The Hope Tap (JD Wetherspoon), Reading

All roads in Reading seem to lead here. I ended up not finding the Greyfriars, finding the Gateway shut at 10pm on a Monday and coming back here. So - an average pint of Foddens. Not had it before but it was uninspiring. Then had a large Talisker. For £3.75. Tried to do the maths to see if it would be as cheap for me to fill a bottle as buy one in the supermarket.

Didn't stay very long in here. A pretty run of the mill Spoons, so just had a quick half of Exmoor Gold before moving on to the Monk's Retreat at the opposite end of the street. The ale selection in here was good with plenty of choice.

Run-of-the-mill 'spoons housed in a modern building of no distinction. Rectangular bar, with a dark interior. Patio beer garden to the rear. On the plus side, there was a decent selection of beers from the 12 handpumps, and my pint of Exmoor Fox (£2.09) was in good form.