Wellington Arms, Bedford

For the real ale drinker just walking into this place gives you the wow factor that young kids would get when first encountering Santa's grotto or a funfair. I think I counted 14 handpumps 3 of which were cider/perry. The choice was probably biased towards Banks & Taylor but as their ales are generally not available round my way I had plenty of new ones to choose from. In addition to the draught beers there are two stand up fridges in the pub with various bottled ciders and some offerings from Belgium and the Continent. Many pubs have displays of pump clips but I cannot recall one as impressive and abundant as this one. Along with a plethora of brewery ephemera (try saying that after a few) and a low ceiling the pub takes on something of a mythical grotto look in the evening. The locals were friendly and welcoming, it gets busy after games when the local rugby team are at home. In short a fantastic pub that anyone with a liking for real pubs and real ale should try to visit.