The Beacon Inn, Dalton, Wigan

This Jennings country pub on the outskirts of Skelmersdale seems to be more geared as a restaurant than a pub. The restaurant itself is upstairs and is completely separate from the bar area which is situated on the ground floor. Any old characteristics of its original country pub nature have sadly been lost in a refurbishment which has resulted in a rather plain, drab and bland mock Tudor approach with predominant shades of grey. It all feels too much like a contrived hotel bar with 80's piped music and a genteel atmosphere. On the plus side, there is a very good ale selection – 4 pumps with Jennings Sneck Lifter and Cumberland plus Hobgoblin and Marstons Old Empire. Quality was very good. Service was also very friendly and welcoming. A side room contains a Plasma TV but given that this was prime time Saturday night and the fact that there were only 2 other people in the pub, I get the impression that the Beacon is not a particularly favoured outing for the locals. I'm not sure how busy the restaurant was but there was certainly plenty of space in the Car Park. Whilst the pub is high up and commands good views of the surrounding countryside, there didn't appear to be much in the way of a beer garden or outside seating to take advantage of it (although it was dark when I was there and I may have just missed it). As things stand (and I being specific to the bar and not for the restaurant that I have not tried), the Beacon is certainly worth a stop for the beers but lacks any intrinsic appeal to warrant a session or going out of the way for.