One of several pubs in Coniston vying for the tourist trade, given that this is a small village their target clientele is understandable. It probably makes its money from diners, and this is a very comfortable and cosy old style pub to relax in, especially if you are one of the visitors enjoying the natural beauty of the area. There is a lovely stream running along the back wall of the pub, but this isn’t incorporated into the design, its outdoor area is a triangle section sandwiched between the road and right angle of the front walls, but nice enough despite the fact all heavy goods vehicles will pass this way. Perhaps the biggest draw for those who only want to drink is the fact that this is a brew pub, selling the cask versions and more of the Coniston Brewing Company which can often be found in bottles in supermarkets.

A cosy and comfortable old coaching inn and brewpub – the home of Coniston Brewery. The Black Bull is in the heart of the village, right by the beck and in the shadow of the Old Man of Coniston. It’s an old coaching inn, perhaps made up from two or three houses put together, with a long bar in the middle, a room leading into the hotel and restaurant at one end and an area for large parties at the other. It has a low beamed ceiling and is rather dark but it’s cosy, comfortable, down to earth and unpretentious and the bar staff were friendly. There are eleven taps, mainly with Coniston’s own brews, and quite a few bottles on offer too, including Coniston’s Infinity IPA at £2, the No. 9 barley wine at £2.75 and several bottles – some limited editions - from Hardknott and BrewDog. The food menu sounded appetising but we didn’t eat. Outside there’s a pretty patio adorned with flowers. (Visited 23 October 2011).

A large pub in the centre of a village in one of England’s foremost tourist attractions (the Lake District). Why is anyone surprised that the pub is expensive? The beer on offer covers Coniston Brewery’s range. The beers are kept well and brewed just up the road. The Bluebird XB and Oatmeal Stout are worth a taste. Food is simple, decent enough but unspectacular. Overall a very pleasant place to rest the weary soles and sup a cleansing ale after a walk among the Coniston fells.

tourist trap , good range of coniston beers no guest beers and a fake real cider

A classic pub. Very expensive though- they’re milking its reputation and location for all it’s worth. Get the readily available Bluebrid Bitter and Bluebird XB elsewhere, although it’s worth coming here for the other rarely seen beers from Coniston Brewing.

Coniston Brewing tap. The vibe is good in this busy, rambling pub. The beers are only ok - disappointing since I loved their bottle stuff. But the pub is nice.

Decent bar to try the set of the Coniston beers, which are brewed in the same place, just in the building adjacent. They are used to ppl like us who like to sample and buy 1/2 pints of them all. Not all were great, but it was fun trying the range and especially the barley wine (bottled). Best of the regular kegs was probably the Bluebird XB. The Coniston pils and lager are on tap (keg) and are unfortunately boring.

Brewery tap for the Coniston brewery, this has all of their currently available beers on all the time - 7 on tap when we were there, plus a selection of their bottles. The landlord is confident enough of his business that he’s going to brew his own lager in the near future so that he can remove Fosters from his bar. It’s a nice olde world bar, which sprawls through several rooms to end up in a more modern (and very much less atmospheric) restaurant area (although the same food is available in the bar). It’s a welcoming joint; everyone from tourists to fell runners to locals with their dogs to stag parties pack the place out, making it feel very friendly. However, there’s no doubt that it suffers from being in a tourist centre - prices are sky-high. Beer is about £3.50 a pint (although the barley wine was £4-plus, whilst the food is marked up about 50% on what you would expect to pay for what is very average pub grub. So, mixed feelings on this one...