‘Locals’ pub, outsiders not welcome!
Discussion
Happened to me a few times, ‘American Werewolf in London’ style.
1) Staying in a Holiday cottage near Ross On Wye. Me & bil went to pick up a takeaway over the Welsh border. A quick beer in pub as was early. Local ‘character’ gives an elbow bump while taking first sip. You know the type. A menacing atmosphere there
2) A beer in a ‘fisherman’s’ pub in a Cornish port. Not very welcome there! Should have put a sign up, tourists leave your money at the border..
Big enough & ugly enough to
laugh it off.
Anyone had similar ?
1) Staying in a Holiday cottage near Ross On Wye. Me & bil went to pick up a takeaway over the Welsh border. A quick beer in pub as was early. Local ‘character’ gives an elbow bump while taking first sip. You know the type. A menacing atmosphere there
2) A beer in a ‘fisherman’s’ pub in a Cornish port. Not very welcome there! Should have put a sign up, tourists leave your money at the border..
Big enough & ugly enough to
laugh it off.
Anyone had similar ?
We have a local pub, lovely pub actually, but it seems you are either in the club or not . We go in quite a bit in the summer , probably once a week average over the year , similar demographic to the club members, but we are not in the club and don't try to be . It's very odd all friendly, but you are either part of a well established big group who all chat to eachother, or the sub set we frequent, with plenty of others.
Pub in Cornwall had two bars back to back with same staff serving both. Apparently there was an unwritten ‘locals’ and ‘not locals’ arrangement for which side you should be on.
Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
cliffords said:
We have a local pub, lovely pub actually, but it seems you are either in the club or not . We go in quite a bit in the summer , probably once a week average over the year , similar demographic to the club members, but we are not in the club and don't try to be . It's very odd all friendly, but you are either part of a well established big group who all chat to eachother, or the sub set we frequent, with plenty of others.
I could have written this word for word except that I'm a more frequent visitor to my local than once a week, during summer months 
hyperblue said:
Pub in Cornwall had two bars back to back with same staff serving both. Apparently there was an unwritten ‘locals’ and ‘not locals’ arrangement for which side you should be on.
Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
Was out for a drive with a couple of TVR mates while on holiday in North Devon.
We were somewhere in the depths of Exmoor and found a pub in the middle of nowhere. I can't remember what it was called, but the car park was on the opposite side of the road.
It was quite busy, despite there being hardly any cars in the car park and miles from any houses.
It went deathly quiet when we went in. The only food available was chips, but they were really nice.
We were somewhere in the depths of Exmoor and found a pub in the middle of nowhere. I can't remember what it was called, but the car park was on the opposite side of the road.
It was quite busy, despite there being hardly any cars in the car park and miles from any houses.
It went deathly quiet when we went in. The only food available was chips, but they were really nice.
When in Cornwall I went to the bar to buy 8 drinks order meals for our group of friends holidaying together. After the barman had served 2 locals who came in after me I asked if he wanted our business & just received a blank stare in reply. We went to another pub 1/2 mile away & had 3 rounds of drinks & a meal - total spend must have been around £250.
The 2nd pub was recommended to me by a local in the 1st pub!
The 2nd pub was recommended to me by a local in the 1st pub!
I had hoped that these 'exclusivity' cliques would die out when they lost all the tourist business during lockdowns. I had similar experiences in North Wales, Devon, and Cornwall. Where I expected to be shunned was in the Scottish Highlands and in Southwest Ireland, but in both the staff were fine and in Killarney the locals seemed to almost welcome tourists. Never been to Belfast though...
Not surprised that Cornish pubs have been mentioned the most. Cornish people have the most disdain for tourists that I’ve ever known or heard of, some kind of weird racism almost. Despite the fact that without the tourism and wealthy second home owners they’d be even poorer and more miserable than they are now.
I love the county for many reasons but I never look forward to dealing with the locals when I visit.
I love the county for many reasons but I never look forward to dealing with the locals when I visit.
My brother and two or three of his mates went into a pub in Exeter one evening. He’d lived in Exeter his entire life (still does) and was born about a mile from the pub, so pretty much as local as you’ll get. Anyways, bro and mates sit in the corner and drink their drinks. When they’d finished, one of the regulars came over and asked them if they’d enjoyed their drinks. Yes they replied. Good, now don’t come back in here again, this isn’t your local! Needless to say they left and never returned. Some years later the pub got turned into flats.
Al Gorithum said:
Oh yes that famous warm Welsh welcome towards the English.
Went in a pub in Kidwelly, everyone talking Welsh, ordered and the barman asked me where I was from when I said Penzance in Cornwall the whole pub started speaking English and the mood lightened considerably.Very strange thing to experience, good night as it turned out. Once they found out I was related to tin miners and enjoyed exploring old mines they were right on.
Back in the early 2000s the ex and I went to Todmorden for the day. Around lunchtime we started to feel hungry so went looking for food. Walked into a pub and the whole place seemed to freeze. All we could feel was this icy stare from what were clearly all locals who looked more like fungi that had spent thousands of years growing on the bar stools. League of Gentlemen couldn't hold a candle to this place! The only place we didn't feel like lepers was in a hipster/vegan place where we were charged a small fortune for what tasted like twigs and rat turd, seasoned with disappointment.
hyperblue said:
Pub in Cornwall had two bars back to back with same staff serving both. Apparently there was an unwritten ‘locals’ and ‘not locals’ arrangement for which side you should be on.
Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
At which point I would have asked if she knew any good pubs.Room went quiet when we walked in and bar lady looked straight through me when we tried to order, serving someone else. We hastily figured it out and went round the other side, where the same lady then served us with a smile.
Utterly bizarre!
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff