MANY years might have passed since I last stumbled out of the White Lion, but some things never change.

The entrance to the public bar remains unmarked, and half a dozen heads swing round to see who's making an entrance as we tentatively delve back into the muddied mists of time and opt to push open the door on the right.

They immediately launch into some sort of Welsh Inquisition - who, where from and why?

I'm tempted to stick to name, rank and number, until it becomes obvious they intend to charm the information out of us rather than reaching for the branding irons.

I'm soon informed the last time I was in here was back in 1992. I must have made quite an impression. Or it might be I let it slip it was when the National Eisteddfod last visited Aberystwyth.

The bar is a cosy sort of place where you'd expect to see a pack of farmers in wellington boots crowding around the burner in the fireplace with steaming backsides. Except that none of these look like farmers.

The Banks' ales that are a feature of many pubs in these parts seems to be going down a treat.

Meanwhile, rows of empty half litre bottles of Wychcraft Blonde Beer from the Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire, standing to attention on one of the tables, suggests summer is finally on its way for at least one happy tippler.

Fitted with rustic wooden settles and a bric-a-brac mix of furniture sitting on an original slate flagged floor, the U-shaped room is light and airy. Metal hooks in the ceiling indicate the place was once a butcher's shop.

The piano in the bar is a rare commodity these days. It suggests the entertainment here is more of the traditional home-grown variety than overpaid pub acts, often little more than glorified karaoke performers singing to pre-recorded backing tracks that makes them sound as if they're accompanied by full orchestras.

The back bar is unlit this early evening, but in the brooding gloom I can still make out it too has a similar mix of furniture, including a wooden settle.

The gents' toilet is rather eccentrically candle-lit as I inspect it, adding even further to the place's quaintly Ruritanian feel.

This is one of two pubs in the village, the other being immediately next door and named the Black Lion. So there's no competition there, then! Both overlook the ancient village green where fairs have traditionally been held.

The White Lion has garnered quite a reputation for its food offering, served either in the bars, in its own dedicated dining room or out in the front overlooking the green and the traffic snaking past between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.

Seafood has long been a speciality, while it also boasts of its use of Welsh reared meats, with the sirloin costing £10.95 and the gammon steak £7.95.