The Pack Horse Inn, Keswick

Nestled in a small courtyard shopping precinct off Keswick’s main high street, the Pack Horse Inn is a charming, traditional Lakeland inn that dates back to the 17th century, making it one of Keswick’s oldest establishments. The ground floor of this “old fashioned” pub features a spacious bar with exposed wooden beams, a log fire place, and cosy corners.

Here you will find plenty of craic, as well as regular live music and a weekly quiz. However, if you prefer to dine in peace, this deceptively large pub has two further floors that offer a more elegant dining room experience. The pub is a Robinsons brewery pub and is popular with both tourists and local residents alike.

Food & Drink

As part of the Robinsons’ brewery, the pub has a solid reputation for supplying good quality real ale. There are five regular ales and one guest ale always available, with choices that include popular Robinsons’ brews Hartley’s Cumbria Way and Dizzy Blonde. For non-ale drinkers, the bar stocks a range of lagers, including Lakeland Lager, Guinness, and Strongbow Cider. There is a reasonable wine list and a good choice of other beverages, including soft drinks.

Food is served all day from noon until 9pm (9.30pm on Saturdays) at the Pack Horse Inn. The menu is typical pub fare, but there are some more unusual choices to whet your appetite, including a beef cobbler and Cajun spiced trout. The pub has one of the best menus in Keswick for vegetarians, with five different dishes to choose from. There is also a children’s menu with a varied selection of classic favourites.

Other Features

The Pack Horse Inn hosts one of the most popular weekly quizzes in Keswick. Held each Wednesday night at 9.30pm, this fun quiz includes cash prizes. In addition, the pub hosts live music nights most weekends, and is used as a venue for the annual Keswick Jazz Festival each May. This pub welcomes dogs into the ground floor bar area where there plenty of tables available for dining.

History

The Pack Horse Inn is located in Pack Horse Court, a small piece of land that stretches back from the main high street, accessed via a small alleyway passage. It was originally a 13th century burgage yard. Burgages were narrow plots of land fronted by a timber framed house that were owned by a lord or the King and let out on an annual basis to tenants.

With the tenancy came the right to practice a trade in the town. It’s thought the inn itself dates back to the 17th century, when yard was used by coachmen and travelling tradesmen to stable their animals who would then seek shelter and food in the inn.

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