Hole in t'wall is an odd pub.
It's a beautiful old building, no doubt about that, with heavy dark beams, a fantastic carved wooden ceiling, and walls about three-feet thick. You could sit in there and feel like you were soaking up hundreds of years of history.
But then you'd have to try and block out the oddities.
1. The landlady doesn't like customers/holiday makers. Which, being a pretty pub in a tourist destination, isn't a good start. She also doesn't like having to talk about the weather: we're British, it's what we do. Particularly if we're on a flood-locked holiday. Also, she says all this loudly to her fellow bar-maid, so you can plainly hear her and feel uncomfortable.
2. Stuffed animals hanging from or sitting on every surface.
3. Totally out of place tray of sugar-crusted cocktail glasses and coffee glasses on the bar, resplendent with umbrellas and plastic animals.
4. Laminated sign on every table listing things that customers do that bar people don't like. i.e. slow drink ordering, or asking for a Guiness last in the round. Aye, I'm sure in context this is totally hilarious (and I work behind a bar myself, so I do know where it's all coming from), but it's a bit inappropriate to hand it to your customers, cos in doing so it loses all its tongue-in-cheek insidery-ness and becomes a bit, well, embarrasing. read more