retiredmartin

The West Welsh Week wobbled on to the coast, and a noon opener at the Black Lion in Llanbadarn Fawr on the edge of historic University town Aberystwyth., which I can never spell correctly.

Well, obviously it wasn’t open at noon; where would be the fun in that ?

I took a stroll around the pale bungalows,

and parish church and asked Google.

And Google directed me to a wonderful little website called the Aberystwyth Pubs Guide.

What do you know ! It’s only a site that Sir Quinno had created while studying CAMRA branch politics at Aber in the noughties. And it’s great, and only a decade out of date, which is quite good compared to how frequently some CAMRA branches survey rough pubs.

Facebook told me the Black Lion opened at 1pm, a sure sign that lunches for holidaymakers aren’t their main trade, and it was only 5 more minutes before the door opened. Keep us tickers sweating, eh ?

What a great little boozer. Fantastically chatty landlady who poured a lovely cool Butty Bach (NBSS 3+) and had a long chat about England’s faltering chances in the Trent Bride test (of which more later).

Sadly, no actual statue of Quinten in the pub, though I guess there’s much in these photos he’ll remember with fondness.

I missed the windows, so this is a pic I’ve nicked from his own dormant site.

Looks from the clock like I was in the pub for the regulation 25 minutes, just enough time to see the England collapse in their 2nd innings against the Kiwis.

Typical.