The Black Lion Coaching Inn

A Historic Coaching Inn on Cardigan High Street

The Black Lion is the handsome red-brick building on Cardigan’s High Street with its name in gold letters across the front, and it has been feeding and watering this town for a very long time — the sign outside claims it is probably the oldest coaching inn in Wales, with origins on the site going back to the twelfth century. What you get today is a proper old inn that has been given a serious and sympathetic refurbishment: stone walls and beams left exposed, buttoned leather banquettes, a run of bars and snugs to choose from, a good kitchen, and bedrooms upstairs that are a great deal smarter than the outside lets on. Cardigan Castle is a few steps away.

The Rooms

The bedrooms have been done properly — deep mustard velvet headboards, crisp white linen, striped cushions, patterned floors, wall lights and panelling — and some sit under the original beams. All are en-suite, with a shower or a bath; one of the bathrooms is tiled in green herringbone with a bath under the window. Rooms come with a flat-screen television, a wardrobe, a hairdryer, a coffee machine and an electric kettle, and some have a sofa bed, which makes them workable for a small family. Daily housekeeping is included and express check-in and check-out are available.

The Bars and the Kitchen

Downstairs is the best part. There is not one bar but a series of connected rooms — the main bar with its long chesterfield banquette and a wall of bottles, the Lion Gold Bar, a snug with a stone fireplace, and rooms with old plates and prints on rough stone walls. The restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner, and the cooking is more ambitious than pub food; there is a proper cocktail list too. Breakfast comes as a full English, vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. It is the sort of place where you can eat, drink and settle in for the whole evening without leaving the building.

At a Glance

• Historic coaching inn on the High Street in the centre of Cardigan
• Cardigan Castle a few steps away
• Smartly refurbished en-suite bedrooms; some with beams, some with sofa beds
• Coffee machines and flat-screen TVs in the rooms
• Several bars and snugs with stone walls, beams and open fires
• Restaurant serving brunch, lunch and dinner; cocktail list
• Breakfast: full English, vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free
• Free WiFi, daily housekeeping, express check-in and check-out
• Rated 8.7 out of 10 by Booking.com guests

Cardigan on the Doorstep

Staying on the High Street means the town is simply outside the door. Cardigan Castle — where the first competitive Eisteddfod was held in 1176, derelict for years and now beautifully restored with gardens, exhibitions and a concert lawn — is a few steps away. The Small World Theatre is a six-minute walk, the farmers’ market and the independent shops are all within the same few streets, and the Teifi runs under the old bridge at the bottom of the hill. Cardigan is a working Welsh market town rather than a resort, and that is precisely its charm.

The Teifi and the Coast

Nine kilometres up the river, Cilgerran Castle stands on its crag above the gorge, with the Welsh Wildlife Centre and its otters and reedbeds below. Downstream, the estuary opens out at St Dogmaels, where Poppit Sands marks the start of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and dolphins come into the river mouth in summer. The Ceredigion coast runs north from there to Mwnt, Aberporth and New Quay; the Pembrokeshire coast runs south towards Newport and Fishguard. Newcastle Emlyn and its castle sit thirteen kilometres inland.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of place is it? A historic coaching inn on Cardigan High Street, with several bars, a restaurant and smartly refurbished en-suite bedrooms above.

How far is Cardigan Castle? A few steps — it is on the same street.

Is there food in the evening? Yes — the restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner, and there is a cocktail list.

Can the rooms take a family? Some rooms have a sofa bed as well as the main bed.

What breakfast is available? Full English or Irish, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.

How old is it? The hotel’s own sign says the site has been in use since the twelfth century and that it is probably the oldest coaching inn in Wales.

Book Your Cardigan Stay

If you want to stay in the middle of Cardigan — castle at the end of the street, a proper old bar downstairs, and a room that has actually had money spent on it — the Black Lion is the obvious choice among hotels in the town. Check availability and book using the options shown on this page.