A coastal pub with a beer garden on the beach has topped the list of the best outdoor boozing spots in the UK - but they're not done yet and plan to be bigger and better.
The bar, restaurant, and live music venue sits in the middle of the beach, making it the UK's only bar on the beach - and in summer around 20,000 people flock to the golden sands of Perranporth, Cornwall.
Now, The Watering Hole has been voted the best beer garden in the country by Big 7 Travel - and despite being proud of the award, Tom has big plans for the popular pub - and said soon it will be better than ever.
Tom Job, 32, is the managing director of The Watering Hole but said his job is more like "putting out fires" and describes each day as "mental".
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The owner, who has been running the busy venue for ten years, told The Mirror: "It's pretty cool to be number one. There are lots of good places out there - there are two or three that are normally number one, so it's nice to take it this year.
"You've just got to look at it to see why people like it, it's good for visitors and it's right in the middle of the beach, there are no roads or paths to get here, and the beer garden is sat in the sand.
"Usually we'll be second or third, it's a unique place.
"We're proud of the award, buzzing. We didn't realise until we saw an article on Cornwall Live."
Tom inherited the top job from his dad, 75-year-old Bob Job, who opened a coffee stall on the beach in 1978.
Initially, he says, it was "just a shed", but now The Watering Hole boasts a large bar, huge dining area, and a giant beer garden - alongside a secondary outside bar and two shops.
Over the years, the business has grown into a boozy behemoth that dwarfs the local town - which has a population of 2,749, just over a tenth of the Watering Hole's potential clientele in summer.
Tom said: "It's a family business that's been going for 45 years. My dad built it in 1978, it was just a shed on the beach selling teas and coffees. Now it's absolutely mental.
"We get about 15,000 people a day on the beach in summer on average, on sunny days it could be as much as 20,000. It's a lot.
"It's good and bad, it's good fun every day - it's like a festival. Today is a Thursday and there's already a huge queue. It's good fun.
"Most people who book holidays in Perranporth book it around here. If you're the dad of a family of four, you can sit here and watch the rugby while your kids play in the sand.
"From young to old, out walking with your Mrs, walking with your dog, it's a place for everyone."
The venue, nestled between Newquay and St Agnes, has become famous for its live music events, hosting big acts like Jools Holland and The Sugarhill Gang over the years.
This year, Sam Ryder will be performing, and former Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles.
Most of the online reviews are positive, but some people have complained - saying that the food is overpriced, and the toilets need modernising.
One diner wrote: "Used to love this place. It's gone downhill massively! Perfect location but that's it now! Food expensive and very basic!
"Toilets are absolutely RANK, disgusting. Surely a staff member could occasionally go in and tidy them. Takes two mins! It relies on its location as that's all it has now. Gutted."
And another commented: "Very disappointed great location but dirty tables left uncleared, kitchen closes early, staff look miserable and tired barely a word out of the server. Dirty toilets. Only interested in tourists very sad."
In response, Tom said: "We're proud of our food and we're always looking for ways to improve.
"There have been some complaints about the toilets - we're the public toilets for the whole beach so you can imagine what they get like in summer.
"Soon we'll be tearing down half of the pub, including the toilets, and rebuilding with showers and a public toilet outside, and another one inside for customers.
"There have been people who have been coming here for more than 40 years, people come here with their kids and then their kids start coming. We see some faces for decades and recognise them each year.
Happy customer Bill Osbourne, 65, a window cleaner from Birmingham, said: "We came here last year for the first time, and now we keep coming back.
"The atmosphere is great, there's just nowhere like it.
"I'm not surprised it's the best, I've not been to a better one.
"There can't be a better one, if you think about it - if you've got sand underfoot, it helps."
Mark Williams, 62, an engineer from Longbridge, added: "We've been coming for about 25 years. Someone showed it to us and we've been gripped ever since.
"It's more than a beer garden, where else can you enjoy a good beer and look out at the sea at the same time?"
MeanwhileTony O'Donnel, 61, a sales engineer from Solihull, Birmingham, gushed: "There's nothing not to like about it, except the plastic glasses. We've been coming for a number of years and I'd recommend it to anyone."
Discussing the local area, owner Tom told The Mirror: "Perranporth's not St Ives. Not yet, anyway. There's development and property prices have gone through the roof.
"We're getting more people in the winter now, and there's a secondary school being built just up the hill. Soon winter will be just as busy as summer."
And punter Emma Lowry, 36, a property manager from Birmingham, said: "I really like it here. There's a good atmosphere and everyone's having fun.
"I come down with a group and as soon as we've unloaded the car we come and meet here - it's the first stop.
"It's a great place to have a drink with your friends, and soak up some sun at the same time.
"I have read the complaints about the food and the toilets, but I think it's fine - it just depends what you expect. One person complained about sand in the toilets, but what are the staff supposed to do about that? It's on the beach."
In Big 7 Travel's list, The Rising Sun in Pensford, Somerset came second, and The People's Park Tavern in London came third.
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