The Blacksmiths Arms in South Lakeland

If you are looking for a traditional unspoilt English pub somewhat off the beaten track you have found it. A lively bar area and a nearby room that looked unchanged in a century. A large antique range and hearth, some fine old wood panelling, and a roaring fire. Unfortunately both spaces were full on our visit. We were seated in a more formal restaurant type area further back which had a conventional open fireplace. There was another room behind the bar that was not open the night we visited and which I think was heated only with an electric heater. I guess if you had come on spec you would be delighted with finding a table at all but as we had reserved in advance we were a little disappointed with the one allocated. The restaurant area was pleasant enough but lacked the atmosphere of the two rooms nearer the bar. Despite the fire it was not very warm either when we arrived, although staff were attentive in making sure extra logs were placed on it in a timely manner. It slowly warmed up. The menu looked attractive but the food did not really deliver. Caught between a more gastro pub style and a traditional offer perhaps. It was OK. Chips were poor for some reason. Drinks were fine. Service was good. Hope to revisit to give it another try.

It's very rare these days to go to a place where you can truly say it's a 10/10 experience. Often the staff may be friendly but the food is mediocre or vice versa. However the Blacksmith Arms is fantastic. Not only are the staff so friendly that they would make a visitor feel like a local but the food and atmosphere are brilliant too. It's so nice to go somewhere where the menu too is so great. Not the standard menu you often see in so many places. But actually looks like a menu written by someone who loves food and flavour. And you can taste it. I only live 15 minutes away and regret not calling in more often, even for a pint outside on a nice evening. It's somewhere that's been in the back of my mind, but this week after visiting twice in one week, I will be popping in on an evening more regularly with friends hopefully. Thank you everyone!

Such a great traditional and welcoming pub !! The food was superb quality and a good choice of beverages to accompany it. We really enjoyed listening to the tales from local farmers making it such a friendly atmosphere!

Lovely place for a relax by the fire with great service! Highly recommended. A very special place!

Sensational. Food was amazing and the service just as good. Friendly and well price. Highly recommended.

A lovely old pub serving generous portions of home cooked food. The lamb Henry was delicious, however it was so big that we couldn’t finish it. Dog friendly.

Beautifully quaint pub! Lovely friendly staff and absolutely EXCEPTIONAL food 👌🏽

The overall atmosphere of the pub was great, feels like stepping back in time. A friendly welcome from the staff, intimate dining room, cozy open fire and the food was incredible. Genuinely the best lamb I've ever had, has been a highlight of my holiday in the Lake District.

My family and I absolutely loved this old worldy pub. We visited twice within our one week stay in the Lakes. Excellent food, fantastic service and lovely atmosphere. Hence I feel the Blacksmiths Arms fully deserves five stars. Thank you so much!

Lovely food in an old Cumbria pub

Excellent food and service. Beer was good as well!

How do you word this apart from absolutely amazing everything many thanks to all the team looking forward to seeing you all again soon

Fantastic pub, good team working there. The food we had was great. Really enjoyed my evening there.

Cosy pub/restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Good food and incredible atmosphere in the winter with the open fireplaces. Well frequented by locals who discuss local politics and gossip. A place where meetings are held to discuss local issues. It is interesting to hear people ask the bartender if they have seen so and so and when they will next be in. This is the past. There is no Wi-Fi and no signal here. It feels like walking into a Time Machine and going back 100 years, travelling back to a time before modern communications choked out any semblance of community spirit.

We met an old college friend here for lunch. Live fire, candles, 18th century pub...felt like it was still 18th century. Warm, cosy and wrlc9ming. Stunning lamb Henry with panna cotta with fruit compote pudding, price reasonable for the quality. Thank u guys...we had a great day.

One of the best pubs we have visited! Beautiful location, good service and fantastic food. Roaring fires in both the bar and the restaurant made it very welcoming. A proper pub.

Walked over from Duddon Valley for lunch on the Park Head track , I had the steak and my wife had the lamb Henry , it was delicious , well worth the 10 mile walk , we love this pub , bar and chef were very friendly and we had a lovely time sat near the fire relaxing . Thank you for a memorable experience .

Dog friendly pub, with delicious food. Walked in yesterday in the hope they could accommodate 2 adults and 2 dogs, they were more than helpful. We are glad to have found this place. The food was really delicious and filling. If you get the chance to go do, great hidden gem! I had the chicken pie and my husband had the sausage, not our usual choices but glad we did. We will be back when next in the area.

Such a good dinner. Big portions Proper homely good food.

For us, from our cottage very close by. Did not expect to find this good food, fine wines and superb service. Loved the fire place in every room. Felt very welcome. No food served on Mondays!

Proper pub. Great food and drink. Brilliant!

Outstanding food, friendly service and a wonderful old pub. We were all blown away by how good our meals were. Definitely go - and book in advance!

Cannot fault this pub! Fantastic food, great prices and lovely staff. The vanilla panacotta was one of the best desserts I've ever had!

Fantastic place! Food from starter to dessert was outstanding with GF options and Veggie selections. A little gem in the Lake District! Highly recommend. - make sure to book in advance.

Well deserved hype for this place - the food was out of this world. Slow cooked meat which melts in your mouth, fluffy and flavourful potatoes and veg, delicately balanced gravy - just perfect. The goat cheese starter was also amazing.

Great pint of Estrella and friendly staff

What a fabulous find. A real Brigadoon discovery on our walk from a nearby camp site. Loved this place. Captured the moment beautifully on a lovely walk. Memories are made of this.

One of the best life experiences we have enjoyed. Michael and Sofie are wonderful hosts and made us feel at home. We will return when ever we are in the area. Thank you so much for your hospitality.

I've been to the Blacksmith's Arms three years in a row with various groups of friends, family, and my partner on excursions to the Lake District. The food is an excellent combination of hearty and elevated. The presentation is sublime and the flavours and portion size are excellent. In particular, the confit duck-leg is a delight, and the venison sausages and mash (which I had this year) are fantastic. I'm not often a dessert kind of customer, but I had the Black Forest sundae to round things off during my most recent visit and I'm glad I did. As well as the food, the service is warm and attentive. A particular shout-out must be made to Lydia, who looked after myself and my group of 10 friends. Despite our indecision, last minute drink order changes & additions, and of course the epic task of finally paying the bill for such a large group, she remained on top of proceedings with humour and grace. I can't imagine a future in which we're not back for another meal within the next year or so. Thank you to all at the Blacksmith's Arms!

A great little inn tucked out the way.

Lovely meal in a cute and relaxed pub. Food tasted amazing and staff friendly and efficient.

Lovely pub! Delicious food, welcoming staff. Beautiful old building.

Proper old fashioned pub. Welcoming staff, locals treat you like one of their own. If you can get there, it's well worth a visit. Oh, if you're planning on eating then booking is essential - we were planning to eat but missed out. The food looked and smelled incredible.

A live wire chef. A great menu & a superb location with lots of history.

This place was so good we came back for lunch the next day as we could'nt get a table for dinner. Food is definitely a cut above normal pub choice and would not disgrace many a restaurant. Very quirky, friendly staff, good beer. Need to book but well worth it!

Fantastic food and drinks all local produce the steaks are wonderful many thanks to all the team looking forward to our next visit

Food was amazing!! Staff really friendly and helpful. And the pub is really cosy and atmospheric. Loved it!

Lovely family-feel pub with beautifully presented, high quality food that is a cut above your usual "pub grub". Definitely recommend! Just ensure you book in advance to ensure you get a table!

We booked about 10 days in advance, as advised. We sat inside to eat, but moved outside afterwards to enjoy the warm evening. For my starter I chose belly pork, which was beautifully presented, and superbly tasty. My main course was tender and tasty braised lamb shoulder "Henry", with masses of roast carrots and parsnips, and dauphinoise potatoes. The side of charred broccoli was also delicious. Thoroughly recommended!

Fantastic authentic pub with amazing food

Just got here in time for lunch, beautiful pub and the food was outstanding and great service.

Came here for a Sunday evening meal, Excellent local ales and excellent smoked salmon starters. Two well cooked sirloin steaks and a Lamb shank Henry. All well cooked and presented, served by friendly chatty staff. Would definitely recommend and revisit. Thank you

Absolutely outstanding food. The Lamb Henry is delicious and the duck was cooked perfectly. Very cosy pub and the wine list was great

Absolutely great place to eat 10/10 to the chef. Staff very accommodating. Lovely very old pub full of charm.

Visited on Saturday night and so good we are going back tonight. Food, staff and atmosphere all 5*. The ambiance was heartwarming and the food was excellent and so worth the drive. If you are staying anywhere nearby it is definitely worth the drive ... an experience you will never forget.

One of the nicest meals I have ever eaten, I had the confit duck, beer was great too. Everything you want in a great pub. Aesthetically and the quality of the food, drink and service. Thanks!

We came to the Blacksmiths for our 20th wedding anniversary dinner. Roaring open fire, lovely, subtle lighting, friendly staff and delicious food. A thoroughly enjoyable experience and we highly recommend a visit! We'll be back the next time we're in the area. Thank you for making our anniversary so special.

A lovely traditional pub with plenty of open fires. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and the food was amazing. Big portions and well worth another visit.

We were staying just down the road from this pub so we popped in on the first night. The locals greeted us and were very welcoming. We returned the next night for a meal and were seated next to an open fire which our dog loved! The food was amazing and we would definitely return if we’re ever in the area again. 10/10 would recommend but definitely book!

A hidden treasure. Beautiful old pub with a chef that knows good food. Thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended

My favourite pub in the world! Small rooms with open fires and stone floors. Authentically rustic and homely - what faux-pubs the country over try to replicate! Small selection of superb local beer, tasty food and friendly staff.

Food and staff fantastic lovely oldy world pub highly recommend.

We visited The Blacksmiths Arms for my birthday having read some good reviews. We were seated next to a lovely roaring fire and handed a small but perfectly formed menu and a short wine list. The wine was of good quality and the food was exceptional. Lovely fresh produce, perfectly cooked. Everything we had was faultless but we particularly loved the tempura prawns (the accompanying salad was delicious too) and the lamb. We loved it so much we came back for lunch the next day. This was another faultless meal - the confit duck salad was out of this world. Service was also friendly, our dogs were welcomed, and although it was raining when we visited, it is a stunning setting.

Incredible. Food was amazing. Great service.Lovely cosy room with a fire. Recommend the Prawns and the Lamb. Already booked for tomorrow.

Food and service both excellent. Really enjoyed our meals - mains and desserts both excellent. All reasonably priced. Fantastic

Hidden gem, great little gastro pub with friendly staff, excellent beers and wine and fantastic food, can't recommend it highly enough

Superb food, excellent traditional pub with interesting interior. Staff very friendly and accommodating. No complaints.

One of the best pubs in the lakes. It's not for everyone as it is very basic and is a true locals pub. However, if you don't mind this and smelling of the fire in winter, then this is an awesome pub with excellent food. All the staff are extremely friendly and helpful.

A nice little pub in the middle of nowhere with good food and good service.

Stopped off here for a quick bite to eat before a long journey back to the Midlands and was very impressed; very friendly staff and the food was delicious! Will visit again when we’re back in the area

A proper pub, with proper food and homely staff. Heartily recommended. Had the smoked salmon and pork T-bone. Nice espresso in the new cups!

Wonderful place to visit, rekindled some old memories. Last visit was in 1978 !! Had a delicious meal and a very warm welcome, would thoroughly recommend.

Great pit stop after a walk or to drop in for a drink and some food.

A fantastic place, good service, food was lovely

Excellent food, polite waitresses. Good atmosphere. Definitely would recommend

Disappointed that I couldn't get any food as other guests were eating and I arrived before 2pm

Just a wonderful pub with superb beer and amazing food in a beautiful setting. Great service as well and very good whisky suggestion to perfectly finish off the evening. Fantastic.

Truly Old Lakes authentic. Classy session bitter from local Lickle brewery and helpful staff

Very oldy worldy. Pleasant landlord , fantastically helpful waitress. A family run business. They have an al a carte menu, although we thought it was normal pub food, and a lunch menu sandwiches and such. We chose fish and chips , and the battered king prawn Cesar salad. The fish and chips were a good size and tasty. Unfortunately the battered prawns did not work the batter had gone soggy in the Cesar dressing. I think this dish would work much better with the king prawns if they were not battered. Nice rural location, ok toilets but a little dated and dusty could do with an over haul .

This pub is pretty remote and we were a bit skeptical at first but the menu had great options. We had lamb Henry and the pork t-bone. Both fantastic and washed down with a great local brew. Food appeared in good time and the staff were great. Couldn't recommend enough.

After the pandemic my choice from the old menu has been restored, and is now even better than before. The sirloin steak was perfection, the best I have had since Scottie died and his restaurant closed in Limassol, Cyprus. Everything about the Blacksmiths is excellent.

Very lovely country Pub just outside Broughton-in-Furness in Broughton Mills. Great cycling route lots of outside seating and the staff were great 5/5. I will definitely be coming back to try the food.

Turned up to an empty pub, only to be told they're only serving food to pre-booked parties. By the time we left after a pint (half an hour?), only one party of three had entered and the chef wasn't even in the kitchen - he was too busy telling people to park their cars differently in the car park because they can fit more cars in that way (there were only two cars in the car park!). I was sent back out to move my car, "can you go do it now" whilst ordering a drink. Very weird experience. If they want you to park in a certain way, it's very easy to mark out parking bays or put a sign up. Would also be very easy to put a sign up outside saying "only taking reservations", which quite a few other pubs around seem to have managed. I'm sure the food is great, but make sure you book in advance.

We was told about this pub by the lady who works in the b and b we was staying in and what a hidden gem it is. Very traditional and as been kept to its original state which adds to the charm. The food is delicious with plenty of choices and dog friendly too. It is off the beaten track but well worth a visit if you are in the area.

The food is amazing we ate here over five nights and every meal was cooked to perfection. All the staff were lovely and the pub is in a beautiful setting. We will be back.

An outstanding atmosphere, so authentic and very traditional, which is exactly what we were hoping for. The food and drinks were amazing too. Great value for money as well!

Four of us had great meals here ona Wednesday evening in June. I particularly enjoyed the aubergine curry. We all had starters and they were delicious. I had ham hock, hubby unusually had falafel. My only criticisms would be that our first designated table was uncomfortably high and hard in its window seating. Quirky but not comfy. We asked to move. Secondly, the very friendly waitress just needs not to reach across a guest to serve another. She needed to take a couple of paces and go round. Other than that I would recommend eating here. We drove 20mins to it from Coniston

Very old pub, now with a great chef, great real ale and dog friendly - what more could you ask for?! We had a fantastic lunch time meal her. The service ws wonderful and the food so good!

We booked ahead of time as we were a team of 20 climbing Scafell Pike the next day! when we arrived everything was perfect! the food was amazing! thank you Michael and Team!

Came here as part of a group of 20+. Food and service were excellent 👌🏽. The staff were attentive, polite and friendly. Highly recommend.

Visited twice while staying nearby and had amazing meals both nights! Great tasting food and would highly recommend. Thanks

Lovely ales and friendly landlord

Great staff, vibe and, most important, great food!

Hidden Gem It's a bit off the beaten track but the food is amazing. Service was prompt and friendly. Only lost a star because the dining area we were in was invaded by very loud and drunk people who made it impossible to have a regular conversation, it would have been nice if they were asked to tone it down a bit. I suppose that's what you get for eating in a pub on a Friday night.

What a wonderful find. The pub is so full of character, the tap beers are a well earned treat after a busy day of walking, the food is the best I've ever tasted in a pub. Overall, it's like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Stunning authentic pub in breathtaking surroundings serving top notch food which would not be out of place in a fine dining restaurant. Friendly and welcoming staff and locals, complete with log fires to warm the soul. Simply wonderful 😍

Food atmosphere all great We eat here every time we visit the area

Lovely little pub .with excellent choice of meals .and so delicious.staff are so helpful polite and make you feel very comfortable.this is a perfect place

Well worth a vist . Friendly staff and customers . 5⭐ food My only regret is that we were only in the area for one night.

One of the tastiest meals I've ever had. I had the lamb and potatoe dauphinoise. Lamb melted in the mouth. Potatoe was extremely tasty. I cleared the plate. Quality of food would not have been out of place in a highly rated restaurant.

Great food, lovely people and amazing setting.

Many years since we’d ventured into this part of the Lake District, but so glad we made the detour en route to our cottage. We both went for the Haddock c/w chips and mushy peas, adding a mussels starter with our mains. It was honestly...

Scrumptious food, beautiful authentic pub feel, really good service. Would recommend if you are staying in the lake district

Enjoyed an evening meal by the fireplace. A mix of vegetarian and meat dishes were cooked to perfection and presented immaculately. From what appeared to be an unassuming traditional pub, we were surprised by the upmarket menu and overall experience. Thoroughly delicious and would recommend...

Really great pub serving delicious food while also maintaining a lively local bar for the locals. Highly recommended

We got recommended buy a local and to book our table a very old pub great staff very helpful our food was very tasty and lacking my lips

The most amazing pub . We received a warm welcome from arrival. Alex was a wealth of knowledge and so lovely to see someone with passion for his environment. The food was excellent with a special mention to new Michaels Beef cheek dish was wonderful and probably the best thing I have eaten for a very long time. The whole experience was a pleasure from start to finish

Recommended by a B&B we were staying in and this has to be one of my favourite pubs...! Nicest staff lovely food and the cosiest pub ever! Can't wait to come back

Went for Sunday lunch with two friends and had a lovely meal. It was a wet and miserable day out and was so nice to see open fires. We were lucky enough to be sat near one which soon warmed us up. The dog certainly...

What a fantastic proper pub! Never change!