Bill's Bar, Salisbury

A large barn of a place, with a lot of money spent furnishing in the current Tap style, as no doubt it was in previous incarnations as Slug & Lettuce, Hogshead etc. A mixture of distressed wood, tiles and industrial fittings, with the odd splash of colour. There is a pizza bar at the rear and a small riverside terrace at the side. Four handpumps on the bar serve a changing range of ales, along with a batch of craft beers and keg cider. as well as a couple in boxes. Not unpleasant at quiet times of day, but probably heaving at 'circuit' times.

A converted chapel next to the river by the bridge. Pleasantly surprised to find five pumps ale pumps within; Hobgoblin, Doom Bar, Cottage Sunset, Ringwood 49er (so-so), Dorset knob (so-so) and GK IPA. Long interior, classic Slug with a cheap laminate floor, tub chair seating, mirrored bar back etc. Raised area to rear. Shame the quality wasn’t up to much at it wasn’t that bad a location. Formerly a Hogshead.

Formerly The Hogshead, this is one of the better S&L pubs. It consists of a large, airy bar on the ground floor with wooden flooring and good views of the river, and an upper floor bar which appeared closed. It forms a triangle with the King's Head and Town Mill, a good location for outdoor Summer drinking. There are tv screens and gaming machines, while the background music as, for once, pleasant and unobtrusive. It's popular with the younger element, though there was also a sprinkling of CAMRA members and more mature drinkers present. There are some very cheap meal deals on offer, and they have 3 ales on - I had Old Thumper this time around, which was in very good condition. Worth a visit for a pint or a cheap snack, and definitely worth including on a City crawl.