The Garthangharad, Llwyngwril

My car journey from the CAMRA Wales pub of the year to my destination near Llanberis was becoming a bit tedious and I needed to get off the road and calm down for 10 minutes. What better than a swift half in the very attractive Angharad's Garden in this delightful village of twisty roads and narrow gaps between houses. Oh, there's a car park! I had to find somewhere to turn around and come back to it, but it was both free and only two minutes walk to the pub. A choice of Butty Bach and Old Speckled Hen on the bar, and while I've never been a fan of the former, I had become reacquainted with the latter via a very good pint in a village called Halvergate in Norfolk a couple of days back, so I had a half. It was not as good as my Norfolk one, but very welcome nevertheless (NBSS 3.5, £4.80/pint). If fate should cause me to come this way again, I wouldn't mind calling in once more.

Official site of The Garthangharad - thegarthangharad.co.uk

After a period of closure I gratefully found the pub re-opened after a super-quick yomp along the final stretch of Wales Coast Path on a hot day prior to catching the train back home. It’s situated in a picturesque little village and the exterior fits in nicely. Due to COVID we could only access the rear public bar which has been blandly modernised. It had a pool table and a rugby match quietly on the go. Three pumps with two ales on, Purple Moose Glaslyn (NBSS 3.5) and London Pride. A decent little stop and maybe the unexplored lounge held more rustic cosiness to make it a winner? Has made the 2021 GBG, which is good news. 6.5

Official site of The Garthangharad - thegarthangharad.co.uk