The Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn, a traditional cask ale pub set at the foot of the Garth mountain just a short distance from Cardiff, has become a firm favourite for walkers, cyclists and villagers. Owners Sam and Rob Pearson have built on the pub's existing strengths to create a community hub that hosts festivals, charity events and a popular carvery.
A pub with deep roots in the village
Rob Pearson's connection to the pub spans more than two decades. He first worked there in 2005 for six or seven years, then returned in the mid-2010s before leaving again to renovate the couple's nearby farmhouse. He was tempted back when the previous owners asked him to help out a couple of days a week, which eventually led to the couple taking on the pub.
“Six months after I came back to help out the previous owners said ‘we’re selling up and retiring’,” said Rob. “We couldn’t afford to buy it so we nagged them to rent it to us. And here we are. We bought the lease in December 2018 and it was probably the hardest month of our lives.”
Community events and charity work
The pub is at the heart of the community, with an annual cider festival, a summertime ball run where a tractor scoop filled with coloured balls races down the nearby hairpin bend, and a car park carvery that started during the pandemic. Funds raised from charity events go to the local school, local charities, and most recently a defibrillator was installed in the red phone box, paid for from the charity pot.
The community's support is evident. After a sausage and cider festival, Rob arrived on Sunday morning to find eight customers, not employees, already clearing up. “They’d already at it, clearing up, before we got here,” added Sam. A customer who made the pub's stained glass sign has also made three defibrillator signs for the phone box, simply saying “I'll do it”.
A rural feel with a warm welcome
The pub's location offers a rural escape without a long journey. Sam, who walks up to the Garth most days, said: “That’s the beauty of it here. It’s such a great location, because we are in the countryside, and that’s how it feels doesn’t it? It feels quite very rural, very sort of almost remote to some people.” Regulars come from as far as Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, and a cycling group stops by weekly and makes a special trip for Christmas.
Rob said: “A lot of people say when they come here: 'It feels like we're on holiday'. You get lots of walkers, so they'll probably get the train to Taff's Well, walk up here, and you can see them looking around going: 'Wow'.” The pub's chef has been there for two decades, and much of the meat supply comes from cattle farmed by Sam's nephew on the side of the Garth.
Not driven by money
Rob and Sam's ethos is simple. “This is how I think the passion comes across – we’re not driven by money, if that makes sense,” Rob said. “I’d rather people talk about us being the best – that’s the best pub. And us being the best that we can be. That people talk about it here.” The best thing for the pair, they say, is the feeling of welcome that no-one looks at you when you walk in – something they didn't directly create but are super-proud of.
