Beaming Wether forecast.

The Welkin, Whitechapel, Liverpool city centre

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm; noon to 10.30pm Sunday. Breakfasts served from 8am to noon on Monday to Saturday and from 10am to noon on Sunday.

WHERE IS IT? The Welkin is a Wetherspoons pub which opened on March 11 this year on the site of a former clothes shop, previously Philips and Sons bookstore. The pub's name apparently derives from an Old English word for skive.

THE COST? Admission to the bar is free at all times. Special offers on Sundays to Thursdays include bottled Becks at pounds 1.15 (pounds 1.35 at weekends) and Reef and Red Square at pounds 1.29 (pounds 1.49 at weekends).

Bacardi Breezers are pounds 2.29.

Lagers on draught include Stella (pounds 2.10), Kronenburg and Carling (both pounds 1.99). Guinness is pounds 1.90, Blackthorn cider is pounds 1.89 and John Smiths bitter is pounds 1.60. There are also eight guest ales at pounds 1.60 a pint.

Cocktail pitchers are pounds 5.99 and pounds 6.99.

A new set of promotions on bottles is being unveiled next month.

If you are feeling hungry, there is a wide selection of food at reasonable prices. Look out for the two-for-one, curry club and burgerand-a-beer offers for the best value.

THE LOOK: Contemporary but traditional. Most Wetherspoons look the same but this one is a little bit different from the norm. The decor is warm browns, creams and oranges.

The pub is split on two levels, each with a large, well-stocked bar.

Unfortunately, there are no comfy sofas to lounge around on as all the room is taken up with more formal seats, tables and booths.

There are more seats downstairs, although you can eat upstairs if you wish.There are disabled facilities and a designated no-smoking zone. In all, the pub can hold around 250 punters, and as the drinks are as cheap as anywhere on Merseyside, it is usually busy.

WHAT TO WEAR: Most people wearcasual clothes but on a weekend after 8pm no trainers, tracksuits or baseball caps are allowed.

WHO GOES THERE? Awide age range drink here. During the day you get a lot of shoppers, pensioners and workers coming in for a pint and a bite to eat. After about 5pm office workers crowd in, and later on you get more students popping in to kickstart their night off with cheap Baileys and Red Bull drinks.

THE SOUND: As it is a Wetherspoons pub there are no TVs, jukeboxes or other `distractions'. This means that it is the ideal pub to start a night out as you can let the conversation flow. Also, no `distractions' means you can focus on your drinking!

THE ATMOSPHERE: Pleasant.

Many Wetherspoons pubs are a bit bland but the Welkin is better than the norm. Still, the absence of any kind of music can be a bit much.

WHAT THE REGULARS SAY: ``The Wetherspoons pubs are great if you want to drink a lot but haven't much cash.

``I don't mind there being no music as long as I'm in a group.

``It's a great place to start a night out as the drinks are so cheap and the staff are friendly.''

Bill Pressley, 29, from the city centre