Pub of the week

The Mariners, Great Yarmouth

The Mariners, Great Yarmouth. Photo: James Bass.

One row back from the quayside, in Howard Street South, The Mariners is a lovely stone building that looks just right as a pub.

In the three years friendly landlord Shaun Underdown has run the freehouse as a family business with his fiancée, Gemma Searby, he has transformed it into a real ale pub par excellence.

A doorman for 12 years, Shaun said he had become instantly attracted to the fascinating world of real ale during a brewery tour.

Now a lively and friendly local, The Mariners has become a hit with real ale aficionados and on the lunchtime of my visit, a party of Camra officials from Norwich were quick to describe it as their number one choice.

Without the space to become a food pub, the Mariners offers only a simple menu, but the same cannot be said of its drinks choice with eight real ales and 22 ciders to tempt you. To ensure you like it, there is the offer of “try before you buy”.

The pub has become well-known for its four beer festivals each year, one coinciding with Yarmouth's Maritime Festival in September.

The Mariners is open from 11am every day and with a late-night licence can stay open until 2am.

The Mariners, Howard Street South, Great Yarmouth