The Eccles Cross (JD Wetherspoon), Eccles, Salford

The Eccles Cross is a large Spoons with a bar along the right rear wall that supports 12 hand pumps and a range of premium and standard keg products. The bar faces split level seating and gaming machines that run up the centre of the pub. My visit back in September last year was on a Tuesday evening when I got to take advantage of the steak and a pint deal for £7.45. Service was polite.

Two banks of five pumps in this Spoons, on what is a rather small bar area. This makes it quite difficult to get served during busy periods especially when people are hanging around the bar. I recall on one Sunday afternoon I actually gave up and left. However my most recent visit, on a Monday lunchtime, was more fruitful and had a pint of Summer by Ilkley Brewery, which was a rather nice blonde ale and well under £2 a pint. Also on the pumps were regulars Abbot and Ruddles, and I assume Doom Bar was there too though I did not clock it. I also noticed This Is Eccles by Peerless (seems to be a regular fixture, had it before and it's rather nice) and Beyond the Pale by Elland. The customer base at my lunchtime visit was your stereotypical Spoons crowd. I think there is a bit of a beer garden to the side, but I did not check it out. Despite its shortcomings it is still the best place in Eccles town centre for cask ale.

This is another cinema conversion, albeit a fairly small one. Inside it's a small (for a JDW) split level room as described below. Despite being small there are twelve hand pumps which had one available soon, the two GK beers doubled, Woodforde Electric IPA, an International beer from Caledonian, Elland Pilot IPA, a House Peerless This is Eccles, Brightside the Mancunian, Loddon Forbury Lion and Green Jack Gone Fishing. I thought this was an excellent choice for such a small JDW and no Doom Bore! Despite that there were four festival ciders and one I hadn't tried so I went for that. I thought this was a good Spoons and I would get the tram out here in preference to any of the central Manchester Spoons.

A converted cinema beside the Metrolink tram terminus, retaining its distinctive façade but quite modern-looking in presentation. Slightly curious split-level interior, with a ceiling that's up and down in odd places. Doesn't have much window space, so the lighter-than-most decor helps. Disappointingly, only half-a-dozen different beers were available from the two banks of six handpumps, but at least they were in a range of styles, and my pint of Ilkley Rombald was fine value at just £1.89.