About the Ratty Arms

Nestled beside the estuary in the charming coastal village of Ravenglass, Cumbria, where the Irish Sea meets the dramatic fells of the Lake District, stands a handsome old station building with warm sandstone walls and three proud chimneys. Locals and visitors alike know it affectionately as The Ratty Arms. The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, lovingly nicknamed The Ratty, has been steaming through the valley since 1875. What began as a narrow-gauge line hauling iron ore evolved into a beloved attraction, carrying generations of passengers on its miniature steam engines up into the hills and back to the coast. The station has always been the cheerful gateway to these adventures. In recent years, the old station buildings were given a new chapter. Not so long ago a family took over the historic site, breathing fresh life into its railway heritage while preserving its character. We’re a family-run pub in the heart of Ravenglass, now under new management, with a simple goal: to create a warm, relaxed place where everyone feels welcome, whether you’re stopping by after a coastal walk, arriving straight off the railway with the whistle still ringing in your ears, meeting friends for a drink, or joining us for a hearty meal with family. Today, The Ratty Arms is the welcoming heart of the village. The former goods yard is now a lovely beer garden filled with flowers and laughter. On any given day, the air carries the scent of good food, local ale, and the distant chuff of steam engines pulling into the station just yards away. If you sit on the old platform edge as the sun sets over the estuary, you might hear the gentle whistle of the last train of the day… followed by the warm sound of conversation and clinking glasses spilling out from The Ratty Arms. Some stations never really close. They just open their doors a little wider, and become home.