White Horse Inn, Upper Soudley

The White Horse is a rare survivor in that it retains its original internal layout, somehow 'missing out' on the usual 'improvements and refurbishments' that have made so many pubs bland incarnations of their former selves. A lively front bar is the hub of the pub, with a lounge / meeting room at the rear. The White Horse even boasts a skittle alley with no attempt to convert it into an extended dining area. A real traditional pub. Note the rare pub sign iron bracket - a legacy of its days when it was tied to West Country Breweries based in Cheltenham.

Ideally placed near the picturesque Soudley Ponds and the Dean Heritage Centre the White Horse is popular with tourists and locals alike. Walking and cycling trails are nearby.

It's hard to imagine now but the pub once served railway passengers on the branch-line from Bullo Cross Junction to Cinderford. The last train was in November 1958. Legend has it that in the dying days of steam, loco crews on goods trains would stop at Soudley Halt after negotiating the claustrophobic stiff climb through the single bore 1,064 yard long Haie Hill tunnel and Bradley Hill tunnel ostensibly to take on water for the engine, but only to be greeted with the landlord of the White Horse with foaming pints of ale!