Britannia Inn, Llantysilio, Llangollen

Bar, restaurant and hotel on the way down the Horseshoe Pass towards Llangollen. This place with limited opening hours hadn't been on my original list of pubs to try on a visit to the area. Ideally we had been looking to find somewhere to stay in Llangollen itself so that I could enjoy a few pubs after a day of driving. But we settled on the Britannia Inn, as it was the most reasonably priced option. The Inn has some nice views and seems to be very popular with both locals and passers by. When we first arrived to check in late on a Saturday afternoon, it was fairly quiet. We ordered taxis to/from the town for later on in the evening and continued on our way across the Horseshoe Pass to my last 2 planned pubs. Returning, we found the place very busy. The left-hand room is the larger of the two and is favoured by diners. I think you can eat in the right-hand room too. But this was busy with people preparing for some kind of cycling event the following day. There's no cask ales here, but keg options were Felinfoel Double Dragon, Tetley's Smooth, Kronenbourg, Carlsberg, Guinness & Somersby. Our room was fine for a 1-night stay and we also enjoyed a filling breakfast.

Up, maybe, but not exactly running. I called in on my way up Horseshoe Pass, saw the Theakstons Best Bitter on the bar but suppressed an instinctive grimace and asked for a half. The landlady told me it wasn't ready as she was just cleaning out the lines. Now according to the list of opening hours I saw as I walked in, this place is currently opening Thursday to Sunday, giving them three full days to clean out the lines. At opening time on a Thursday, the beer should be ready to pour.

Not opening this season after the pandemic. They are planning to be back up and running next season.

Official site of the Britannia Inn - www.britinn.com

The Britannia Inn was built in the 14th Century by the Monks of the nearby Valle Crucis Abbey and is situated at the foot of the Horseshoe Pass. Very good quality Bed and Breakfast in a lovely location.