Old Ship Aground

We didn’t stay here, but came for food on two nights in a row. The staff were friendly and it was good value. We especially liked the lamb meatballs from the starters and the homemade lasagne. My husband loved the fish and chips, and the sticky toffee pudding was delicious.

This is a characterful pub in a picturesque spot right on the harbour, and for the price I’d be happy to stay again. We were in room 6, by the stairwell and the entrance doors below, so you could hear people moving around. It didn’t bother me during the day, and overnight it was quiet between 11.30pm and 6am. There was a band in the pub, audible until it finished before 11pm, then some noise as the slightly worse-for-wear patrons left. That was more amusing than annoying. The harbour gets going early, and the fishermen woke me as I’m a light sleeper, though my other half wasn’t much bothered. The original sash windows are single glazed. The blinds shut out the light but not the sound, so heavy curtains might help, though I understand they’d be an expense. There’s some free parking by the pub on a first-come basis, and fairly cheap parking further up and down the road. The room was comfortable, with lots of storage, a good-sized shower room, a huge bed, a quaint fireplace and blackout blinds that worked well. The staff were lovely, chatty and happy to help. Breakfast was a good-sized meal with a decent range of hot and cold choices, all tasty and well cooked. We had dinner in the restaurant the night before: the cod and chips were perfectly cooked, and I’d recommend sharing the cheese board. The pub has a good selection of drinks, including a couple of real ales, plus hot chocolate with whipped cream. The road, harbour and lifeboat station are part of the setting, and things like the layout, insulation, single glazing, parking and noise from other guests come with an old landmark property. A more expensive place might make me expect a few changes, but none of these were a major issue for us. We’d come back.

We stopped by the pub on Saturday night while visiting family nearby. My homemade chicken tarragon pie was absolutely delicious, and my husband said the seafood risotto with pan-fried bass was one of the best he’d had. The pub is quirky and the staff were friendly. We enjoyed it so much that we’ve planned another visit when we’re back in March.

The room was cold, and the shower was frustrating: it swung between very hot and very cold. Eco mode kept the temperature steady, but the water pressure was extremely low. Food choices were very limited because items were out of stock, and the same went for drinks and snacks. There was no ice for drinks on our last night. When I mentioned seeing ice at breakfast, I was told there had been plenty the night before too. The location is great, the pub has character and the rooms were clean. The lady serving breakfast gave good service, and two young male staff members were friendly. There was also a gluten-free breakfast option. Personally, I think the pub needs better management of its stock. We heard someone say they’d forgotten to order lamb’s liver. That happens, but it was said so casually, without much concern. It made me wonder if that attitude was why supplies were running low.