A Saunter Round Sunny Stockport

After an enforced hiatus of 19 months it was time to get back into the saddle and start saving pubs again (or just visiting some decent boozers in convivial company!)

My participation almost didn't happen as a bout of severe toothache overnight nearly derailed my plans. By morning, the pain had subsided somewhat and with a strict 'diet' of painkillers and alcohol, I was sure that I could survive the day!

My first port of call for a Proper Pub Day Out is usually the same - Bournville Café for a decent breakfast to set me up for the journey.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the use of the word 'sunny' in my title and yet this looks decidedly overcast...well, yes, it was a somewhat dull start to the day, but by the time I arrived at Stockport Station the sun was out.

After studying the maps and Google Street View, the walk to our rendezvous pub was shorter and easier than I'd expected!

The Queens Head is a 'larger than it looks from the outside' Sam Smith's establishment. Pub Curmudgeon and Paul Bailey were already there...and have both reported on the day out already (I'm usually last in these matters!). Soon we were joined by Retired Martin, Sheffield Hatter and Leonlen...sadly Paul Mudge was unable to join us owing to a broken foot. Anyway, my pint of Taddy Lager was fine!

Soon it was time to move on to the next pub, but not before a slight detour to see a clock strike noon...except that it didn't...apparently it is still out of commission as the building refurbishment continues!

A stroll through the shopping centre brought us to the Swan with Two Necks.

Our first Robinson's pub of the day...and some of 'the gang' just about to enter. This is another one of those 'bigger on the inside' places with an interesting layout. My Dizzy Blonde was very pleasant.

All too soon it was time to move on to our lunch stop at the Arden Arms.

Despite being a little out of the town centre, the Arden Arms was doing a brisk trade and it was a good job that Pub Curmudgeon had booked a table for us! The food and drinks arrived promptly...well...apart from my pudding which took a bit longer! My Robinson's Hopnik Citra IPA was superb...even though it looked very much like a lager.

 

Although it looks somewhat unprepossessing from the outside, the Arden Arms is a gem inside and well worth the visit.

 

Next up was The Railway.

If I hadn't been with people in the know, I'd have walked past without realising there was a pub there. The fact that it has been under threat of closure and demolition for a number of years explains the lack of investment in fancy new signage. Inside it is still a proper pub serving a range of beers...and we're at the stage, now, where I can't remember what I did have to drink! ("Take notes!!" I hear you cry. Well, I did have three pens with me, but all three were knackered!)

 

I hope it survives as it's a friendly pub and there seemed to be enough derelict shops nearby that deserve to be demolished first! Then it was time to move on again...to the Boar's Head.

Another magnificent Sam Smith's establishment...so it was another pint of Taddy Lager for me (I'm not a fan of Old Brewery Bitter)

 

All too quickly, we were off again heading for The Petersgate Tap which I'd passed, but not noticed, on my way from the station several hours earlier!

Inside, it felt more like a pub than do many micros with a fine range of cask ales, craft beer and gins. No doubt I had something hoppy and citrussy, but I have no recollection as to what it was! This was the place where we got 'the gang' back together after various people had gone in different directions at lunchtime (the usual schism - food versus no food on a pub crawl!).

 

Then it was time for our saunter to turn into an uphill trek, which would have been more of a problem for me in the recent past, but I only required one major sit down on the way (thanks to my twice weekly gym sessions!). Before we got to our destination, there was a chance for a picture of the iconic Robinson's Unicorn Brewery looking magnificent in the late afternoon sunshine (and with a bit of extra editing from me!)

Our ultimate destination, the Sun & Castle wasn't too much further away!

It is a good number of years since I had a pint of Holt's Bitter (2013 - The Volunteer in Sale!) and it tasted pretty much as I remembered although the price was somewhat higher than back then (understandably!). Another lovely pub.

 Then it was time to move on again to The Armoury.

By now, my memories are getting pretty vague and, if I hadn't been carrying a camera, I'd probably have forgotten the visit altogether!

 

And, finally, it was time to move on to our last pub of the day out - Ye Olde Vic (ignoring sound advice, I took the picture after I left for the station by which time the sun had set!)

I have no recollection as to what I drank here, but I do remember there being a gentle discussion of climate change. I also seem to remember saying that, "I'm right, of course!" which in a more sober state I'd never dream of saying as it's the last thing that will win an argument! Hey ho! All good clean fun!

 

Pub Curmudgeon's interesting and cunning itinerary meant that the station was only just over the road and easily accessible (if you don't go into the car park next door!) With that, I was soon on a train whizzing back to Brum - change at Stoke; change at New Street and change at Kings Norton (oops!)! The last change was unplanned as I dozed off between Selly Oak and Bournville (2 minutes at most!) and only regained consciousness just as the doors were closing!
 

It was a magnificent day out, aided by the wonderful autumn weather and a superb selection of proper pubs...not a dud amongst them! Thanks again to Pub Curmudgeon for arranging this little saunter!

 

Where to next? Sheffield Hatter is planning a trip to Belper on Thursday 18th November (which sounds interesting!). Macclesfield has also been mooted by Retired Martin for (possibly) Friday 5th November which is also of interest as I haven't been there since January 2015 (and I don't think that we've ever done it justice!). Unfortunately, this time of year is my busiest time in the run up to Christmas, so I don't know which (if any) I'll be able to make!

Strolling Through Scouseland

It was time for another Beer & Pubs Forum Proper Day Out and it was one I'd been looking forward to as I'd never been drinking in the centre of Liverpool.

The 'official' report by Pub Curmudgeon can be found here and here. This is my more pictorial essay...but this time I did make a note of every beer that I drank!

The day started off drizzly and overcast as so many of these days out seem to. Arriving at Lime Street Station I tried to get my bearings on the local maps and on Google maps, thinking it might be complicated (first time in a new city, etc!) So, after five minutes wasted, I stepped out of the station...and there was The Crown Hotel!

The Crown Hotel, Liverpool

Inside I met up with Peter and Paul (aka the two 'Mudgies') which was to be our full complement for the bulk of the day. My first pint of the day was Hop for Heroes from the Rudgate Brewery, which I enjoyed (don't expect any NBSS scoring from me!). It was here that Paul got a message from Sheffield Hatter saying that he'd be joining us at some stage during our tour.

So, next on the itinerary was the Ship & Mitre. I was happy to follow Peter and Paul as I really had no idea where I was going for most of the day!

Ship & Mitre, Liverpool

It is an impressive, solid building that is pleasantly cosy and welcoming inside. I chose a pint of Lupa which is brewed by their own Flagship Brewery. Again, a pleasant pint.

Moving on to another impressive building, The Railway.

The Railway, Liverpool

This was our designated lunch stop and it served its purpose very well. It was nicely busy (we managed to find a table and seats!) and was appointed in a slightly more contemporary style...plenty of cushions! Anyway, the Scouse was very good and my pint of Dizzy Blonde from Robinson's was also good.

Almost next door was our post lunch venue, The Lion Tavern.

The Lion Tavern, Liverpool

The pub is named after a steam locomotive that now resides in the Museum of Liverpool. Inside it was cosy, characterful and an 'old school' city pub. I had a pint of Salopian Lemon Dream which wasn't as lemony as I remembered, but still good.

The Lion Tavern, Liverpool

This was the view looking up!

Moving on (no rest for the Pubmen on a day out!) and our next stop was Ye Hole in Ye Wall.

Ye Hole in Ye Wall, Liverpool

This was another 'old skool' boozer largely unspoilt with the passage of time. I had a half of Noble Pilsner from the Lancaster Brewery. I was glad to only have a half as this experiment, to make a cask ale that tastes like a lager, didn't work for me!

Moving just around the corner (and passing two other pubs) we came to Thomas Rigby's.

Thomas Rigby's, Liverpool

Housed in another impressive building this was another proper pub where I had a pint of Red Star Formby IPA which was pleasant. I was amazed that this one street corner housed four pubs and one bar/nightclub which is more than some small towns have in total!

After the luxury of (twice) almost walking next door for the next pub, we now had a long stroll to our next destination, the Baltic Fleet.

Baltic Fleet, Liverpool

By now the rain was long gone and the sun had come out giving a rather pleasant afternoon stroll along the docks of Liverpool. The Baltic Fleet is an impressive building. Designed to resemble the prow of a ship it has chimneys and masts on the roof to give an even more nautical ambience.

Inside, I was less impressed as the décor was much more contemporary with pastel shades and bare brick walls. My pint of Wooden Ships from Neptune Brewery was good.

Baltic Fleet, Liverpool                                                                            © Photo Digital Art 2019

Then it was the long(ish) stroll back to the centre via Liverpool One where, remarkably, we didn't get lost. (I take no credit for this as I didn't really know where we were going for most of the day!)

We arrived at the White Star to find it packed and with live music on!

White Star, Liverpool

With the live guitarist bashing out Beatles and Oasis songs and there being little room to sit down I didn't expect us to stay too long. So, I decided that what I needed was a half of Carling from Molson Coors to refresh my palate. It was cool and refreshing as always and the Draught Bass wouldn't have achieved the same effect! Although we found some plastic temporary seating, we didn't stay too long...but it is a lovely pub and well worth a visit outside of prime time!

Our next, and final pub wasn't too far away.

Globe Hotel, Liverpool

The Globe is another great little city centre boozer, largely unspoilt by progress and not quite as busy as the White Star had been (but there wasn't much free seating). Here I had a pint of Wainwright from Marston's which was also pleasant.

As we were now quite close to the station, Peter and I had time for one more in The Crown whilst Paul's train was due and he left us (to be fair, he'd done the other 10 or so Liverpool heritage pubs the day before, so we understood!)

The Crown Hotel, Liverpool                                                              © Photo Digital Art 2019

Now it was early evening the place was heaving, but we managed to find seats in the back room. I finished with a pint of Gritchie Lore which was a nice way to end an excellent day's stroll around Scouseland.

Good beer, great company and some magnificent boozers - all-in-all a superb day out!

#085 The Roebuck, Warwick : 1998 to 2011

Our first visit to The Roebuck in Warwick was on the August Bank Holiday weekend in 1998 when our boat Emma Jane broke down on the Grand Union Canal just by the Cape of Good Hope locks. We got a tow to the nearest boatyard (the very helpful Kate Boats), but as it was Sunday there wasn't an engineer present...and no-one was available on the Monday either as it was the Bank Holiday. Although we were delayed by a couple of days, we still managed to get to Oxford, our ultimate destination, in plenty of time.

So we had several drinking sessions in Warwick during which time we visited many of the pubs in the town!

This photo was taken on Monday 31st August 1998. As I recall it was a pleasant enough place, but obviously not outstanding.

The next time we visited The Roebuck was on Thursday 31st May 2007. We'd visited Warwick on a few occasions in the intervening years, but had managed to miss out on The Roebuck.

The only noticeable change was in the hanging pub sign and the name above the door.

Our final visit was on Saturday 28th May 2011. We were on a one week excursion around the Midlands and The Roebuck was our second pub of the night. We'd been to The Railway (#063 in this series) to watch the first half of the 2011 Champions League Final, but at half-time we decided to move on, hopefully to get a better view (and for Will to have a fag!).

Again it seemed to be quite a pleasant place and we did get a better view of the telly...shame about the result, though. There were no apparent changes to the outside of the pub.

And now for the info I hadn't been aware of...The Roebuck is the oldest pub in Warwick dating back to 1470. This and the more up-to-date details can be found on their website.

#063 The Railway, Warwick : 1998 to 2011

The Railway in Warwick is a unique looking building, but in reality it is a typical local pub. Our first visit was in 1998 when our boat Emma Jane broke down on our Summer trip to Oxford. We'd spent the previous evening at the Cape of Good Hope, also in Warwick, and Emma Jane's engine stopped quite quickly after we'd set off. Luckily there was another boat nearby and we got a tow to Kate Boats which was only 50 minutes away. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and there was no engineer available to have a look at our problem and, as it was a Bank Holiday there was going to be no one available on Monday either!

Two days in the same place could have been a disaster, but we were on the outskirts of Warwick and in the next two days (= 4 sessions!) we went in most of the pubs in Warwick!

The Railway is the first pub we came to, but I don't think we went in on our first venture into town. However, at some stage we did go inside.

This was on either 30th or 31st August 1998 and I remember little about the visit.

The next time we went to The Railway was on a trip to take Emma Jane to Nuneaton for a new roof and a few other things. This photo was taken on the evening of Friday 27th May 2005 and I'm pretty sure that we had one and then moved on into Warwick.

The pub has changed little, but it no longer shows the M&B sign, the hanging basket has gone and the outside has been repainted.

And so we move on to 2011. Again this was a Spring trip, this time a round trip of the Grand Union, Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham & Fazeley, Worcester & Birmingham and Stratford Canals. We'd moored up late outside Kate Boats and were keen to find a pub to watch the Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United as it was Saturday 28th May 2011.

It was fairly full, mostly with 'anybody but United' fans, but we got seats although the view of the telly wasn't ideal. We only stayed till half-time and moved on to a pub closer to the restaurants for the second half. Over the years, The Railway has hardly changed and it's a perfectly decent boozer, but there are so many more pubs in Warwick that it will only ever be a pub we visit for a swift one on the way into the town centre.