Visited: 12/06/2026
Accessibility: Getting in is problematical. Most of the main bar is on one level, but a steep set of steps has to be navigated to reach the toilets. We didn’t attempt it. Outside, accessibility isn’t much easier: there are two spaces by the rear door, but the car park itself is tiny, not directly adjacent to the pub, and looked full when we passed. With busy roads at both the front and side, dropping someone off safely would be difficult, especially for anyone with mobility issues. The beer garden/smoking area is large but crammed with picnic tables, making movement awkward.
The Bugle Inn is an old coaching inn and, intriguingly, the closest pub to the family home of Eric’s Admin, yet somehow one they’d never set foot in before, despite more than half a century of local association and nearly 150 years of family ties. Local lore has it that the village of Bugle is named after the pub, and the building certainly looks the part: a handsome granite structure that once served as an important stop for travellers. Hard to imagine anyone recharging there now, but the history is undeniable.
Inside, the pub was busy, which is always encouraging, and the beer was expertly pulled, the empty glasses speak for themselves. Unfortunately, the interior let it down. Think 1970s angularity, domestic furniture rather than the warmth of a proper local, and a carpet that wasn’t something to die for but did give the impression that something had died on it. Dark, stale, and lacking the charm the exterior promises.
Overall: A fascinating building with deep local roots and well-kept beer, but the interior feels tired and the accessibility challenges are significant. Worth a visit for the history and the pint, but not a place we’d hurry back to linger.