The Ashley is deceptive, but you can still trust it. From the outside it looks like you might be walking into quite a big place. Enter through the front door and you find yourself in a pretty small bar. The apparent lack of size probably isn't helped by the pillars and different seating areas, but it's a lot nicer to walk into than a vast empty room.
The bar is very small and drinks-wise serves the usual array of keg stuff and one cask (Banks Bitter - £2.10 a pint). There's also a coffee machine and they do a lot of food. It's the kind of place I'd take my girlfriend or family for Sunday lunch rather than go on the lash at. The girl serving behind the bar was very friendly and welcoming.
There's background music but you could hold a conversation with a complete stranger quite easily. I know because whilst sat at the bar, a complete stranger lady walked in, ordered a sandwich to take out, asked if I wanted a drink and struck up a conversation. Just my kind of atmosphere! read more