The cost of going out for a few drinks has been rapidly rising for a number of years now. Only two years ago, the average cost of a pint of lager was below £4, but fast forward to 2024 and we’re facing an average cost of £4.70 for the amber nectar.
In a quest to save money and prove that not every pub will leave you cash strapped, I visited pubs in Bolton town centre, and asked how much their cheapest pint was. The "go to" place that springs to mind for bargain beers is, of course, Wetherspoons, with its Spinning Mule pub in Bolton’s Nelson Square offering a pint of Ruddles for £1.79, and its cheapest lager coming in at £1.
99 for a pint of Budlight. With the nationwide pub chain’s monopoly on low-priced lager, I was intrigued to see if any of Bolton’s pubs could compete. First stop, I arrived at The York, opposite Bolton railway station, their cheapest pint is £3.
45, and a man on the bar admitted: “We’re not the cheapest, try Wetherspoons,” a worrying omen on my mission to see if any of our pubs could beat Tim Martin’s pub powerhouse. (Image: NQ) The Keir Starmer-opposing Griffin was next up, a pint of Carlsberg coming in at £2.50, as was a John Smiths pint.
A pint of John Smiths at the Bob Inn in Bolton Market will set you back £2.80, One For The Road, a bar also in the market, narrowly beats it with real ales available from £2.70.
And then, in Nelson Square, opposite the odds-on favourite Wetherspoons, I entered the Northern Way. Could the local booz.
