Ship & Castle / Y Llong ar Castell, Caernarfon

Looks promising from the outside. Not a bad place within, a basic manner of things with a bit of plodding semi-modernisation and a scruffy air. Star of the show were the very nice stained glass windows. Villain of the piece was the dire thudding dance music mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. One cask, Rev James in a contaminated glass but the liquid itself was fine (NBSS 2.5). With a bit of effort this could be a good little pub rather than the zombie corpse it currently is. 4.5

This is a lovely traditional pub with its attractive exterior topped by dormer windows, and the front rooms opened up into one some time in the past (1950s maybe) with blue-painted beams supported by slim wooden pillars in the same colour. (WhatPub says there are several rooms but I didn't explore further.) The bar has three hand pumps but only Rev James available, and this not in very good condition (NBSS 2), having taken several goes to get the frothy head down to a reasonable size and not tasting brilliant either, after all that effort. If a real ale enthusiast or expert cellarman were to take over this pub it might well rival the Wetherspoons just around the corner, but as it is, it will continue to sell mostly lager.