Secret Drinker reviews The Waterhole in Skegness

The Waterhole appears to have everything you needed for a good night.

However, it seemed everyone had already enjoyed a blinding day.

This week’s column is part two of my seaside Bank Holiday night out.

And while last week I raved about a party that was in full swing, it was very much after the Lord Mayor’s Show here.

Don’t get me wrong, the venue was very impressive, much more so than the last time I drank here, many, many, many years ago.

But everyone around me looked done in, as if they were all just supping the last drops from a hectic free day off.

Friends sat in almost silence around their tables, lethargically checking their phones and supping slowly.

One guy flitted between his pint at the bar and the fruity, spending far more time at the latter as he pressed heavily on the buttons.

In my eyeline sat a man who dropped his phone at least three times as he attempted to call a cab, eventually being helped out the gaff by a pal when his chariot arrived.

None of this was regular pub behaviour for this time of evening. It was end of an all-dayer behaviour, and I wish I had only been here earlier to see the party in full swing.

You see, The Waterhole was a pretty nice pub.

Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and, in its defence, the place was still very busy when I arrived.

Sport was showing on the big screens, local artwork was displayed - and for sale - on the wall opposite a fairy-lit cycle and half a Triumph that caught the eye.

Favourite cocktails were available at £9 or two for £16 (£14.40 with a discount card), while a pint of Smith’s or Bud Light would set you back just £3.50.

Opting to dodge the cocktail shooters at five for £15, I went for a Brew Dog Wingman which was pricier at £5.10 than some of the beers but, in my opinion, anyway, nicer.

The last pint I drank in here must have been at least 15 years ago, during another Bank Holiday in Skegness.

I distinctly remember a family of holiday makers having what looked to be a miserable time. Dad sipping his pint and staring into the distance, mum knitting and the small lad with his cola and crisps, shushed every time he tried to speak.

My ageing memory also tells me the place was a lot less attractive looking back then too.

On this occasion nobody was having such a bad time, they just gave the aura of recovering from a pretty good time.

Maybe next time I’ll come here earlier.

THE WATERHOLE, TOWER ROW, SKEGNESS, PE25 3EA

DECOR: The Waterhole was a nice looking pub. Plenty of comfy seating and a few quirks. 4/5

DRINK: I had a pint of Wingman by Brew Dog (ABV 4.3%), a decent session IPA. 4/5

PRICE: At £5.10 I didn’t think it was too bad for Brew Dog, whose beers often seem overpriced. 3/5

ATMOSPHERE: As I made clear, very after the Lord Mayor’s Show, but the place was still busy. 3/5

STAFF: The slow pace of the evening drinking afforded the young lad and lass behind the bar plenty of time to check their phones. 3/5

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