The Hole in the Wall, Southsea. Portsmouth. It doesn't open till 4, apart from Fri when it is open for lunch 12-2. Is a true gem. It has to be the coziest pub with such a diverse range of beers and extremely good pies.

Little off topic.. got carried away there 😥 i've stopped drinking

Does The Rat & Ratchet still exist in Huddersfield?

Amen yes – brilliant pub. Star just down the road, Grove just up the road.

Add The Sportsmans to that – newishly renovated place
Head of Steam
Out of town – Commercial in Slaithwaite – new owners, newly renovated, idiots and cokeheads out, real ales in…..
Riverhead in Marsden – part of the Osset Brewery 'group', of which the Rat and Ratchet is one…. brewing takes place in the cellar…

If you're up for a beer you could do worse than get the train from Man Victoria to Hudds (and beyond) – you can get off at most stations en-route and be no more than 2 mins from quality ale….
See here for details…..

The Grove in hudd is indeed a fine alehouse

The Ship down by Salford Bridge was a den of "what have you" years ago.

I used to work in the tax office round the corner from the ship. Lunch times were often spent in The Ship, The PunchBowl or The Rovers Return and often all three on a flexitime 'long lunch'. The Ship and The Punchbowl were terrible pubs but they were close to work.

The Grove in hudd is indeed a fine alehouse

It also lets Bingo* in. Bonus.

*Westie

Pub on the train platform at Stalyvegas also lets bingo in.

IMO any pub that allows dogs in is already onto a winner.

I also like the Head of Steam as they sell Duchars on tap.

AH yes The Jack of Both Sides. One weekend the manager dished out free sulphate to anyone who wanted it, encouraging people to drink loads then fled with the weekends takings on Sunday night; classic.

Best pub in Croydon: The Oval
Best pub in NW London: Scruffy Murphys. Before it was closed and turned into a trendy winebar 🙁
Best pub in Camden: Bartoks.
The worst 'pub' in Camden: Bartoks now- its tired looking, the musics changed, people have gone downmarket and its pricey 🙁

Glad to hear the Rambler mentioned a few times. Used to be good when it was a real pub – now part of a mini chain run by people who hate people. Especially people like us that might not necessarily turn up in cords and a Lyle and Scott sweater! Vote with your feet. Last time I camped in Edale we actually drove to Castleton to eat – some much better places there.

Anyone remember the Intrepid Fox in Wardour Street? Full of weirdos and fierce looking people. Actually great fun though, albeit with a bouncer issuing lines like "you shouldn't have f***ing bought it if you can't drink it" when approaching time.

The Pink and Lily near Princes Risborough. Awful place. They seem accepting of scruffy muddy cyclists sitting there, drinking greeat beer. The open fire is terrible and the chips and cheese to consume mid-ride just get in your mouth.

My advice? Avoid at all costs – you'll only leave a bit pished.

I'm with wildrnes, pub next to station in Edale, dire.

Anyone remember the Intrepid Fox in Wardour Street?

That was a proper metallers' pub. Not many of them left now…

Speakign of unusual chucking-out techniques, one guy who worked at a pub near Baker Street tube used to run round the pub when the bell went, necking all the customers' half-finished drinks. 🙂

The vast majority of these seem to be in the North, says a lot 😉

Says that southerners don't go to enough pubs to have an opinion. Don't blame them either, southern beer is rubbish innit?

Every single pub in Cleckheaton west yorks, minging bizholes the lot of em, apart from the Wickham Arms & the Marsh.

Ossett Brewery pubs generally suit my love of the paler ale. So yes to the Rat & Ratchet & the Riverhead.
I spend most of my quaffing time in the Black Bull at Liversedge & the Travellers Rest at Hipperholme.

Best pub in Croydon: The Oval

I beg to differ sir. I'll not have a word said against the Ship. I mean, a rock pub that offers a menu which includes fish finger sandwiches. What's not to like?

There is a pub in Brum on Dale End just up from where The Academy was until recntly, under the market, possibly called The Vine, that is simply horrendous, went in there before a gig once and it is the one time that i have been genuinely scared walking into a pub. A truly terrifying place.

The Yates that used to but in a similar area, round the corner from the Crown Court was little better.

All pubs in NZ. Heartless, minging, sh1teholes. Pish beer, lit up like a **** runway, formica tables, jukeboxes with crowded fckng house and dave fckng dobbyn. I could go on. I miss a good pub.

All pubs in NZ. Heartless, minging, sh1teholes. Pish beer, lit up like a **** runway, formica tables

What is that with the antipodeans? The worst pubs I have ever had the misfortune to frequent were down south. Three years in Melbourne, and I'd say 90% of the bars, pubs and "hotels" I graced with my presence in Australia and New Zealand resembled the above, and NZCol has forgotten the ubiquitous "pokies" and tv screens. But, the main thing I noticed was the absolutely soul destroying bright fluorescent lighting.

On a + point the beers improving as there are loads of microbreweries. But yeah, fluoro lighting. I think (certainly in NZ) it dates back to the 6 o'clock swill. Pubs used to shut at 6 so between 4-6 men arrived , drank as much as possible then went home and beat the wife/children. Sadly the fabric of all that still exists (both pub and home 😐 ) hence fomrica/strip lighting. You just don't get local pubs or atmosphere, or history which is more understandable as its a new country. And pokies, grrrrrrrr, but they exist as they basically underwrite the pubs running costs.

And breathe.

Maybe thats why we brew beer at home and drink it on the deck in the sun with our own music 🙂

the absolutely soul destroying bright fluorescent lighting is not reserved for antipodean ale houses.

nooooo.

There's at least one of these in Bratfud, The Waggon & Horses in Thornbury, for which I had the pleasure of spending one season warming the substitutes' bench in the vain hope of getting a game of footie. Food? "well we sell crisps". Beer? "Tetleys or Tetleys?"

But having said that, The High Flyer across the road was even worse. Thankfully now gone – or at least closed as it has no roof…

Maybe thats why we brew beer at home and drink it on the deck in the sun with our own music

Yeah, there are a few things I miss. I could grow my own "herbs" on the windowsill too. Can't do that in London. 😥

Newcaslte, off westgate road – the broken doll.
Sadly now knocked down (possibly fell down), it was a true dive.

I once took a load of freshers in their on a pup crawl (i was a steward), the pissed old men though christmas had come early when the place filled up with pissed fresher girls, the grils didnt seem to notice but the young lads in the group look truly terrified.

mrchrispy – the broken doll, christ what a nightmare. Me and a few mates used to go to a (motor)bike rally called 'storming the castle' every year back in the early 90's, and I remember having a run out to Newcastle and going in that pub – several of the lads with me were members of a well known 'patch' club (very naughty boys), and even they were a bit twitchy. Never again!

The Broken Doll was a landmark pub in Newcastle – a truly fantastic drinking experience.

It was like that because it was listed for demolition when the improvements to the Western Bypass and other roads went it. So the management didn't spend much on it. For years as the plans got put back and back and the place just kept hanging in there. I used to drink in there and go to see some brilliant bands over the years. It was a wonderful pit of a place – not a bad pub.

I remember the saturday afternoon I went in, the floor was literally covered in broken glass. Bloke behind the bar very calmly told us 'a few lads had a bit of a disagreement'.

Any pub in Chatham, Kent.
The peggy (pegasus) in aldershot was an experience.
The pit pony, st pauls the three blackbirds, easton and the lebeqs tavern, easton all in Bristol take some beating.
I've drank in some sh1tholes oh yes.

Oh well, here goes – 'Players' on wood street in Wakefield.

nowt wrong with the Broken Doll 😉

sadly missed, I think most of the clientele have decamped to the Duke of Northumberland – terrifying

I had my first legal pint in the Broken doll. It was a sh1t hole

IMO any pub that allows dogs in is already onto a winner.

At a place i used to work (Ye Olde Bear Inn in Alderwasley), whenever anyone tried to bring kids in the landlord always took pleasure in pointing out "dogs are welcome, but no children under 14". Great place.

dont get me wrong…i liked the place. the crapper the better in my book.
but the gaff was falling down around you.

Also very near the top of my list of crap (but great) pubs was/is the Tanners on the bykerbridge. ahhhh, a sunday in the Tanners after a big night at shindig…..used to get very messy.

Tanners is a good boozer, also Cumberland and esp The Tyne.

But the thread's about crap ones !

I think most of the clientele have decamped to the Duke of Northumberland – terrifying

Wasn't that on some kind of 'Britain's roughest pubs' programme'?

plus 1 TooTall
Doll was first pub I drank in in Newcastle – fondly remembered. Used to get loads of biker & goth types in there, most of whom were weird/unhinged/hard drinkers/opium fiends but also very cool/entertaining as well. Friday and saturday nights rocked and rocked hard.

Any Weatherspoons would qualify imho

Any Walkabout but particularly the one in Shepherds Bush.

Never really frequented any really bad pubs because you can usually see them a mile away. Like in Hull, there was Hull Cheese which had blood trails between it and whatever the hell that one on chapel st was called. Never once set foot in either because I knew there was a beating waiting on the other side of the door.

Edit – Wait, no. I went to a bar in the states called The Surf in Washington state. I was sat in the wrong place, had the wrong accent and was with the wrong people (my father-in-law had declined an offer of a threesome on behalf of his good lady and himself a week or two before). I ended up drinking everyones drinks so we could get out quickly.