Husband and wife team Neil and Amanda Davies have seen a lifelong dream come true after getting the keys to an countryside pub near Abergavenny.
The Abergavenny couple, an engineer and a nurse, bought the Cambrian Inn, Clydach, at auction with a view to keeping the pub operating as a going concern.
Listed with a guide price of £95,000-plus the pub was sold for £112,500 at Paul Fosh Auctions in Cardiff.
Matthew Jordan, of Paul Fosh Auctions, who handled the sale of the pub, said: “Neil and Amanda are a lovely couple. The pub couldn’t have gone to nicer people.
“It’s encouraging that they plan to keep the place as an inn and invest in the venture. This is great for the area in terms of retaining a facility which will be used both by local people and the many tourists the idyllic gorge area attracts.”
Neil, originally from Abertillery, and Amanda, born and bred in Abergavenny, are already welcoming their first customers to the Lower Station Road inn.
Neil, aged 50, who previously worked for a major supermarket chain for 15 years, said: “We’ve wanted to own and run a pub for ages. We did have a tenancy of The Bailey in Abergavenny for 11 months but this is something totally different; it’s ours. We’re the owners of a free house and able to do what we want.
“We’re going in with our eyes open. We know that pubs are closing across the UK at quite a rate but what we’ve got going for us at the Cambrian Inn is that this pub has been trading throughout the sale period, has been open for very many years and has a loyal, local clientele.
“We’ll be opening every day of the week and keeping the pub’s current hours. We have plans to use the accommodation above the pub, perhaps as an Airbnb or as a holiday apartment.
“The Cambrian Inn is in a great spot near Clydach Vale and the fascinating industrial remains. The area is a major draw and is very popular with tourists and walkers. The pub will be dog friendly and we hope to be able to reap some of the benefits brought by the opening of the new Heads of the Valley road.”
Mr Davies said they are looking to employ a couple of staff initially to help run the new business as they continue their day jobs for the time being to see how the pub venture pans out.
“Fred, the current landlord, was very accommodating and agreed to keep the pub open until we took over after we returned from our holidays. We have no illusions as to how hard we’re going to have to work to get our pub going but we’re excited about the prospect and prepared to give it a good go.”
Mr Davies said the pub would eventually have a website to promote its offerings and would be offering food in the future.
The next Paul Fosh Auctions is on Thursday, September 13, at The Park Inn Hotel, Cardiff starting at 5pm.