Metal Bridge Inn in Carlisle

We stumbled on the Metal Bridge Inn on our way back from Scotland. What a little gem. Large parking area for Motorhomes and with toilets and a small service point for chemical toilets. You have to eat in restaurant to stay… not a problem there as the options were a plenty, lovely food and great service from friendly staff and reasonably priced as well…. Even have moretti on tap which was a bigger bonus! Only slight downside was you can hear the motorway which is quite close, however it soon fades out of hearing and you get used to it. You could wear ear plugs if necessary. Overall a great spot, highly recommended and we will visit it again on our regular journeys

Went to meet friends that were staying there last night we had an amazing meal in a very busy restaurant and reasonably priced everything was lovely definitely recommend.

Sunday lunch celebration for my birthday with friends and family,excellent choice of menus ,I had 3 courses for £13.95,staff friendly fast even tho it was busy

Great stop over on our way up to Scotland from Berkshire. The food was very well priced, was lovely and a varied menu to chose from. Toilet block basic but clean and all that is needed from a stop over. It is quite noisy not so much from road - but the freight trains were noticeable. Service was exemplary and it is very dog friendly

Stayed on their small campsite in our Motorhome which was Free of charge because we had a meal.. I am always hesitant to order a Steak as I like it 'Blue' invariably it arrives 'rare' or 'medium rare' this time once the waitress had made sure I knew what 'blue' actually is, I received a perfectly cooked 'blue' steak. Well done chef... staff were as usual attentive and cheerful.. No wonder we keep going back...perfect stop on our way to and from Scotland

We stopped off at random on our way back home from down south. Rather than a service station we fancied a meal. We were not disappointed. Food and service were fantastic. Great place.

Great wee free park up if you go into the pub for a meal. Reasonably priced food, in a nice setting, we had a table over looking the river. Staff were attentive and looked after us well. If you're a light sleeper, I'd recommend ear plugs as the motorway is in hearing distance. Added bonus there is a toilet block 👌 Definitely worth a visit.

A great find. After struggling to find a place to eat we found this pub on a google search. The staff kindly squeezed us in on a busy Friday evening. 3 courses for £14, great food and decent portions

Perfect stop over on our way to and from scotland. Comfortable room, restaurant downstairs, just off the motorway. Ample Free parking What more could you need.

We last visited here in November 2023 and I gave it a glowing review. We visited last week and felt it had really gone down. There was what looked like a pile of rubbish in one of the booths, not great to look at. The cleanliness has dropped. The toilets smelt damp. The food was processed, the chips are now frozen chips, my peas were crunchy and overall not nice. I know it maybe wasn't intentional but one of the waitresses was very abrupt, shouting when she spoke. We won't be back in a hurry.

We stayed overnight in one of the motorhome spaces. Lovely, easyily accessible from the motorway to break up a long journey. Friendly staff...until....ypu complain about 1 meal. Starters were fine, nothing to write home about but perfectly edible. Haggis bon bons and duck spring rolls (from the freezer) rib eye steak, cooked medium and tasted great, compliments were good, frozen chips, scampi, peepercorn sauce. Pork teriyaki.. awful. Worst pork ever, so dry it stuck in the throat. Waitress appeared, asked if meals ok, said on the main great, however, pork inedible. 20 minutes later she came back and said because you didn't complain during the meal we'll take 25% off the meal only. I explained that I had not eaten the meal and as soon as someone had asked, I informed them of the problem...oh well, who cares. We won't be stopping again.Over £90 spent in the inn overall, should have stayed put where we were and saved a few bob. Not happy customers.

We stayed at Metal Bridge as a motorhome stopover. The menu is huge and you can’t fail to find something to your taste. The service and food were both superb!!! Our son particularly enjoyed watching the trains from the window. The view of the river is beautiful!! We’ll be back :)

Lovely overnight stay in the Glamping Pods. A bit of noise from the railway track (hence the 4* for location) but the dogs soon got used to it. A wild night of weather with heavy rain and winds went pretty much unnoticed in the very secure and comfy pods. Definitely recommended. Good parking and well maintained

Stayed for 1 night and had dinner in the restaurant. Room was fine with all you need fir the night . Restaurant was very busy but food was out quickly and all hot .

Great stop over campsite. Wonderful meals, friendly staff. Can certainly recommend, will return on our frequent trips to and from Scotland.

This is a large, well run place serving competent pub grub. It has an extensive menu to suit all tastes, though I didn't spot anything that would suit vegans. It's busy, with a campsite nearby as well as locals, a tribute to reasonable prices coupled with good food. The samosas and duck spring rolls were particularly good, and my haddock came in crunchy batter. I recommend booking, but the lovely staff can usually find a couple of places for hungry passers-by. The beer is kegged, but ale can be had from bottles. It's close to the M6 and overlooks the river.

Lovely food, very reasonably priced, nice attentive staff

This is a hidden gem, the staff, food and price and location make this a 5 star stop... They do park for night for campervans and motorhomes too...

This is our second stay in the camper.. First time 2 years ago, then 2 weeks ago. No change in that time. Stay was free as long as you ate in the pub. We had a 2 course meal each and a drink for £20+ . Meal was lovely and so were the staff. Toilets, water, toilet waste. No showers unless you were staying in the pods, although I didn't ask if there was a charge if you wanted a shower. Didn't take a lot of photos as we took some when we stayed before.

Went in for lunch Excellent food, friendly staff & good atmosphere

We use this place as a stopover on our journeys to Scotland in out motorhome. Metal Bridge always delivers on friendliness, food quality and parking space- there is an area for motorhomes. Always a good idea to book ahead as this place is popular.

Great stop over for Motorhomes . You have to phone ahead and book. As it can be busy . There is no fee to park but the idea is to book the restaurant for a meal or just have a few beers. Food was amazing and staff were friendly . Recomend it.

Brilliant stopover for our motorhome food was brilliant and very reasonably priced staff lovely and friendly definitely call again

Stayed on the motorhome park for 1 night, facilities were ok, staff in the pub lovely and food was nice

Travelled a fair way off my route on a long drive to eat here, arriving before 7:30pm mid week only to be told the kitchen had closed. Multiple people still being served food in the dining area, and drinks in the bar no reason given as to why i couldn't get a quick dinner. Things like this don't help small pubs stay afloat, shame!

Brilliant stop over, will definately be back again, food and service first class.

Both the service and the food were spot on very nice.

Really good value food and drinks, served with a smile.

We stayed here in our motorhome, water and elsan point no electricity, here's the thing, the food is very very very reasonably priced, but it was the most loveliest I've eaten anywhere outside 5* restaurants

Great pub / restaurant Great friendly staff

Brilliant food Brilliant service and friendly staff nothing to much for them

States 3pm close on Google info But stops serving at 1:30pm 2 stars for the free pee. Will re-review if they are open next time when passing… but you wasted my time on a long trip today. Update your Google info please and I’ll then remove this review.

Great food at great prices and good service.the menu is fantastic I could of ordered 1 of everything on the menu it was so good we will be back thanks

Great for motorhome adventures, free parking but need to book in advance, great food and reasonable prices

We stopped over at the Metal Bridge Inn on our way up to Scotland in our Campervan, we phoned ahead to book a slot and a table for food , we sat over looking the river , the food was excellent and incredible value for money , friendly staff , and a very busy little pub . When staying in carpark you have to be checked in by 7pm , toilet block , fantastic stopover , highly recommend Metal Bridge Inn

We came in for food after being recommended by our Airbnb host at Paxville. Had the 3 course set menu. Absolute bargain at £13.95 blooming lovely food with a view of the river (if sat in right place). Staff lovely and helpful. Will be back if in the area again............ we're from Manchester

I went here on a Saturday at lunchtime, ages varied between 11 and 39. We all had the set menu, which is really resonable so I wasn't expecting much. Wow what a brilliant lunch we all had. No complaints from anyone and we all left full. Such a good choice at a brilliant price, kids menu really extensive too. Staff were brilliant too, they make the place as much as the food. So attentive, friendly and polite.

We've been camping through the UK and stopped at Metal Bridge as it was recommended to us in our motorhome. We arrived bang on 7pm so just made it in time to check our camper in, otherwise we would have moved on. Everyone was happy with our meal and the service was friendly. We were sat by the window overlooking the river. Our son really liked his melon & raspberry sauce starter.

Excellent!! Wonderful pub. Great food, Excellent value for money. Absolutely fantastic staff!!! Staff were so welcoming and accommodating. Our first visit after friends had constantly told us to try this great place. Should have come sooner, we've been missing a treat, will definitely be going back!!

My family and I have driven for over 10 hours due to major traffic delays, expecting a nice place to stay as we drive further into Scotland. We arrived at around 7:30 and our dinner reservation was at 7:45. However, when we arrived, they told us that we ‘couldn’t park after 7’ even though the sign outside the campsite said 8. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we were told while we were booking, not on the day we arrive after a long day of travelling. When we did arrive, we had little to no explanation why we couldn’t camp after a certain time. The woman behind the bar completely ignored us, continuing to talk to her colleague about some sort of irrelevant matter. Due to your 4.6 star review on google, my family thought this were be the perfect place to stay for the night but i am extremely disappointed with the level of customer service given to us. Now, my family and I are continuing with our travels, with empty stomachs and no guarantee of a place to stay. avoid the metal bridge inn. god knows why it has such good reviews.

Great stopover, waste disposal, water and toilets available, need to phone to book

Went for a Birthday meal,food was absolutely beautiful, only thing let it down was the banana split (very poor)

All I can say is, thank god for the waiting staff for their efficiency and apologies who in this situation still remained professional. We attended tonight. Ordered our starters but advised they were sold out, so we had the mozzarella sticks and haggis bon bons. Mozzarella sticks were frozen and the bon bons dripping in oil, but thought it’s fine after the weekend they may be running low on food so had to compromise? When the main arrived, I had one forkful and found a hair, I refused a remake because it made me feel sick. My husband started eating his and the chips were “Chewy” and the Macaroni cheese was just inedible and rammed with raw onion?! So we paid and left. Really really disappointed to drive that far out for such a bad experience.

Went in for Sunday lunch. Quickly seated, offered various menus. Opted for roast dinner with beef, turkey and ham. Served with delicious perfectly cooked vegetables. A lovely meal with a view of the river. Too full for dessert and will return again 😀

Had friends come to stay and we came here for a meal and we all thoroughly enjoyed it and the staff were attentive, so will definitely be back.

Stayed for only one evening, on our way upto Scotland Conveniently located Dog Friendly 🐕 Pleasant service 😀 Nice pint of Guinness 🍺👍🏻 Rooms were nice and clean ☺️

Price performance was very good and so was the food Very dog ​​friendly Despite the M6 ​​next to it, it was quite possible to sleep. Greetings from Switzerland again

I came with my family for tea and we chose the twi for 10 pound menu,obviously you don't expect much for that but the food was shocking if I had served that at home I would of been embarrassed. It was all processed food nothing home cooked about it came away feeling deflated

Would highly recommend this establishment which we used regularly due to the exceptionally good food always on offer and all the staff and owners are so friendly.

Just went for lunch .it was perfect.

I'm staying here in my motorhome perfect park with toilets. It's free for the night as long as you have a bite to eat. It's the nicest meal we have had in a very long time 100 percent perfect and reasonable price .Will be back again that's guaranteed .

We booked an overnight Motorhome stop over here, booked in for a dinner (Lamb rump) food is superb and very reasonably priced. The staff were very helpful attentive and very quick in getting orders for drinks and food. Stayed here a couple of times over the years and see no reason why we don't stay again. Right price, well done..

Nice to go to an original pub with home cooked food. Lots of choice and we had the Sunday roast beef and turkey, really nice. Lots of desserts too and really cheap! View of the river was a bonus too.

We were seated at the table before our booked time with bottles of prosecco, beers and orders taken at 4pm. One of our guests spoke to a waitress at 5pm to ask where our food was to be told the order had been lost. One hour and 20 minutes later our starters arrived with a half hearted 'oops I don't know what happened!. By this time we had finished our drinks and was extremely embarrassed at the level of service of the place we'd highly promoted to our guests. Our drinks had long since been consumed but there was no offer of refill. Eventually our main course was delivered with no offer of recompense. When asked, it was totally dismissed. We, a table of eight, feel robbed of a pleasurable evening, but that was thwarted by a very rude member of your staff. We are VERY disappointed st the absolute Vile rudeness of your employee, which, as a paying customer, we pay for!!!!!

Great stopover for Motorhomes, good food, good beer, and all night toilets.

Great staging post for van and motorhome travellers on the way to Scotland. Two meals and two desserts and drinks for 45 quid, a tidy stop over in the van with clean facilities. Nothing to complain about whatsoever. Thumbs up 👍

Having travelled from the Isle of Mull we stopped here tonight after a long drive and asked to stay over in our motorhome but were refused as it was after 7pm, I explained I was really tired after a long drive and the young lady behind the bar passed this information on to the manager but we were still refused the opportunity to stay over. I had looked at this place as a stay over option as it had good reviews, that sadly counts for nothing in my experience as I cannot understand why a little compassion does not apply when tired travellers reach out for a little help. Really poor.

After seeing peoples' comments we thought we'd stay over in our campervan on the way back to Somerset from Scotland. Lovely bid site, handy for M6. 24 hour toilets, chemical waste disposal and drinking water. Free to stay if you ate in the pub. Lovely food, very reasonably priced, friendly staff Would certainly stay there again

Very good place nice food good atmosphere nice people would come here again very good free stopover we use this as a place to stop on our way to Scotland

Stayed with motorhome had meal in pub food very good and staff very friendly highly recommend Grounds very clean and spacious

Impromptu visit on our way up to Scotland. Staff were really lovely and the food was great. Can imagine it's a lovely place to sit out in summer. Not much in the area really but it was a fab choice for us as we stayed in the nearby travelodge.

Exceptional food and service. Great stopover for campervans. Thoroughly recommend.

Pub stopover great food and a nice pint of Stella 👌👌👌 Very friendly and polite staff Well recommended 👌

Really enjoyed the food. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Lighter bite menu very good value and plenty

Great food friendly staff very clean and stunning views and venue

We hadn’t been here for 25 years but had business in Lockerbie and then an early afternoon appointment in Longtown so it was perfect for a quick lunch stop. The £10 deal for a 2 course lunch was excellent value for money and the food excellent. We will be back but won’t wait 25 years,

Incredible food, quality and value

The metal bridge Inn was recommended to us as a Motorhome stopover on our way to Scotland and we were pleased we took the advice. We received excellent hospitality at the Inn , very friendly and the food was delicious. Lamb curry was very tasty and generous, yummy. A good home cooking venue rather than a gastro pub, just what was needed. The Aire facilities are good as well, nice clean loos 24/7 all waste facilities etc .

Cant fault the food or the staff. The pub its self could do with a make over as dated décor and furniture has seen better days. We went at night so could not see the outside very well. Loved that they offer free motorhome parking if you eat in the pub but we were staying elsewhere on this occasion. Would return here but some investment by management would be welcomed.

A group of us went for a Christmas meal. The food was great as usual and the prices are reasonable.

Excellent customer service very efficient and friendly staff couldn't fault!!

Last time I was in the Metal Bridge Inn was approx 35 years ago. It was very much the same as I remembered it. The service was very good as was the quality of the meal.

Had a lovely time. Great food. Cozy atmosphere. I highly recommend stopping by.

Lovely meal here with family. Food it always Lovely and staff so friendly. I love the omelette here 😋 kids are always made welcome too. Highly recommend.

This is a perfect stop over to and from Scotland as they allow you to park motor homes in the car park for free as long as you eat in the pub. I’ve done that kind of thing before but this was the first place I’ve stayed that had toilets (clean too) and space to empty chemical waste and fill water . The pub was typical pub grub food, very reasonably priced with lovely friendly service from staff. They even gave us a carton of milk when we realised we had run out for our morning cuppa.

Stayed in campervan park , this morning owner let his dog poo all over , no attempt to pick it up !!

We have been coming to the metal bridge for many years now as we pop in on our way down South then again on our way North, we have never had a bad experience, the food is brilliant & the staff friendly & helpful , the light bite menu is good value for money , two courses for £10 !! ...I am ceoliac & they cater for gluten free which is wonderful for me. As a bonus they have a motorhome park which is free if you have a meal in the restaurant , they are also dog friendly , they tick all the boxes ! we will definitely keep going back .

We decided to have a spot of lunch before we enter to Scotland then the macaroni cheese was lovely for my fiancée and I loved the mushroom stroganoff was yummy due of mushroom is juicy and lovely in my life. My dad loved the vegs and pork is yummy. The coffee was lovely and warm. It’s best pub ever on gateway to Scotland and England

First time here and will not be the last. Staff were very friendly, the food was excellent. All in all a nice experience.

Called in for dinner on our way north and we decided to go with meals off their two course specials menu and we weren't dissapointed, the food and the service that we received was first class. The only thing that lets this establishment down is the squaller outside, the conservatory is filthy outside with weeds growing around it and there's old furniture and a mattress sitting at the entrance to the courtyard that has been there for months. The management really do need to address the cleanliness outside as it certainly makes you think about whether the cleanliness inside is up to standard. Will have to think twice about eating there again in the future.

We use this pub to break up our journey home from Scotland to Lancashire. We have a lite bite evening meal with pudding an drink. We stay on the motorhome parking for the night. This costs us £21...wow! 2 course meal, drink and park up and use of facilities (available to touring vehicles) can't grumble with that. Staff are friendly and food was nice. Thanks for having us again! They have pods available to stay in.

Arrived ar 1.30 for lunch (last order 1.45). Very abruptly told we'd have to order quick. Waitress "threw" drinks on table snd spilt them over menu. Felt we had to rush our food and not have any deserts. Would have been better if they had just said "no" to us to start with. A pity coz the food was actually OK.

We stayed here with our motorhome for the night. Excellent facilities for the motorhome and the food and drink in the pub were superb. Very reasonably priced and the staff were fantastic. Thanks to all. We will be back, that's for sure.

Final night of our first road trip in our motorhome was spent on this pub car park in Carlisle en route home! Recommended by many MH forum members. We had the best time. Car park has a special area specifically for Motorhomes and campers and was big. Booking essential to ensure you get a space. It came with stunning views/sunset. We even had MH facilities ie toilets, waste and fresh water (They have pods with shower facilities for non motorhomers which come with stunning views for info). The menu was extensive, very reasonably priced too (even steaks were reasonable). Included a specials board. Separate lite bites and bar snacks menus. Spoilt for choice to be honest. Staff were all friendly and efficient. Excellent service throughout the evening. Spent the afternoon soaking up the sun on the car park and the evening in the pub - a great balance! Gretna Green a stone's throw away.

We really enjoyed our meal here tonight. The steak and Guiness pie was delicious with rich and tasty steak filling. It was a top crust only pie but I welcomed this as it reduces the calories a tad! Served with chips and peas. Delicious. My husband had an enormous gammon steak, juicy and delicious also served with chips and peas. There was a good menu and also a specials board. I Enjoyed my gin and tonic and my husband enjoyed his with a pint of Stella. Lovely view. Characterful pub with a bit of history. Excellent friendly service. Reasonably priced Lovely clean facilities.

Delicious home cooked food. Extremely good value for your money. Service was first class and staff were all lovely. We were here on a Tuesday and it was very busy. Worth booking ahead not to be disappointed. Would definitely come back if in the area

Arrived after booking to stay in our motorhome on the site behind the metal bridge inn. On booking we also booked a meal in the inn on day of arrival and the following day. We were given no information concerning times by the staff at the metal bridge inn. We were stopping at the inn on our way to Gretna Green to our friends wedding. On arrival a women approached our motorhome and said you cannot stay here you are 2 late. She shouted can you not bloody read? She was aggressive and threatening. Apparently on the sign outside the inn it states that motorhome must arrive before 8pm. But we didn't see this as we were 2 busy looking at getting our motorhome onto the site safely. My friend who's wedding it was came and said we have to leave. She then went into the inn to see if there had been a mistake and told them who she was and we had booked. She came out of the inn crying. As you can imagine if you are getting married next day all the preparation and stress to be verbally threated and told by 3 members of staff get off our land wasn't what you want at what should be a happy time. We did not then want to go into the inn for the meal that was booked and at 8.30am we had to start trying to find another site for our 2 night stay. Inn may be nice but the people who are running it are not.

Went for my birthday lunch the food was ok , we were put in the conservatory overlooking the water the door was open and flies were coming in one flew in and got caught in a web on the window the windows need a good clean and so does the conservatory also rubbish lying about outside.

Absolutely perfect! We booked a last minute one night stay and received a text from the owners saying our pod was ready to check in, keys left in the door so could go straight to the pod. It was spotless clean, bed and pillows really...

I can't understand the bad reviews unless there is new management, we stayed here overnight the meal was amazing, I have never had so much lamb which was cooked perfect, staff so friendly so would definitely stay here again

We had an evening meal. Food good. Front of house staff very pleasant and courteous in fact one of our party was running late so they offered to keep her meal warm which they did and appeared with meal as soon as she arrived brilliant...

was saddened with this visit as previous visits were better, this was down to the food unfortunatly, we ate sinilar to the meals previous, but the quality is very poor, chips are like reheats, lamb loin tasted like a cheap piece of lamb with no...

Came here last week on our way to Carlisle. It's about 10 min drive off the motorway. Good selection on the menu. I had steak pie with potatoes and vegetables (could have had chips and peas as another option). My husband had gammon with chips....

On way home from shopping trip.had heard lunch menu good value for money freshly cooked food.saturday evening rang and booked on way back home . Looks so inviting cozy nice friendly staff on arrival. We perused large menu .(red flag ) can't all be fresh...

Once again Roger and his family and all the staff excelled on the service we received and the meals and drink we had. It’s always a pleasure to eat at this establishment as I can’t fault any of the various meals I’ve had and can...

Lovely meal had by all, Rory made the night even better with his banter. We will definitely be back x

First visit and we will return. Food piping hot and a cracking choice. The price was very reasonable as well. Try thr deep fried haggis balls.The chef Roger is brilliant. They do an £8.75 menu as well. All in all brilliant.

We stayed in the pod and although the pod itself had a comfy bed and reasonably spacious and could have been a great place to stay, it suddenly changed when dropping a pair of socks under the bed. It was so dark you wouldn’t normally...

Been here on a couple of different occasions for lunch & it’s been great both times, nice staff . The 2 course lunch is such good value for money & was a good portion size, we booked & it was quite busy, will definitely be...

we stayed in the carpark for free and paid for a meal the meal was wonderful and was a great place to stop on our way to a site further away