Old Original Bay Horse, Bolton

Not too bad a place and a fairly comfortable 2 roomed pub. A small room is to your left, which I never went in, and a larger lounge to the right. Sort of traditional inside it was pleasant enough and though there was only 4 other people in on my midweek afternoon visit they were amiable enough blokes. 4 real ales available with Bank Top, Moorhouse and Thwaites beers available. As noted, there are a couple of better pubs nearby.

This appealing looking white stone built pub, dating back to 1777, has a nice two bar layout and traditional feel to it. Entering through a porch with doors to either side, you can head left into a compact public bar with bare stone walls, limited seating options and a TV screen which was showing the afternoon's football to a rapt audience. Alternatively, turn right to enter the larger lounge bar which is bare boarded and has plenty of dark wood beams and pillars, giving it the look of a rural pub. A small, tatty carpeted area to the rear has a few standard seats and some landscape paintings on the walls, as well as a TV screen which was showing a different match to that in the public bar. The room opens out to the right hand side, in what I assumed was once a separate room, now used as something of a games area. Here there are a few tables and chairs, a pool table near the front windows, a dartboard, large TV screen, juke box and a raised area which looks like it doubles up as a stage. There are a few bits of Bolton Wanderers memorabilia dotted around the place, including a sign with the club's logo above pub's nickname, the Long Pull. Four ales were available on handpull, including three from Moorhouse - Black Cat, Pride of Pendle and Blonde Witch, plus Thwaites Wainwright. Old Rosie cider occupied the final pump. I opted for a half decent drop of the Pendle, served to me by a grumpy barman who firstly ignored my presence, then bemoaned the fact that I didn't have any loose change to pay for my half. I tried to strike up a bit of conversation, asking what the match was that he was wrapped up watching, to which he replied 'Fuck knows' before turning his back on me to carry on watching it. As I departed, he turned round and stared until I'd left - all in all not the warm welcome I'd hoped for. I thought this was a pretty nice pub that would make a decent local's boozer, but the unfriendly atmosphere meant that I was happy to take my leave and chalk it up to experience. There are some fine pubs just a short walk away, so I doubt I'll be troubling the barman in this place again.