Mark,
The UK beer industry did take a major drop in quality and has not really recovered, things like pasteurisation, commercialism etc all demised the product, I'd say from the 70's onwards.
However CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) are always pushing for the return of good beers.
In the last few years there has also been a boom in the UK of small independent "Micro breweries" producing their own brews.
noglider,
I'm in south west Wales,Carmarthenshire,(home of Merlin!) however I know the western coast well and have family in Bangor and regularly travel the coast roads.
Beic.