor-to-and-including-ceiling wood panelling! There was telly in here and all the customers were watching the footy. A friendly barman greeted us (we were expecting a few issues in Llanon so this was a nice surprise). No real ale so I plumped for a Brains Dark on keg - which was truly vile. It takes something special to serve a keg beer badly but somehow they managed it. I decided to grin and bear it...
There's a games room to the rear, which has a pool table, dart board and projector.
And to the side of that is a funny little room (a lounge bar I suppose) that clearly was the extremity of the pub many years ago until an extension was added. So you get the joy of a weird internal window looking out into a corridor (which in turn leads to a large function room at the rear and the toilets). There's plenty of nik-naks in here with a nautical theme and we settled in here as it was quite characterful and cosy. Plus I could scribble my notes in peace.
Note the impressive collection glassware, most of which is for stuff that rarely gets drunk - port, brandy, sherry etc. APG Agent Duck commented that it reminded him of cross-channel ferry bars from the 80's. Note the yard of ale - try that with the Brains Dark we were served for an experience you won't forget in a hurry.
Below is a pic of somewhere called the Commercial Inn which was in the lounge bar - the White Swan in a previous life I assume as it certainly sits on a sloping road. Should have asked about the picture at the bar but forgot.
Oddly we encountered two Hearts fans in the pub, confusingly watching the play off final and I mistook them for West Ham fans. Which was lucky as I loudly expressed disappointment at the Hammers successful promotion at the expense of the Tangerines.
Anyway, whilst the beer was abysmal, the place had a bit of character. Assuming you've got an hour in Llanon, you can do the two pubs here very easily.
2 comments:
While staying in Llanon thought try I'd try it. Opted for a pint of Brains Smooth, which when poured was obviously well beyond its sell by date. Just the look and smell of it made me switch to Worthington which was ok.
The pub is currently up for sale.
Pub was closed for a year but reopened in November 2016 having had a total refurb. New landlord, local lad, and now the village has a pub open again. Can't speak for the quality of the beer/lager but the internal decor makes the pub much more pleasant than before (if slightly less quirky). Food is usual pub fare - good value for money.
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