The White Horse, Twerton, Bath

This former GBG pub has suffered a decline in its fortunes over recent years, but it’s still a decent local. The Victorian house has a single large bar inside, a sunken smoking patio and a large car park where the garden used to be. The steps down from the car park to the patio are crumbling, somewhat symbolic. There is still a pool table, dart board, jukebox and TV showing live sports, but the furniture is battered and the bench seats are grubby. The landlady was rather sour, and the pub wasn’t terribly welcoming. Two ales on, Butcombe Gold and Original, both in very good condition. It’s worth coming in for a pint if passing but I’m not sure how long I’d want to stay.

Situated fairly close to Twerton Park, this pub was taken over a few years ago by the current licensees who have single-handedly turned it into a thriving community local. Three ales and two real ciders are usually available, along with a warm welcome. My Otter was excellent and my comedy cider came with an umbrella in. The chap behind the bar was a bit of a character and offered extra garlic powder for the garlic crisps, which was an excellent touch. The pub seems to do a lot of charitable works, with various testimonials and pictures on the walls. TV sports (though not 24-7 rolling stuff, thankfully), darts and table football feature. Cheese or ham crusty rolls for £1 behind the bar, which were gratefully devoured. Despite many other enticing offerings in the city centre, this little place was my pub of the day on a long crawl. A 10 minute walk from Oldfield Park BR and well-worthwhile says I.