RHYL'S pubs were put to the test this week when a man on a quest to visit all of the UK's pubs and bars tried what the town had to offer.
Dale Harvey, a former pub landlord from Nottingham, set off on a challenge to visit every pub in the UK about four years ago as part of "the Great British Pub Crawl".
Harvey visited 21 pubs in Rhyl, and this is what he thought of each one:
Ffordd Derwen
"I rolled into Rhyl for 12 and set my sights on the first pub of the day, which was a Marston's place called 'Ffordd Derwen' which I'm told translates to 'Oak Tree Road'.
"Two cask ales on the bar, a lovely landlord and decent pub grub menu. There's a pool table and a smartly presented pub."
The Bodfor
"I headed into the town and next up was today's sponsors... 'The Bodfor' which is operated by Amber Taverns. A large, spacious pub with modern interior, screens galore and a very friendly way about it. It's got some super cheap prices, a lovely large rear garden space and lovely staff... Most definitely a party pub with plenty of stuff advertised on the screens including karaoke, bingo and drag nights."
The Imperial Hotel
"Stop 3 was just across the road... 'The Imperial Hotel' which is a real old school locals place and one of the friendliest pubs I've been in in a while! A classic example of 'never judge a book by its cover' as it does look a little tired from the outside... but inside, there's plenty to be excited about with loads of great cheap deals, a pool table and lots of old school features."
The Cob & Pen
"Around the corner from there is 'The Cob & Pen' - a former freehouse, now owned by Punch Taverns who are currently putting their own stamp on the place so it's covered in scaffolding but still trading whilst that is done... An absolutely lovely landlady who has been around the business long enough to know her stuff and one very decent cask ale on the bar. It's a large pub with decent space inside and lots of little rooms all with plenty of character. There's a pool table, a beer garden and a great vibe to a great pub."
The Marsh
"I then crossed the bridge where my 5th stop was Rhyl's newest little pub... 'The Marsh' - a modern looking micropub with pool table and regular weekend entertainment...
"Staff are superb and this place has plenty of character as well as 2 cask ales on the bar (one of which was a super Welsh Red Ale). Definitely worth crossing the bridge for."
The Swan Inn
"I headed back across the bridge where stop 6 of the day was 'The Swan Inn' which is another Marston's place. A lovely old pub with great service, spilt into two sides. Two cask ales on the bar and a decent bunch of locals in early afternoon. They have some dart boards where you can play against the machine (which seems to hit itself a lot of 180s).
The Lorne
"From there, just around the corner is the Craft Union pub of the town which is called 'The Lorne'. A smallish CU pub with plenty of screens, a pool table and some very cheap prices... and another very friendly bunch of locals in."
The Glanglasfor
"Behind that is where you'll find 'The Glanglasfor Club' which feels like a proper little trip back in time! A club that feels as though it probably hasn't changed in 50 years and also boasts some incredibly cheap offerings on the bar. Great folks running it and a nice vibe...
The George
"'The George' was next up and another locals style place in an old hotel. A large L-shaped bar and big keg range that's also cheap as chips and another very friendly young lady on the bar... proper locals vibe about it!"
The Sussex
"Opposite that is the local 'Spoons... 'The Sussex' which is pretty small for a Spoons and was suitably busy by mid afternoon. A couple of decent guest ales on offer."
Ellis Vaults
"A short walk from there to 'Ellis Vaults' which is an absolutely super looking pub! Most definitely a heavy influence on being a music pub with great set up for being a live music venue. It's a great size and the bar looks brilliant. No cask sadly but a decent mix amongst the taps and very friendly service. There's a really good beer garden space to the back, a pool table and plenty of screens too."
Fairways
"Opposite that is 'Fairways' which is something a little different to the usual places I cover... as this one is a golf simulator with bar attached. Google has it down as a 'wine bar' but that's definitely not how I would describe it... it's just a normal bar, with friendly service attached to a golf simulator machine... oh... and a karaoke pod! Definitely something a bit unique for the town!"
The Six Bells
"A 2 minute walk down the side street to 'The Six Bells' which is run by Proper Pubs and also boasts some incredibly cheap prices on its keg only range. Another pool table and plenty of screens across the pub. It's dog friendly and a nice welcoming place."
Ember Lounge
"'Ember Lounge' was my next stop which is on the main road opposite the beach and this one is pure class! A top looking little venue with interactive darts on offer! Two fantastic young ladies on the bar who an absolute asset to the business and a great manager. The bar space is lovely and it's definitely somewhere worthy of a date night and the taps have a decent line up amongst them! Very much worth seeking this one out!"
The Royal Oak
"It then took me about 6 minutes to walk up to 'The Royal Oak' which is definitely a locals pub and another super friendly place with top landlord. This one is an ADC Darts Venue meaning that on a Friday they have a men's tournament every week consisting of 24 players and on a Saturday it's a ladies tournament with 8 players that stem across their four dart boards. You'll also find 2 pool tables (one at each end of the pub) as they are a county pool venue so this one really does mix it into the community well and offer the locals plenty of reasons to come down! Decent tap mix and friendly bunch of regulars! Top pub"
Millie's Bar
"I then walked back towards town... for the ones that I didn't get done earlier (or that weren't open when I was passing) and my next stop was 'Millie's Bar' which is one of the town's late night hangouts that parties until the small hours! Decent sized venue that really looks like a party pub!"
The Nelson
"Back on the main street and to 'The Nelson' which was formerly known as 'Tinkers' and as 'North Bar' but has recently changed hands and now 'The Nelson' is born... and I'm told it's changed a lot... They've cleaned the place up, lowered the prices and are going for a new vibe! Several dart boards, pool tables and a really good garden space all enclosed in a lovely looking Tudor style building! Good luck to them with this... it's a great looking place!"
The Front Room
"From there to 'The Front Room' who also seem to have a late night venue and roof terraced attached to the business. Very quiet sadly so hard to really judge the place... Lady on the bar was friendly but the music was a little loud for a place with barely anyone in."
O'Grady's
"An Irish bar called 'O'Grady's' was the final one of that part of the town centre to do... and I really liked this one. It doesn't look like your boring, generic, run of the mill, Irish bar knock off and feels like a bit of a music bar as well, with plenty of guitars on the walls. There's a pool table and good vibes with a younger crowd in!"
Kite Surf Café
"I headed down to the seafront then where I just made it in time to 'Kite Surf Café' and I'm so pleased that I did as this is a real little gem with some amazing views of the sea! A good tap mix on the bar, lovely staff and just about as many ice cream flavours as you could imagine on offer in this quirky little room! A really lovely little place and sitting out on that terrace watching the waves on a sunny day is the stuff of dreams."
Sun Verge
"Seeing as I was then basically back at my Travelodge for the night, I had one final stop in at the 'Sun Verge' which bought up Marston's pub number 3 of the day! This is one of the purpose built family eatery style ones with a carvery on offer... and when you've seen one, you've seen them all... 2 cask ales on the bar and the usual pub grub menu."
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