Wayfarer Inn, Wigan

An enormous roadhouse, known for its food which has been extended out of all recognition. It's a confusing place this: confusing entrance, confusing interior and confusing menu. The "front door" is at the back in the car park so don't try any of the doors at the front or side if you're not arriving by car. Once inside the first thing that hits you is the accumulated fug of years of pub food. There seem to be 3 areas inside: to the right is a wood-panelled dining room with tables all properly laid out and folded napkins in glasses, the heart of the building is higgeldy-piggeldy and atmospheric but very tired and then there's what appears to be a children's party area at the front. The menu is long and complicated but it has won awards for food. I didn't eat so can't comment. Beer on was: Tod's Blonde, George Wright Cluster 41, Tetleys, Moorhouse Pendle Witches Brew and Grafton Silhouette. A fair selection but the Cluster 41 wasn't in great shape and the Blonde was in such poor nick that only a half was managed. I'm unlikely to return.

A pub which you have to enter from the car park so often disappoints and The Wayfarer was no exception.To the right of the entrance is a large dining area,while as you stroll towards the bar ,there is an extension into the building next door with another dining area full of chrome furniture and looking like a child's fast food diner.The original old pub building is where the bar is located and here the ceiling is low,and around the bar is the area for drinking,again in the old building running along the main road with a traditional fireplace,nooks and crannies. Below the roadside pub sign,hung four notices of interesting ales that one assumed were being offered at the bar.In fact only one was being featured on the six handpumps.The ales we sampled were in poor nick,there just didn't seem to be the throughput to justify the range on offer. The food menu was excessively long with a range of bar snacks,full meals and a large Italian selection but we were in beyond the food service witching hour of 8.30pm,so cant comment on the quality; few diners remained inside the pub. The tartan carpet throughout gave the interior a very dated feel and there seems to be a confusion in emphasis between the restraunt operation and the pub side.I feel this place may be suffering from the competition offered by The Windmill up the road,and is not responding very well.I would also question it's inclusion in the 2013 GBG.