AN IMPULSIVE decision to buy a pub has paid off for a former carpenter as his establishment has just been declared Gwent's Pub of the Year.

The Goose and Cuckoo is a remote watering hole which clings to a mountainside above Upper Llanover near Abergavenny.

Landlord Mike Langley and his wife Carol were presented with a framed certificate last Friday night by Gwent CAMRA chairman Martyn Groucutt. The local community turn-ed up in strength to celebrate and enjoyed a free spread laid on by the Langleys.

Mr Langley, who was born in Weymouth and formerly lived in Berkshire, discovered the Goose and Cuckoo as many others do, on a walking holiday in the adjacent mountains.

He said: "I was with my son and we sat on a bench looking down at the pub. I said to him that if I ever took on a pub this was the kind of place I wanted.

"A year later I returned with my other son and saw that the pub had come up for sale."

He discussed it with his wife Carol and they sold their houses in Berkshire to fund the pub's purchase in 2001.

Neither had run a pub before but Mike had no qualms about the venture.

"I didn't know anything about keeping beer but I knew I could learn.

"The most important thing was to provide a warm welcome to local people and visitors alike.

"I never doubted that we could make a success of it."

Martyn Groucutt said: "This is a tremendous place, despite its isolated position, and shows that a well-run country pub selling well-kept real ale and serving the needs of its customers can be successful. Well done to Mike and Carol, they've really set the standard for others to follow."

The Langleys have maintained the traditional pub interior but added accommodation for walkers and improved the gardens. These provide a venue for the Goose and Cuckoo's twice-yearly beer festivals.

The next one is scheduled for the May Bank Holiday.

The pub enjoys fantastic views towards Abergavenny and the Usk valley and Mr Langley keeps a pair of binoculars behind the bar for bird watching.

But from CAMRA's point of view, the best thing is the beer, with up to four draught varieties from different breweries on tap in a changing rota. The Bullmastiff brand from Cardiff is frequently represented.

An imported German lager from Dortmund makes a change from the usual choice at UK establishments where foreign-sounding brands are often brewed around the corner.

The pub also does good food. Apparently, the bean soup is legendary and comes from a recipe passed on by the previous landlady when she and her husband retired.

The Goose and Cuckoo is one of the first buildings beyond the Llanover Estate due to the first Lady Llanover closing down all licensed premises on her lands.

Even today the estate refuses to allow alcohol to be sold. This makes The Goose and Cuckoo the village local despite it being several miles up the lane.

The unusual name allegedly refers to two women who ran the place in the early part of the century. They were very different in character and appearance.

One was called the goose the other the cuckoo.