During my trip to Britain, I took a day trip to a little city called Wigan. Most of you will never have heard of it. It is about an hour’s train ride northwest of Manchester. For most tourists there is no real reason to visit Wigan. For a guy like me, however, it had an unavoidable attraction. I had two reasons for going to Wigan, but a third emerged as I planned the trip. The initial reasons were, first, because my favourite author (which I admitted here) wrote a book ostensibly about Wigan, called The Road to Wigan Pier. I had to go there for that reason alone. Second, which I admit is connected to the first, is that, oddly, I am a Latics fan – the Wigan Athletic Football Club (who just made history by being the first club to win the FA Cup AND be relegated from the Premier Division in the same year). It was a destined trip.

But I don’t want to talk about those things here – as they are both boring and irrelevant. My point is that as I researched my trip I discovered a third, beer-related reason to go to Wigan. The city happens to be home to a classic, historic cask ale pub that may be one of the best pubs I have ever stepped foot in.

The Royal Oak was built in the early 17th century (no one is quite sure exactly which year), and is considered one of the best historic pubs in Britain. The exterior was recently refurbished, but it still maintains an historic look. The interior is a series of smaller rooms with a long bar that are my favourite parts of British pubs. Six cask ales on tap – most from breweries less than an hour drive away (including a small brewery located at the outskirts of Wigan), and another six keg beer which were less impressive. The bartender knew his beer and was happy to chat to a solitary Canadian (it helped that the pub was quiet that afternoon).

No televisions. No music. An understated decor that screams beer appreciation. The pub is family-owned and is, in a true sense a Free House (trust me, I saw lots of loose interpretations of the term).

Maybe it is just my pre-existing attraction to Wigan that made me so comfortable in that pub. Others may find it average. Fair enough. Plus please don’t get me wrong, I found a number of absolutely amazing pubs in my days in Britain. This pub clusters with a few other places where I tipped a pint. So, I don’t want to overstate. I just appreciated that a little place like Wigan had a pub of this pedigree.

Alas, I may be one of the last visitors to this pub. The bartender told me the couple who own it and the hotel above are retiring and selling it. Its future is quite uncertain. While the building itself is protected under British law, there is no knowing whether the future owners will understand beer the way the current ones do.

If this pub were to be lost, it would be truly a shame on a number of levels. Not the least being my beer pleasure should I ever make my way back again. In the meantime: Go Latics!