Formerly known as the Masons Arms and later the Masonic Arms, this pub has become a beloved fixture in the local community, particularly renowned for its hanging baskets, which have won the “Bollington in Bloom” awards multiple times.
Canal Pub on the Macclesfield Canal
Guide To The Poachers Inn
Located at the edge of Bollington, at 95 Ingersley Road, The Poachers Inn is a charming stone establishment created by merging several terraced cottages over many years.
For 24 years, until December 2024, The Poachers was owned and operated by Rob and Helen Ellwood, who transformed it into arguably Bollington’s most popular pub. During this time, they raised approximately £150,000 for local charities, with Helen even serving as Town Mayor in 2023/24.
Now under the ownership of Trust Inns and managed by Paul Newman, The Poachers continues to uphold its tradition of excellence, boasting a rapidly growing reputation for quality homemade food, carefully selected real ales (including selections from Storm Brewery), and an impressive array of malt whiskies and gins.
Strategically positioned just a hundred yards from the Peak District National Park, with both the Gritstone Trail and Middlewood Way passing nearby, The Poachers caters to a diverse group of visitors, including locals, ramblers, dog walkers, running groups, and cyclists. The pub offers comfortable seating around an open fire indoors and a secluded beer garden that has been described as a “proper sun trap” for those rare summer days.
The Poachers Inn Pictures
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The Poachers Inn Reviews
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Review from Google Places
2 August 2025
Changed hands a few months ago was a bit apprehensive about how things will turn out, nothing to worry about. Pie night still delicious and good value for money. Beers changed regularly ( Creme Bearlee being a favorite). Beer garden was beginning to look a bit tired with the previous owners its been tidied up recently and is a really pleasant spot to enjoy a nice pint in.Service with a smile from Jack and the team.
Review from Google Places
25 July 2025
Recently had a drink here with my husband, very good selection of wine and my husband was very happy with the beer 😊. Impeccable service, especially from a brown haired lad, I believe he said his name was Cole, very attentive and smiley which was nice to see 🙂 👍 Will be coming here again.
Review from Google Places
15 June 2025
A lovely pub with great service, great range and a great atmosphere 👌🏼 The Poacher’s Inn is a proper pub that is alive with people and is somewhere worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Bollington (White Nancy or not) ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
Review from Google Places
7 June 2025
Excellent value for money. Took a long time for the mains to arrive, but the food was tasty and cooked well. The menu mentions gluten free, but doesn’t list any meals as such, and the QR code supplied doesn’t work. However the bar staff are helpful and have the allergen guide behind the bar and in fact there are a reasonable number of choices for mum with her intolerance.
Review from Google Places
24 May 2025
We’ve eaten at this pub three times previously (last time was in early Autumn 2024) after a nice local walk and we’ve always had great food and good, prompt service. This time, we were disappointed to see that the menu had changed, with fewer options for the 3 out of 5 of us who are vegetarian. The 2 starters that were ordered arrived in a decent timescale but there was there an excessive delay before the mains arrived – about an hour between starters and mains. There was clearly a problem in the kitchen. No tables received mains from the kitchen for ages and though the staff were full of excuses for the tables that were more vocal in their complaints, we received no explanation. When we finally asked at the bar, we were told our meals were being plated. They weren’t – the barman confused us with another table. Had we known that our meals were not actually being plated at that time we would have cancelled our order and left. When we asked again, the meals (which were fine, though not as good as we’ve eaten there previously) were finally served. At this point, we’d been in the pub for nearly 2 hours and had 3 tired children, so there was no way we were ordering puddings! Disappointingly, there was no offer to reduce the bill and no gesture of apology. We won’t be eating there again.
