The Lychgate, Wigan

Completely modernised old pub next to the church, with no discernible character inside. Popular for TV sports, and most tables have Holts pub food menus. Atrocious modern reggaeton/pop rap on the speakers, I would have much preferred Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. Branded a ‘cask ale house’ but that’s a bit of a joke with just Two Hoots and a very tired Holts Bitter available. A mundane pub.

This is a former Greene King pub that is now part of the Holt's estate. It appears to be an original pub on the right that has been extended into another building on the left. The transfer to Joseph Holt took place in late 2016 and it has been thoroughly renovated inside. There is an island bar in the original pub building while the added building has low tables and chairs. The flooring is polished wood and overall it's quite comfortable. There is a large paved patio at the rear. There are a couple of TVs but they were a lot less obtrusive than most pubs with TVs and the sound was off. There was a diverse 70s soundtrack playing which included Black Sabbath's Paranoid and the appalling Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle Of The Road. There were various hand pumps here but there were just four beers on. They were Holt's Bitter & Two Hoots and Bootleg Fool's Gold & Chorley Pale (brewed by Joseph Holt?). I had a couple of Holt's Bitters (£2.96) plus something to eat and the food was fine. The beer was in good condition but expensive for this brewery but to be fair this is a new outlet and outside their main trading area. I thought it was a good but not spectacular pub and would return. It gets a strong 7.

Hopefully its been done up since I was last cos it was a dump a few months ago.