The Woodman Inn
The Woodman Inn
4.5
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Monday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
About
. This traditional-style pub serves a good selection of lagers and three real ales and has a great selection of spirits including gins and malt whiskies. With a pool table, dart board and various other games to choose from. It also has a Gold award from the national 'Best Bar None' scheme. Boasting the best pub garden in Durham City, which has been beautifully re-landscaped, along with an outside TV for sporting features etc. A vibrant, colourful, attractive and relaxing area and this is a massive attraction during the warmer months. The pub offers a 'Light Bite' snack type menu. Although there is no designated pub car park, it's usually possible to park on the street nearby free on a weekday evening/Sunday. This is a friendly family-run pub offering a warm welcome to all its visitors.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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4.5
63 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
13
Average
1
Poor
3
Terrible
4
Mark G
3 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
We came here last week for bottomless brunch as a treat for my sister who was back from Australia. There were 4 of us and we booked the evening before, left it late but they were very accommodating.
As soon as we arrived we felt welcomed and looked after.
The pub is very nice. The atmosphere was great and a very nice place to sit and relax.
We were greeted by Claire and taken to our seats. Our drink order was then taken and had the drinks down on our table within a few minutes. The drinks available were unlimited prosecco, unlimited selected cocktails or unlimited bottled lager. You can also mix which drink you get if you want to try a few different things. Our food followed quickly after our drinks.
The food was served on 2 big wooden boards. There was a selection of cheeses, crackers, bread, dips, olives, grapes, meats, the list goes on.
All the food was beautiful and tasted very fresh. They even brought out more crackers when we ran out to finish off the cheeses.
Claire was brilliant and everytime our drinks were empty they had been filled within a matter of a couple of minutes. We feel very looked after and she was easy to talk to.
The pub has a lovely beer garden aswell which is worth a visit especially in the summer.
We can't recommend this place enough and me and my fiancé will be booking to go again.
Thank you Claire and her team 10/10!
As soon as we arrived we felt welcomed and looked after.
The pub is very nice. The atmosphere was great and a very nice place to sit and relax.
We were greeted by Claire and taken to our seats. Our drink order was then taken and had the drinks down on our table within a few minutes. The drinks available were unlimited prosecco, unlimited selected cocktails or unlimited bottled lager. You can also mix which drink you get if you want to try a few different things. Our food followed quickly after our drinks.
The food was served on 2 big wooden boards. There was a selection of cheeses, crackers, bread, dips, olives, grapes, meats, the list goes on.
All the food was beautiful and tasted very fresh. They even brought out more crackers when we ran out to finish off the cheeses.
Claire was brilliant and everytime our drinks were empty they had been filled within a matter of a couple of minutes. We feel very looked after and she was easy to talk to.
The pub has a lovely beer garden aswell which is worth a visit especially in the summer.
We can't recommend this place enough and me and my fiancé will be booking to go again.
Thank you Claire and her team 10/10!
Written 15 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen C
Durham, UK33 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
This is a Gem of a pub!! You will get a very warm welcome from the Licencees, Sean & Jayne.
This Pub has a very well stocked Bar along with Snacks and Nibbles (Best Pork Scratchings in the world). Pickled Eggs are also available which you don't see much of in traditional pubs anymore.
Large Beer Garden which is very pleasant (You can hear the Cathedral Bells ringing from hear with No Traffic Noise)...Mint!
Various activities are on all week, my personal favorite is the Sunday Evening Quiz.
Anybody visiting Durham must call at The Woodman, located on Claypath. (1st Pub you come across entering the City from A1M).
This Pub has a very well stocked Bar along with Snacks and Nibbles (Best Pork Scratchings in the world). Pickled Eggs are also available which you don't see much of in traditional pubs anymore.
Large Beer Garden which is very pleasant (You can hear the Cathedral Bells ringing from hear with No Traffic Noise)...Mint!
Various activities are on all week, my personal favorite is the Sunday Evening Quiz.
Anybody visiting Durham must call at The Woodman, located on Claypath. (1st Pub you come across entering the City from A1M).
Written 1 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holidayholic54
Manchester, UK6 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
Walking back from Durham town centre towards our hotel, having sampled the various offers elsewhere, we just called in on the offchance, and stumbled upon a gem of a place. The first things to stands out were a well stocked bar with a choice of 3 real ales, pristine decor, very clean, and very welcoming tenants. Being members of Camra we were keen to try the real ales on offer, and were well pleased with the quality of all three of them. It was noticeable that the handpull pipes were being kept in tip top condition. Good banter with Neil & his family simply confirmed their tireless dedication to ensuring the very best offering of drinks, snacks, & a spot-lessly clean venue. This was just as evident in the toilet facilities. The only point of interest was the sit-down gents cubicle door which had two security devices - 1, a bolt with no hasp, & 2, a hasp with no bolt :-) thankfully, the customers were friendly & made us strangers feel quite at home from the start. The drinks prices were very competitive. Their games room was well attended. After a busy second day around Durham, it was a no-brainer to call in again on our way back to our hotel. All in all a very pleasant proper local pub experience.
Written 3 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SteveO
County Durham, UK2 contributions
Aug 2022
Popped in here last weekend for a couple of 'quiet' drinks, with the weather being nice and to see how accurate their boast of the 'best beer garden in Durham' actually was. Yes, the pub has been decorated to a nice standard and the beer garden is very nice. Big enough for children to run around and, unfortunately, on the occasion we were there, there were quite a few kids running around and causing a bit of a nuisance and the parents didn't seem much better (Foul language, abusive to other customers). The pub also advertises itself as a family pub but we'll not be going again, especially with our kids, as this already seems to be attracting the clientele I'd like to avoid, thanks
Written 19 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rowanhart
Durham, UK10 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Attracting wrong crowd, which is a shame as the beer garden is nice. Maybe it's the naff Peaky Blinder stuff up everywhere making people think they can go on like gangsters. Avoid if you don't like seeing fights, big groups of drunken men or women screaming like banshees at their kids. Our kids were horrified by it.
Written 19 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stevie Blue
Durham, UK12 contributions
Aug 2022
This pub has had several recent changes of ownership in the last few years. I hope the current owners/managers can make improvements beyond the décor.
The first disappointment was just how long it took to get served. Although there were several people behind the bar looking on, it seemed that only one young woman was serving. 10 minutes to be served - given the number of staff standing round doing nothing - is unacceptable.
There is a small range of non-industrial beer (depending on how you define that) including Timothy Taylor Landlord.
We went into the beer garden. The pub says it is "family friendly" and certainly there were a couple of little boys careering round the place, occasionally being shouted by their father (I presume). The little boys weren't the difficulty, but the large family group which seemed to spend most of the time bellowing at the children and swearing. Not pleasant.
The first disappointment was just how long it took to get served. Although there were several people behind the bar looking on, it seemed that only one young woman was serving. 10 minutes to be served - given the number of staff standing round doing nothing - is unacceptable.
There is a small range of non-industrial beer (depending on how you define that) including Timothy Taylor Landlord.
We went into the beer garden. The pub says it is "family friendly" and certainly there were a couple of little boys careering round the place, occasionally being shouted by their father (I presume). The little boys weren't the difficulty, but the large family group which seemed to spend most of the time bellowing at the children and swearing. Not pleasant.
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Justine C
15 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
Myself and my family had decided to stop off in this little pub waking home after an event in Durham, my dad had mentioned that it had been recently refurbished and as he was a regular in this pub for many years he wanted to see how the place had been turned around.
Unfortunately on arrival my dad had gone to the bar to buy 3 out of the 5 of us drinks and was asked if us sitting at a table was his family, and if so we were taking valuable space on a 'busy' day. This then made my dad buy unwanted drinks amongst us to please the owner. We were planning on getting a few more drinks and a bite to eat after a sit down and just generally taking it slow after a busy day. And after this ordeal of the owner basically telling us to leave if we all were not buying a drink, we drank our drinks and left. The best thing about it was there was only 2 other groups of people in the bar and was very empty. Very uncomfortable visit and was watched the whole time we were there. I feel this type of establishment is for the locals and that only! Will not be visiting again and would not recommend.
Unfortunately on arrival my dad had gone to the bar to buy 3 out of the 5 of us drinks and was asked if us sitting at a table was his family, and if so we were taking valuable space on a 'busy' day. This then made my dad buy unwanted drinks amongst us to please the owner. We were planning on getting a few more drinks and a bite to eat after a sit down and just generally taking it slow after a busy day. And after this ordeal of the owner basically telling us to leave if we all were not buying a drink, we drank our drinks and left. The best thing about it was there was only 2 other groups of people in the bar and was very empty. Very uncomfortable visit and was watched the whole time we were there. I feel this type of establishment is for the locals and that only! Will not be visiting again and would not recommend.
Written 11 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. Our sincerest apologies if you felt that your experience at The Woodman was uncomfortable, this is certainly not the ambiance we seek to create within our pub, and we very much appreciate your honest feedback on your visit.
I very much remember your family coming in (sat in the corner next to the front door entrance), and your Dad coming to the bar and ordering a drink (San Miguel as I recall, but maybe incorrect as we served a lot, most especially that day - mid-afternoon last Saturday, Durham Miners Gala Day, the busiest day in any Durham pub). I served him, just the one drink whilst the four of you remained at the table and your Dad remained at the bar for around 20 minutes talking to another one of our Customers.
I was on the bar the whole time and it became noticeable after a time of around 20 minutes (your Dad was 3/4 of the way down his pint), that no one else was buying a drink at that point or looked like they were ordering food as one would expect an order of some sort within 20 minutes. So I very politely asked your Dad (still at the end of the bar), if that was his family and were they having a drink to which he answer "no", so I very politely reminded him that we are a pub and a business and if no one was drinking, it was unfair to take up a table of five without a drink on it - to which he ordered three drinks (2 of which were cokes and a spirit I think). Unfortunately I make no apologies for having to ask that, as we are a business with massive costs to cover each and every week and if people come and use our facilities without engaging in a purchase - our pub would no longer be trading. I would kindly ask you to consider that if you are using someone's premises and not purchasing, how does that business pay for its huge overheads, refurbishments and improvements.
There may have only been two visible groups of people to you, however every table in the garden was full and there were waves of people coming in and out all day, and we of course have to monitor our premises to ensure that our customers can sit, be comfortable and enjoy their visit and leisure time, whilst as a business we maximise on that footfall and make sure it runs smoothly.
As I mentioned, we do appreciate that you have given honest feedback whether that be positive or negative and whilst your rating is disappointing, we understand that we cannot please all the people all of the time. We hope that one day you will visit us again and if you do please do ask for myself or my Wife (Sean or Jane), so that we can ensure your next experience is more of what we want guests to feel after visiting our premises. We then hope you have a positive experience, like many of our other reviewers and you will see that we aren't just a 'locals' pub, but a place where anyone whether local, student or tourist can visit, partake in the products we sell and feel comfortable, relaxed and happy within what is not just a 'pub', but our family home.
Yours Sincerely,
Sean & Jane Quilty
Licensees - The Woodman Inn.
Written 14 July 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Edward793
Carlisle, UK42 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
Popped in with colleagues, we were staying in local travel lodge across the way. Met with friendly staff and locals. We arrived during a charity raffle, having a laugh as someone told us top prize was a pickled egg. A few games of pool in lovely surroundings. great selection of drinks on draft and bottled, at decent prices.
Written 23 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard W
2 contributions
Dec 2015 • Couples
Very welcoming. Friendly staff. Very good food. Well worth a visit. Short walk from city center but worth the effort.
Written 11 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cuccir
Durham, UK211 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
The beer garden really is the stand-out attraction of this pub - grassy, fairly large, and a lovely place to sit in the sun. It lives up to their claim of 'best in Durham'.
Inside, the pub is pleasant enough, without being exceptional: down to earth would be a good description I think! Worth travelling up from town for on a sunny day, otherwise would only recommend if you were in the area.
Inside, the pub is pleasant enough, without being exceptional: down to earth would be a good description I think! Worth travelling up from town for on a sunny day, otherwise would only recommend if you were in the area.
Written 5 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi. Karaoke is on a Saturday night from 8pm. Thanks
Written 5 October 2018
Hi Ken, unfortunately not as we are a busy Saturday night karaoke venue. Our sincerest apologies. Thanks
Written 5 December 2017
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