The Royal Oak, Welshpool

Welshpool's main hotel is situated slap bang in the centre of town. It is a rather large and sprawling building with a large bar and dining area. Whilst not a very traditional drinking environment, the bar area feels fairly modern and functional. 3 handpulls were dispensing a couple of Monty's beers - Old Jailhouse Bitter & MPA. My MPA was not in the best of conditions, but judging by the middle class clientele, I can't imagine too much throughput. WhatPub warns that you will pay "hotel prices" here, but my half cost a very reasonable £2, which I note is only a small increase since Will's review visit almost 4 years ago.

Official site of The Royal Oak Hotel - www.royaloakwelshpool.co.uk

Official site of The Royal Oak Hotel - www.royaloakwelshpool.co.uk

A smart hotel with a bar that is much more like a cafe than a pub. Strike that: it's not at all like a pub except for the availability of alcohol. In fact there are three hand pumps, with two beers from the local Monty's brewery. My half of Desert Rats was £1.90, which is not very much above the average price for this area, so not bad for an upmarket hotel bar. Date of visit: 25th June 2019