The Victoria Hotel, Skelmersdale

The spit on the doorstep was not the most pleasant welcome sign. Given the assembled cast inside, I suppose it was hardly surprising that charm and class were a tad lacking. Apart from a quiet couple in the corner, the full complement of Saturday night ravers consisted of half dozen pool players congregated at the bar and a trio of motormouths who wouldn't have looked out of place in a Little Britain sketch. We occasionally stay in the area and have passed through Upholland many times so it was only a matter of time before we investigated some of the local pubs. The Vic always looked quite enticing from the road, a good solid stone pub with sturdy walls that even Cromwell's troops would have struggled to penetrate had it been around in those days. The interior is rather featureless, dull and in need of a good hoovering with all the action seemingly focused around the pool table and the plasma screen. In no Ale situations such as this, Guiness generally becomes my default choice but someone should inform the barman that it is not generally poured whilst swirling the contents around to create a head. Other than conveniently catching up with the FA Cup highlights (albeit occasionally drowned out by the jukebox), there were few positives I can draw from my brief stop other than there is unlikely to be a second visit.