We have a pint in the traditional seaside pub with a games room, award-winning beers and £3 filled rolls 

By 12.30pm on a wet weekday, the bar of The Regency is already busy with thirsty regulars onto their second - or even third - pint.

The landlord behind the dark wood-panelled bar seems to know most of his customers on first name terms and my 'new' face (despite drinking there on and off for years) attracts a few glances from the locals over their pint glasses.

Opposite Weston College and just off the seafront, The Regency doesn’t have a sea view but it’s a friendly refuge from the bucket and spade shops and smell of fish and chips.

The inner door of this bow window-fronted pub is plastered with stickers from the Good Beer Guide. A free house not tied to a pub company that dictates the beers it serves, it has been a regular in the trusted book for years because of the range and quality of its ales.

On the day I’m there, fellow real ale fans got to choose between St Austell Tribute, Butcombe Rare Breed, Butcombe Original and the Timothy Taylor Landlord I go for.

There’s also Inch’s and local Thatchers ciders, Guinness, Moretti, Foster’s, Amstel and keg John Smith’s.

With a patio at the front and small beer garden to the rear, the pub is family and dog-friendly, and children can use the games room before 8pm. The same room is then open to grown-ups for darts, pool and skittles.

For those who need something to soak up the beer, there are filled rolls for £3 on the bar and weekend entertainment includes live music at 4pm on Sundays.

With its dark wood panels, red patterned carpet and vintage memorabilia - including a Bass clock, Guinness mirror and 1970s Sandeman sherry poster - this is a timeless pub that has barely changed for years and it’s all the better for it.

The Regency, 22-24 Lower Church Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 2AG.