BITE user comments - Terry_W
Comments by Terry_W
I believe this pub lost the chap who looked after the ales really well and since then the beers have gone down the pan. Now hardly worth the 2009 GBG entry it gained when he was still around. Last time I visited it seemed to be back in the bad times : utterly dead; there was only member of staff who was more interested in his chavvy mates at the quiz machine than actually working.
9 Dec 2008 21:50
The Thatched House, Poulton Le Fylde
The pub has improved a lot in recent times and is in the latest GBG. Well worth a visit.
9 Dec 2008 21:43
Ship and Royal, Lytham St Annes
This pub has recently been refurbished by the Orchid Pub group, although it seems like a simple paint job plus removal of knackered big TV screens. They say that they have numerous beers on handpump including a house beer brewed by the Hart brewery, but not during the week they don't. On two separate weekday visits, there were only two cask beers on - really foul Courage Directors and ordinary Hydes Boddingtons. I asked why the "house" beer wasn't on and got a shrug of the shoulders. We left and went to much greener pastures - The Hastings, The County, and The Taps.
3 Mar 2008 22:41
I drove our family 30 miles to this 2007 Beer Guide listed pub on Mayday Bank Holiday for some lunch and to sample a real ale or two. The pub looks a bit shabby on the outside with outdated Mitchell's signage, but seemed fine inside. But, the reception was less than welcoming with a member of staff not keen to give us menus. Puzzled by this I nevertheless ordered a pint and a half of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. After making sure I'd paid, they THEN told us that there'd be a 25 minute wait BEFORE they took our food order, despite the place being only two-thirds full. We couldn't be arsed arguing with them for a refund so we downed the ale and left.
9 May 2007 21:58
I took my family here after Christmas. It's changed hands, now being a Robinsons pub. The food was still good but the beers weren't very well kept.
23 Jan 2007 23:02
The Queens Hotel, Lytham St Annes
Despite the deplorable language of the previous reviewer, he / she is fairly accurate. We went in before Christmas. Despite being very quiet, it took about ten minutes to get a pint. The barman seemed irritated that we'd bothered him. The beer was dishwater.
23 Jan 2007 22:58
The Queensway, Lytham St Annes
Not sure if it's still called "The Queensway". All I saw of it from the outside was "HARVESTER". Enough said.
23 Jan 2007 22:53
Visited The Station today as part of a pub crawl. St. Austell Tribute on tap - nice. Rather empty; a bit disappointing considering it's so close to Christmas.
15 Dec 2006 23:23
The Bay View Inn, Widemouth Bay
We came here during the Autumn half-term break. Despite being v. busy, the staff were friendly and polite. The selection of real ales was impressive with their own house beer "Bay View Sunset" quite delicious. For the record, this was the day we heard the "Boom" (26/10/06) - an enormous supersonic bang (apparently) caused by a meteorite entering the atmosphere, which knocked our kids off their feet, on the lovely beach. Anyway, I fondly recommend the Bay View Inn as being very friendly...even to Northerners.
9 Dec 2006 01:21
Another beer guide entry, well above average pub with comprehensive selection of real ales and good grub. Children are not allowed in the main bars, as usual, but the family room was preferable anyway - the bars were thick with cigarette smoke. The staff were v. friendly considering the place was solid with tourists, including us. The second time we visited, it was suffering from its own success and was truly overrun - it's opposite Boscastle's main car-park. We went elsewhere.
31 Oct 2006 00:08
I took our family in last week for lunch whilst on holiday in North Cornwall. We had a warmer experience than Badgerhead. The staff were reasonably friendly. The landlord gave me a full rundown on the beers (and draught scrumpy) on offer. Particularly interesting was the Blisland Bulldog ale. We sat in the "family room" which to be honest could do with some decorating. The food was generally good although my wife made the wrong choice going for the lamb & mint burger, expecting a home made dish. Instead, she got something that resembled thick cardboard in a bun. Nevertheless, my home made beef madras was delicious, and of course the beer was impeccable. It's an ex-CAMRA National pub of the year and I'd say if it's a sesh you're after, you'd struggle to beat this place, in this neck of the woods. But if you're with your family and you're after a meal / beer / welcoming atmosphere experience, there are better places. Afterwards, we took up the pub's suggestion of visiting the nearby parish church - one of John Betjeman's favourites. Now that really is a gem.
30 Oct 2006 23:59
I happened to read this review after contributing my genuine review of the Horse and Farrier and to be honest I smell a rat when phrases such as "much friendlier than the Horse & Farrier" are used. I have no connection with the "Horse & Farrier", and I suggest that walkers / drinkers make their own minds up if they happen to be going through the lovely village of Threlkeld instead of passing it at 60 mph on the A66.
13 Oct 2006 01:34
The Thatched House, Poulton Le Fylde
This place is well and truly going down the plug-hole. In the last couple of months I've drunk numerous pints that were "off". When I hand my pint back, the staff look at you disbelievingly, thinking you're a troublemaker. The manageress looks lost. The place looks shabby. The Staff wear their pub polo shirts with "WKD" stitched on the arm. Overall, what a shame for a once great ale house!
13 Oct 2006 01:23
Eeh, this used to be The Imperial. The Thwaites on tap was delicious and there was a full sized snooker table in the back which I remember lying on one evening. But then again, we'd been to the King's Arms, Criterion, and Stanley Arms (AKA "Blue Room"). Them were t' days. Of course they converted The Imperial to "Flashmans", an 80's "Fun" pub. Now, every time I got past it, it's empty.
12 Sep 2006 13:33
I used to come here for my lunch when I was at Blackpool & The Fylde College. I visited it recently and it wasn't at all in any way acceptable.
9 Sep 2006 02:08
The Queens Hotel, Lytham St Annes
I went there from work one sunny lunchtime. They couldn't cope. They stopped taking orders for meals - great! The staff were short tempered. The Speckled Hen was awful. I gave it a second chance a few weeks later in the evening. It still took ages to get served. The beer was terrible. Considering the prime location, this place needs a kick up the arse.
29 Aug 2006 23:35
The Pump and Truncheon, Blackpool
I took my wife in there last Friday. Being a CAMRA member, I decided to show a bit of support for a Beer Guide entry. We live here and we're not used to being in this part of town (the bowels of hell) but the staff were really friendly and I was v. impressed by the selection of real ales. I wasn't so thrilled with the cabaret - we couldn't hear ourselves speak so we left.
29 Aug 2006 23:13
It was v. busy in here last Friday despite the dreadful weather. May have had something to do with exam results. Anyway, at least they had some real ale on. The Timothy Taylors was OK. Not many places in Blackpool town centre bother with hand-pulled ales so at least that's a feather in its cap, as long as they're kept well (!!).
29 Aug 2006 23:04
This place can suffer from its own popularity. But, it's a good place for a feed and there are several real ales available. Nice location. You're not made to feel bad if the kids are being noisy. Good value. Don't bother with Guy's round the corner. It was busy when we took our family there and it was rubbish.
29 Aug 2006 22:55
The Wasdale Head Inn, Wasdale Head
This is one of Lakeland's best pubs. The location at the birthplace of mountaineering and the history of the Inn / Hotel is amazing. The remote location keeps the idiots and coachloads away leaving this little piece of Heaven to the keen walkers, climbers and locals. It also has the Great Gable micro-brewery providing delicious ales, most of which are available at the same time in Ritson's Bar which forms the main part of the Inn. It also has an ornate residents' bar and a restaurant serving posh nosh should you feel inclined. In sunny weather you can take your pint outside, sit yourself down, and contemplate the best scenery in England.
11 Jul 2006 00:12
The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, Langdale
Probably the most famous walkers' pubs in the Lakes. As basic as it gets which is a good idea because most of the time everyone is dripping wet after a hard day on the Crinkles or Bowfell in driving rain. But on a sunny Summer day in the beer garden with a pint of Yates or Bluebird in front of you and Pike 'O Blisco soaring up to meet the blue sky in the distance....can it get any better? Well, yes. I prefer the Inn at Wasdale Head, but that's another story!
11 Jul 2006 00:01
Wainwrights Inn, Great Langdale
Despite the cheesy name (not sure what it was called before A.W. was around), this pub is an OK stopping off point and makes a reasonable substitute if the Brittannia is bombed out down the road. Whilst not being as "Quaint" as its nearby rival, the food's OK, the beer's good, and the view from the beer garden is really impressive.
10 Jul 2006 23:53
It used to be "The Grapes" with decent hand-pulled Tetleys (when Tetleys used to be OK) from the 360 degree centre bar, and it had real character. Then, be jeebers! They nailed a bicycle to the ceiling, shoved some books here and there and, lo and behold, it was an Irish theme pub! A thousand curses on the people that did this to this pub and several others, ruining Blackpool town centre's pubs for ever.
10 Jul 2006 23:41
You'd think that no adult with a brain wants to stand in a hell-on-earth place like this, drinking foul keg beer at exhorbitant prices whilst footage of kids on BMX bikes doing stunts is shown on the big screens and crap music obliterates the conversation. But you think wrong. It gets packed at weekends. The "with a brain" bit gives it away.
10 Jul 2006 23:31
The Devonshire Arms, Blackpool
One of my colleagues drinks in here and whenever he meets someone at work he doesn't like he says, "How long would he last in the Devonshire Arms?". Quite.
10 Jul 2006 23:17
The Old Town Hall, Poulton Le Fylde
This place was quite friendly on my last visit and the Old Speckled Hen was very drinkable. Other guest beers were available on tap and this is now getting noticed by discerning drinkers around the town and beyond. Quite a surprise; last time I went in there many years ago, it was New Years Eve and a hell hole.
10 Jul 2006 23:07
The Golden Ball, Poulton Le Fylde
I was very disappointed with my last visit here. The "guest" beer was vinegar and when I pointed this out to the barmaid, she scowled and poured me one of the cheaper house beers, failing of course to refund me the difference.
10 Jul 2006 23:03
A top class pub and great stop off point for travellers on the M6 - the pub is only 5 mins drive from junction 39. This pub is a regular entry in the good beer guide and the food is well above average.
3 Jun 2006 01:43
This is truly real ale Nirvana. 16 guest beers? How good does it get? Well, the staff are polite and humourous, the food is really good, they're great with families; it's difficult to think of a problem. Surely this is one of the greatest pubs in the UK.
3 Jun 2006 01:28
The Eagle and Child Inn, Weeton
It's changed hands in the last six months which is good news because it's been dire until recently. Our family were made welcome in lovely sunny weather and the food AND hand pulled cask ales were very impressive. Definitely worth stopping off for.
3 Jun 2006 01:20
Always busy, even on a wet Tuesday in February. Can get violent during the season.
2 May 2006 23:05
I've never known what to make of this place. It's quite a long main room with a vaults downstairs. It's nowhere near as good as The Saddle for instance but it's a lot better than many other places round these parts and there's cask Thwaites on tap.
2 May 2006 23:01
OK, it's in the Good Beer Guide, but do you really want to sup a guest ale whilst watching a tranny cabaret artiste? Maybe I'm a bit square!
2 May 2006 22:56
The Thatched House, Poulton Le Fylde
Still THE place to visit for beer enthusiasts, although I hear the Old Town Hall has a few guest beers too. The Thatched still gets v. busy at weekends so a week night visit is the best bet. My favourite Poulton pub.
20 Mar 2006 23:10
The Cube Bar, Poulton Le Fylde
The selection of Champagnes in the fridge impressed me (Krug, Dom Perignon, Louis Roederer etc.) but not much else did. If you're one for real fires, well they do have one - a video of one on a widescreen TV on the wall. Plenty of TEG at weekends though.
20 Mar 2006 23:03
There used to be The Barn and The Bull. Now there's just The Bull. It's very modern with TV screens everywhere and doesn't have any real ale. The clientele at The Bull are mostly chavs and chavettes. Oh and Beckham wannabees - the night I was in there, a lad stood by the bar in full Real Madrid kit (including shin pads and boots). I've seen other lads in there dressed similarly - it must be some kind of Poulton trend! But it does have a no smoking area although not policed too well.
20 Mar 2006 22:59
I visited the County last Friday since The Taps was a total scrum (St. Paddy's Night). I was again pleasantly surprised - four real ales on tap : Brains SA, Deuchars IPA, Theakstons OP and the Hyde Brewery's version of Boddies. All were in good form. The place was pretty busy, maybe because of the spillover from The Taps but at least I could sample some decent beer and have a good chat with the lads without getting barged around.
20 Mar 2006 22:45
This is a Good Beer Guide entry but for me it's the food that makes it one of the best country pubs in the Fylde to visit. Over Christmas, I took my family to all the best country pubs in the district and the Running Pump was head and shoulders above the Cartford Hotel, Owd Nells and the Plough at Eaves to name but three. Open fires and friendly staff and locals make this place well worth scouring the OS map for!
1 Mar 2006 21:57
This pub has been through some dismal times recently. For many years it used to be THE pub in Lytham when The Taps was the Captain's Cabin and The Hastings Club was Lytham Cons. Delicious Boddies fresh from the Strangeways brewery used to be served to the massed throngs. Then Whitbread swallowed Boddies, the pub got "Done out" and the rest is history. Normally you'll find this place three-quarters empty, even on a Friday night, since The Taps rightfully took all its clientele away. But maybe they've started trying a bit harder here very recently. On my last visit, the County had two guest ales on tap. For an area that loves its real ales, maybe somebody at the County has finally acquired a scrap of business acumen!
24 Jan 2006 23:11
The Glen Rothay Hotel and Badger Bar, Rydal
The bar was indeed was v. nice but v. smoky too. It's an OK place to stop off for a pint, but I'm afraid the hotel itself was very disappointing - no late drinking for residents; also a 45 minute "window" for breakfast? At �75 a night for a room!
24 Jan 2006 22:59
I never went in this place when I was a student here, always being dragged to Ye Crack and the Phil. What a shame. I went in recently and was v. impressed with the beer, the unspoilt layout and friendly staff. Probably the best pub in Liverpool for well kept ales.
29 Nov 2005 23:50
It is a great pub with a marvellous landlord, but it's lost its edge for me a bit recently, since Green King took over in fact. Look at the beers. They used to have 8 constantly changing guests. Now, surprise surprise, Greene King's IPA is permanently installed as is the Abbott, even though it's a nice tipple. Plus the pub has its own Taps Best Bitter and Taps Mild, neither of which are record breakers. So that's 4 pumps gone, in terms of new guests ales. Look down the road at the Hastings Club with guest pumps right down the bar. I am nit picking a bit of course - after all it did make it into CAMRA's top 5, and the Hastings has a long way to go to acquire the friendly (if crowded) atmosphere that The Taps usually has. For me personally, The Taps is the second best pub on the Fylde (after the Cartford Hotel, although that wasn't top drawer last time I was in there....there's no pleasing some people!).
29 Nov 2005 23:46
The Porcupine, Leicester Square
A great place to meet (next door to Leicester Square tube). The staff have every right to be unpleasant (v. busy at times) but they're surprisingly friendly. Some decent ales on too. Also good if you're alone for people watching!
22 Nov 2005 22:25
Probably best in warm weather when you can stand outside with a pint of Madonna's favourite tipple, watching the dealers doing brisk trade across the road. Probably one of my favourite Soho haunts though.
22 Nov 2005 22:22
What a marvelous "Real" pub. Only a few minutes form the M6 Penrith junction. They used to have their own "Tirril" brewery here but it was so successful, it had to move away. You can still drink their ales though, the Old Faithful being my favourite. the food's great too.
22 Nov 2005 22:12
A great pub with really excellent real ales and impressive food. I nearly fainted at the guest beer prices but I guess it's all about the location. Besides, there are plenty of rubbish places round these parts that charge similar prices and aren't in the same league.
22 Nov 2005 22:06
One of the best real ale pubs in Blackpool (and lets face it - there ain't much competition!). Also Blackpool's oldest, so for a change, there's a feeling of history in the pub, despite the best efforts of various owners to ruin the place (e.g. beautiful stained glass windows replaced with B&Q bargain specials). Great selection of changing cask ales, and now it has a keen young landlord at the helm, it's going from strength to strength. No smoking room is v. popular.
22 Nov 2005 21:57
It's a good place for a pint of real ale before / after a football match (Bloomfield Road is a couple of minutes away). But to be honest, many locals aren't keen on this part of town, which is tourists-ville Arizona!
22 Nov 2005 21:50
Horse and Farrier Inn, Threlkeld
After a hard day on Blencathra, this pub is just the ticket. V. friendly management and staff, loads of history in the pub, plus great beers, my favourite, Cocker Hoop in particular. Good food too. Well worth a detour off the A66.
17 Nov 2005 01:11
This pub is sometimes overlooked by the throngs hurtling towards Oddfellows or the Dog and Gun, but this is really worth a visit. The Jennings beers are kept superbly.
17 Nov 2005 01:05
Another great pub. How lucky is Keswick? The food never disappoints and the Jennings ales are always top drawer. Despite getting chaotic during the holidays, the staff are without fail excellent.
17 Nov 2005 01:01
This is one of my favourite pubs in Keswick. It's a bit hidden away, off the main drag but well worth the visit. It usually has the complete sweep of Jennings ales and the food is well above average. I tried a Tournedos Rossini and a pint of Jennings Cockerhoop after a mountain gear shopping trip last Winter and went to Lakeland Pub Heaven!
17 Nov 2005 00:56
This is a great pub, not only the best pub in Ambleside but also one of the best in Lakeland. Positioned perfectly for fellwalkers completing the Fairfield Horseshoe, a pint in here really is a great end to a great day on the fells. Sounds too good to be true? Go there!
17 Nov 2005 00:51
The New Inn, Clapham
We were very disappointed when we went out of our way to visit this 2009 GBG pub. The service was slow, they got our food order wrong, the foreign waiter made Fawlty Towers' Manuel seem competent, and the Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was luke warm because the elderly barmaid didn't pull some ale through the pipes before she pulled our beer.
24 Aug 2009 20:11