The Pilgrims Progress (JD Wetherspoon), Bedford

Every town needs a 'spoons and I think that Bedford needs it more than most. I've been around the Good Beer Guide recommendations (and this is one) and a couple of more unusual ones. Not had a pint - quite often of ordinary cask beer - for less than a fiver. I know Bedford is on the BenPan line - but its not London, is it. Timbo saves the day - a busy pub in typical style, with an interesting collection of cask for £1.85. A nice way to balance out my evenings financial expenditure. The retiree's friend.

Official site of The Pilgrims Progress (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Pilgrims Progress (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

This is a large Wetherspoons pub - the only one remaining in town after the closure of the Banker’s Draft - with a decent central location a short walk from the train station. The pub occupies a very large single room, with an approximate L-shape layout, comprising a fairly shallow but wide front space running from the right-hand side, all the way to the bar on the left-hand wall, where the room then starts to extend further to the rear. The right side of the pub is mainly a split-level, carpeted area with a raised seating section under the front windows and a slightly larger space on a lower level behind. The room has plenty of dark wood panelling as well as a few rather grand bookcases filled with what I can only assume are auction job-lots, rather than someone’s esteemed library. A partitioning rail separates the two levels, and on the lower section, this is used as the backing to a row of nice banquette booths. The room is broken midway along by a large brick chimney stack with a small fireplace, which acts as the divider between the right side and the more open bar area to the left. High tables and stools dominate this space, running from the fireplace all the way to the bar, which has a simple wood panelled counter front and white tiled bar back of the sort that would look more at home in a craft beer bar than in a ‘Spoons. The room then runs a long way back, again across a couple of different levels, with lots more seating mainly in the form of basic tables and chairs. There may be some sort of beer garden or patio area to the rear, but I didn’t get a chance to explore. The three usual ‘Spoons ales were complimented by four guest ales and two real ciders, and I enjoyed a good quality pint of the Saltaire New World. I also stopped here for some food and thought it was of a much higher standard than in your average Wetherspoons, with a bit of attention to detail paid to what are essentially nothing more than microwave reheat meals. Service was pretty good and there was a busy Wednesday evening crowd in. This is a fairly bog-standard Wethersppons pub that doesn’t really have a great deal to make it stand out from the crowd, but it did at least have a good guest ale policy, friendly service and some decent food, which helped to round off my Before pub crawl nicely. Sure, you’ll have seen it all before, but it’s a solid choice and worthy of including on a trip around town.

Average Wetherspoons, some booth areas, food area at rear.