A genuinely historic pub serving real ale and food - with a real fire in winter.
The Old Swan Inn sits in the old centre of the ancient town of Llantwit Major, across the narrow street from the 15th Century town hall. The pub building may be almost as old - it is thought to have been built as a substantial house in the 16th century, although it is not clear when it became a pub. Records show that in the 1650s the owner was allowed to mint his own tokens due to a shortage of coinage - usually a sign of a pub or other business.
Anyway, it has now been a pub for at least 200 years, and feels like it: the stone-built exterior is fairly plain, with a low door giving on to a small, cosy room, with another room (with the bar) off to the right. The interiors are exactly what you would expect: flagstone floors, stone walls, traditional dark wood furniture, and low beamed ceilings. There is an attractive beer garden outside for use in the summer, as well.
The pub is known for its real ale, and has three or four on at any time - usually local or interesting small breweries, which makes for a nice change. They serve food as well - roasts on Sundays, with a slightly more adventurous menu during the week. The food is fine, though not outstanding, but service was prompt and very friendly - as were the bar staff. On my visit, there was a roaring fire in the main dining area.
The main downer is that it does get very busy, and is worth booking a table if you want to eat. The crowd a mixture of locals (coming to drink) and well-heeled Vale types coming to eat.
There's no car parking at the pub, (the streets are far too narrow for that) but there is a municipal car park over the road, just behind the town hall. read more