Too Early in Heswall - All My Own Fault

A visit by a friend who collects Wetherspoon's was a good excuse for a trip out to Heswall to see the new one, last visited by me in 2019 when it was the Exchange.  It is now Wetherspoon's Prense Well:

They have done a very good job of the refurbishment, the pleasant decor includes pale wood panelling.  The layout is pretty much as I remember it in the Exchange.  It was surprisingly quiet at one on a Thursday, ticking over gently as we enjoyed our quality ale and curry.

Next, the Jug and Bottle:

The interior of this food-oriented pub is beautiful, spread over a number of rooms.  Again, not busy, just ticking over quietly, mostly with dining families.  I had an excellent pint of Peerless Triple Blond.

Next, we headed for the Black Horse, failing to read my notes which say it opens at three:

Needless to say it wasn't open yet, and I can't even complain about unreliable opening hours, it was all my own fault this time.  And it would have been a brand new tick as well!

So, a long slog back up the steep hill to the Dee View:

No change in here, a pleasant open room, and a selection of quality ales.  The White Rat was beautiful as always.  No other customers, perhaps it has only just opened.

One or two more came in, some choosing to drink outside in the lovely sunshine.

It's after three now, should we re-try the Black Horse?  I don't think I could face that climb again!

Back towards the centre of Heswall, hello, what's this?  A new one called the Blind Pig:

It's not open now (too early again!) but I'll add it to the database.

As I turned away from the Blind Pig I noticed this shop two doors down with the builders in, and I could see a counter with beer fonts:

So another new one coming soon, I think.

On to the Johnny Pye:

I have had a mediocre pint in here before and it certainly doesn't look like a cask sort of place, but my pint of Directors was spot on, served by a friendly landlady.

A pleasant enough modern construction this one with a decent number of customers.  It was filled with background chatter along with the piped music.

Pub of the day: They were all very good.
Miles walked: 1.3
Maybe coming soon: To be decided.

Getting Cross (-ens)

A bright sunny Saturday saw me on two trains and a bus to the most northerly extremity of my purview, at Crossens.  I started in the Marsh Harrier:

It's hard to put a date on this building.  It could be 70s or even 2010s but I'm going to guess 80s.

Indoors is a two sided layout, very well decorated in restrained modern style, I really like it.

I eyed up the three handpumps and dithered.  "I'll make it easy for you", said the friendly barman, "I've only got this one on."   So, a pint of Theakston Light Foot, and very good it was too.  The barmaid suggested turning the clips round on the other pumps, but apparently "he doesn't like it".  I advised that "he" was wrong!

I relaxed on a comfortable bench seat to enjoy a good pint.  Only a few customers in to keep the place ticking over at two on a Saturday, with more gradually coming in, including dining families.

Just a short walk through suburban streets is my other Crossens target, Beer Den 2.  Oh!

Colour me grumpy, but if a pub can't be bothered to open at half two on a Saturday, when the internet says they are, then I don't see why I should bother to spend any money there.

I considered going round and banging on the back door to see if anyone was setting up, but decided not to bother, so I caught a bus back towards Southport, jumping off early for another new tick, the Imperial:

This is a rather well done dining pub in an old house.  It is run by Holt's and the real ale offer is two of their brews, my Two Hoots was spot on.

The quiet background music was mostly obscured by cheerful conversation and the rattle of cutlery.  I looked at the menu, a good selection and reasonably priced.  What's "Wexford Chicken", I wondered - I passed through there two days ago, but didn't stop to check out the local cuisine.  Google tells me it's in a creamy mushroom sauce.

England seem to be slowing to a halt in the test match, while both local footie teams are winning, according to the large, thankfully silent, screen above the fireplace.

I looked around.  This seems to be an above average chain dining pub, for some reason I can't put my finger on I really like it.  A little voice in my head says "That's because it's open!"

Next, can I get a third new tick?  I headed for Coopers:

I hadn't researched this one much so I didn't know what to expect.  What I found was a very nicely done shop conversion with a small counter in one corner offering three real ales.  At first swig I didn't much like the one I chose, called Hubble, but that was purely a matter of personal taste, there certainly wasn't anything wrong with it.

Live music is obviously an important part of this pub, judging by the guitars, amps, mic stands and so on on the stage area.

No live music at four on a Saturday, and only two or three customers.

I noticed in Dublin this week that all the "tourist" bars had live music, the quality varying from good to excellent, although I wish they wouldn't all murder Beatles numbers.

The ale was growing on me as I drank it, actually I quite like it.  My handled mug came from IKEA, surely the wholesaler is cheaper than that?

Next, just round the corner used to be the Bottle Room, is it still there with a different name?  Yes, Beer Inn.

I seem to have forgotten to take a picture.

From my vague recollections of 2014 this place hasn't changed at all apart from the name, it's a very narrow corridor bar.  Unfortunately the handpumps were not in use, but my pint of Beavertown Neck Oil was great.  One of my favourite keg beers, I think.

Not many customers in, I'm afraid, this place deserves to do better than two of us inside and two out in the street.

I scanned the impressive selection of bottles on shelves and in fridges.  From Titanic Plum Porter to Oude Geuze Boon via Hacker Pschorr Hefe Weisse, what a fantastic range.

Gosh, LFC are 9-0 up, Everton now drawing, and in the cricket England are slowly grinding on towards a win, I think.

I looked around.  I'm the only customer now!  Two came in as I was finishing my pint.

Time for home.

Pub of the day: Marsh Harrier
Miles walked: 2.2
Maybe coming soon: Heswall

A Few More in the City Centre

Today's trip was supposed to be a number of overdue visited to pubs at the river end of Liverpool city centre.  However, having learned that they had my favourite ale on, I started with a non-overdue tick in Wetherspoon's Captain Alexander:

Especially suited to today's warm weather, the Oakham Citra went down very easily.  The place was pretty busy (why are my shares still down?) but there were plenty of free tables so I wouldn't call it full, which perhaps it ought to be on a Friday lunch time.  I suppose now that many office workers don't bother on a Friday the traditional pub visit no longer happens.

Now, I could stay here drinking Citra until it runs out, or I could drag myself reluctantly away and get on with my researches.  I chose the latter, and crossed the road to the Liverpool:

Two surprises on entering here:  It was very quiet inside, only seven other customers; and the air conditioning was working really well.  It was wonderfully cool, much more comfortable than the 'spoons across the road.  I had a lovely cold Guinness here.

Some of the other customers were eating, the menu of pub classics looks good.

The decor has changed somewhat since I was here in 2017, it has been modernised rather well, but the historic pictures of various HMS Liverpools seem to have gone.  There's still a stage for live music.

The background music here was a rather fine selection of old stuff, Dean Martin and the like.  The moment I'd written that, the next track was Message In A Bottle by the Police, now that's what I call a wide variety.  Sounds like my "jukebox" at home which plays randomly from an even wider range of genres. Beethoven, Artie Shaw, Pink Floyd, Pink, and so on.

Next, I headed to Castle Street, where I found Bobo, a wine bar not in my database.  I think the heat must have been getting to me, as my picture of this one was too blurry to be of any use.

I could see draft pumps on the counter so I went in to this very well done shop conversion for a pint of Sagres.

My beer was delivered to my table without me paying anything, which perhaps puts this place on the wrong side of the bar/restaurant line?  Never mind, another one added to the total.  I hope I remember, and don't try to walk out without paying!

Once again the air conditioning was doing a good job, and it was comfortably cool in here.  The decor, with patches of plaster missing to expose rough brickwork, and dark green ceramics below the dado, looks very good to me.

According to their web site this place is Spanish/Portuguese.  I'm not sure exactly what that means, especially as in my admittedly limited experience the two cultures are quite distinct.  A pleasant place for a pint, anyway.

I remembered to pay!  Now we're doing never visited bars, how about Manhattan:

This is a tiny "bar and grill" in a half basement, plus lots of tables on the pavement outside.  The friendly barmaid apologised that they'd run out of Love Lane, so I had Carling.

Two staff were hardly stretched by the handful of customers, in fact I think two would be plenty even if the tiny room was packed.

I eyed up the decor.  Someone much better at design than I (Hardly setting the bar very high) has turned cheap wallpaper and bog standard ceiling tiles into something rather attractive.

An apparently drunk fella came in, worryingly he seemed to have car keys in his hands.  He chatted to the barmaid and tried to get me to join in, but I resisted.  Moments later, he's serving behind the counter, so clearly my assumptions were well wide of the mark.

I studied the drinks menu on my table.  Oh dear, under the Whiskey (sic) heading they've got "Jonny (sic again) Walker Blue Label, Black Label, Red Label."  Actually, I've never tried Blue, I wonder if they've really got it?  "Johnny Black" was a favourite of mine when I lived in Pittsburgh.

I decided to go home, and here I hit a major snag:  The next three trains were cancelled.  Normally, I would take a bus instead, but they're all on strike, so I had to join the taxi queue, which unsurprisingly under these circumstances was rather long.

Pub of the day: Captain Alexander, for the lovely beer.
Miles walked: 1.2
Maybe coming soon: Southport, Crossens, Heswall

A Few in the City Centre

I headed out aiming for a few overdue ticks around Lime Street station, plus one new one, the Dough Bar:

It looked a bit deserted as I approached and I wondered if perhaps it was shut out of term time, but I climbed the steps and pushed on the door and it opened.  The large interior was deserted, and I startled the barmaid who probably wasn't expecting to see anyone.

A good selection of about a dozen craft beers on tap, I chose Paulaner for a change.  Irritatingly, I only spotted the Clwb Tropica tap after I'd ordered.

I'm not sure how to define the style in here.  The wooden tables are almost rustic, whereas the metal chairs are more industrial.  And at one end there are some leather sofas.  Well done, anyway, I really like it.

I don't think my one pint will sort out the pay of one bar staff and one kitchen staff.  Come on folks, I can't save the hospitality industry on my own!  The moment I'd written that, two more customers came in.  They sat down and perused the menus, so probably a lot more profit than I provided.  Tourists perhaps, they seemed to be waiting for a non-existent waitress.  No; one went up and ordered.

As I left my 1,401st pub, two more customers entered.

Next, inside the famous Adelphi Hotel is Wave:

Not very impressive looking at the side entrance, this is a very well done hotel bar once you get in.  The decor in the large split level room is rather fine, with lots of polished brass railings.

A least a dozen customers were in here, so it's doing a lot better than the Dough Bar, but still very empty and the two or three staff were hardly stretched.  Much quieter than on my 2013 visit, but all the customers were older than me, same as last time.

My Guinness was only £2.45, it being happy hour.  In a few week's time I'll be enjoying "proper" Guinness, in Ireland.  Does it really taste better there, or is it all in my head?  I bet it's more than £2.45!

Next, along Ranelagh Street are a number of bars.  I have ticked all of them this year except for Ranelagh's Tavern:

Sadly, the unexpected choice of cask ales I enjoyed back in 2017 has gone, so it was another Guinness for me in this rather fun shop conversion.  Plenty of customers, all my age or older, were maintaining a hubbub of chatter, competing with the background music.

The decor here differs from my notes from '17, the floor is now dark, not sure if it's real wood or vinyl, whereas it was pale wood before.  The counter is built of rough timber, as is the bar back.  

I read the Carling beer mat on my table; it boasts of being brewed in Burton-on-Trent using 100% British barley.  I'll have to stop referring to it as Canadian, I suppose.  Shouldn't it say Burton Upon Trent?  Wikipedia research was inconclusive, both names seem acceptable, so I'll have to allow it.

Electronics aside:  On the wall are three "lanterns" with flickering LED lamps in them.  That's simple, you can buy flickering LEDs easily.  But wait, they are all three flickering in synchrony, how's that done I wonder?  Must be a special feed just to those lamps I guess.

On to Charlotte Street now, and once again there are many pubs recently ticked (Including Wetherspoon's last night - The Wobbly Bob was great) and just one overdue, Nelly Foley's:

No real change to the appearance here since 2017, it remains a well done Irish bar.

The rather objectionable music, including a song about joining the IRA and blowing up the British, that I noted last time I was here has been replaced by silence, although the live music from further down the street was clearly audible.

Quite a few customers were keeping the place busy but on a Thursday afternoon there was plenty of room for more.

I wondered, as it's not even four o'clock yet, should I tick another one?  Obviously, the answer is yes:  Can it really be five years since I drank in the "new" McHale's after they'd moved across Lime Street?  According to the database, it is five years to the day, so I headed to McHales Irish American Bar:

This really is a tiny boozer, pretty busy with older customers, the majority of the dozen tables were occupied.

The barmaid made a bit of a palaver out of pouring my Guinness, she announced that it has to settle for 90 seconds before topping up.  "It'll be great when you finally get it", opined a bar fly at the far end of the counter.  She asked if I wanted a shamrock in it, I said yes but she failed to produce one.  Never mind, it was a good pint.  Will I get a shamrock in Dublin?

I remember the older McHale's, along with the Shamrock next door, they were classic boozers.  I think they shared gents out back so maybe technically only one pub?  They closed when that side of Lime Street was redeveloped, with McHale's being granted a space on the other side of the road.

Certainly the most lively pub of the day, with a constant stream of people in and out, and chatter mostly beating the background music.

There's a tap on the counter offering "Caines Lager", what on earth is that?  It's not Cain's, is it?

In conclusion, four ticks five years old and one new one is a good score which I will hope to match in future trips.  The really desirable targets are dependent on the bus strike ending.

It only occurred to me when I got home that today was a case of very bad planning:  I should save a cluster of ticks close to the station for a wet winter day, and walk further afield in nice weather like today's.  Oh well, too late now.

Pub of the day: Too difficult to choose one.
Miles walked: 0.8
Maybe coming soon: Heswall, Crossens, Southport, Liverpool.

Fourteen Hundred

Back to Prescot only two weeks after my last visit.  The buses are on strike so I had to take the train, a less frequent service and a longer walk.

I started by checking the Mermaid Tavern, located in part of what was the Red Lion.  I had noticed it, not open, last time but they're ready now, having launched just eight days ago.

Very pleasantly done out inside with comfy leather sofas and bare brick walls.  Is that parquet floor genuine?  I think so.  Did the Red Lion have such a floor?  I don't remember.

No cask, so I had Guinness, at five quid the most expensive I've bought for some time - I can't see your average Prescot woolyback paying that much!

Only one other customer at half twelve, a scruffy bloke* watching the footie on the telly and muttering to himself; now that's more like the sort of clientele I expect in this friendly down market town.  He had a pint of something lager-coloured but it wasn't going down very quickly.

[* To be fair, no scruffier than me.  Except I won't wear shorts in public in the UK.]

Built on a hill, I remember the Red Lion had rooms on different levels.  As they've only used about half of the old pub, everything is on the same level here.

Next, just off the main shopping street is Lord Strange:

Opened in 2019, this splendid shop conversion has managed to survive through COVID.  The draft beers seemed to all be German lagers including one I've never heard of (Maxlrainer), except for the Guinness tap.  I chose the always good Erdinger, shame they don't have the Dunkel which I like even more.

Six quid for my pint, again we're not aiming for the local drunks here.

There's more seating upstairs, and quite a few tables in the (pedestrianised) street but with only one other customer these aren't really required at one on a Saturday.  Also upstairs is a display of optician's equipment from the building's former use.

My Erdinger came in the proper glass, of course, but it was a promotional one with a picture of Herr Klopp who I think is still the manager of a local football team.  It also had a pint line.

That reminds me of something from a couple of weeks ago:  I enjoyed a pint of the wonderful Cain's F.A. in Doctor Duncan's and it came in a proper F.A. glass.  I was surprised to see a crown stamp on the glass, is this a positive result of Brexit - we can have British markings on glasses - I wondered.  No, according to the barman they acquired loads of old glasses when they took over the defunct brewery.

The rain that had been threatening arrived as I finished my pint, but it was only very light.

On the main shopping street, I found Eden:

The tiny downstairs space was mostly full of a hen party, I paused for the "sorry, private function" but it didn't come, in fact I was called to the counter by one of the staff.  I nearly baled out when there were no fonts on the counter, but then spotted a number of taps on the bar back.  

My pint of "Eden" was a rather good Pilsner, and was "only" £4.50.

Unable to find a seat as the live musician was setting up in the only free corner, I retreated upstairs where I sat alone on the tiny mezzanine.  The barmaid followed me up to provide a candle on my table, not really necessary!

Downstairs remained busy, with loud conversation echoing around the space, and mostly drowning the quiet background music.  Then the musician started.  A bit loud, perhaps, but he was rather good*.  Jamie Higgs, it said on his guitar.

[* Until he did Coldplay, we get more than enough of that crap on the wireless.  Having said that, his rendition of I Will Fix You was much better than that whiney multimillionaire.]

So that's 1,399 pubs ticked, can I complete the century?

Of course I can, there's another bar on the same street, called Spanish Caravan:

Another shop conversion, with a pleasant interior plus tables out on the street.

There seemed to be some kind of private function going on upstairs, and there were no vacant seats downstairs so I took my schooner of Estrella 1906 outside, luckily the rain had stopped.  They wouldn't sell me a pint of this rather wonderful beer, probably wisely as it's 6.5%, so I paid £5 for a schooner.  Unusually dark for a lager, and very tasty, I certainly recommend it.  I think you'd probably call it a Bock?

I enjoyed the full continental experience, with shoppers passing up and down the street while plenty of customers sat with me in the open.  Two attractive young ladies on stilts proceeded past, promoting local entertainment and pausing for selfies with children and adults alike.  I wonder how long this sort of activity can continue?  Hopefully indefinitely.

Having achieved the fourteen hundred milestone, I think I'll head for home.  Prescot seems to be a place of contrasts nowadays, mixing the down market boozers I visited two weeks ago with up market cafe bars.  What a great combination.  When was the last time I saw live music at two in the afternoon?

Pub of the day: Difficult to choose one, the Spanish Caravan stands out, because it was number 1,400.
Miles walked: 1.2
Maybe coming soon: Crossens, Southport, Heswall

Wood Street

There are plenty of pubs in central Liverpool overdue for a visit, so I headed into town, and took a stroll up Wood Street.  I started my researches near the top end, in Belgica:

Here I found a pleasant split level interior, the walls covered, of course, with Belgian signs and posters, some beer related.  The ceiling was barrel vaulted brickwork, presumably genuine.

The place was deserted apart from two customers, with no one serving.  I eyed up the beers on offer while I waited for the waitress who took some food to the other customers and then returned to the counter to serve me a Delerium Red, in a proper glass.  Delicious!

The background music was rather good, although not noticeably Belgian - Probably just as well, non stop Plastique Bertrand would soon irritate, I think.  I'm probably demonstrating my ignorance of music here, I can't think of any other Belgian musicians.  Pause ... slaps forehead!  Of course, the wonderful Soulwax.

I took a look at the beer menu.  A bit short for a Belgian bar with only thirty or forty beers, but they've got my favourites in bottles including Rochfort 10 so that's good as far as I'm concerned.  I also perused the food menu, very tempting but where's the moules?  And more importantly, the sauce andalouse.

So should I stay here and get drunk on 11% trappist beer?  Perhaps not.

While I'm in the area it would be rude not to go in the famous Swan Inn, so I did:

Nothing changes in here, I'm glad to report, including decent real ale, I had Wobbly Bob.  Just a handful of customers at one on a Thursday, but significantly more than in the Belgica.

The rock jukebox was doing its stuff as always, this is definitely not the pub for a quiet conversation!  The really heavy metal is not to my taste, but it also played slightly gentler tracks such as Sweet Home Alabama, I enjoyed Lynyrd Skynyrd live twenty-odd years ago.

It's not just great cask in here, I noticed:  They've got Erdinger and Erdinger Dunkel on tap, the latter is uncommon on draft in this country I think.

Next, further down Wood Street is the never visited Woodys:

Before the apostrophe police come crashing through the door, I should point out that the rule for the Merseyside Pub Guide is "as written on the sign".

I wasn't sure what to expect here, thinking it was some sort of night club, and I was surprised to find it open at two in the afternoon, but it was, with about a dozen customers keeping the place ticking over.

The dark atmospheric interior is rather well done, I think, but despite the "sports bar" branding, all the TVs are showing "Magic TV".  Actually, they play a good selection of music, I think I'm suddenly in love with Dido.

One customer sitting at the counter was very drunk and very noisy, the remainder enjoying their drinks quietly.

I had a Guinness here, and it was only £2.70.  I thought it might be a bit thin after 7.5% and 6% beers but in fact it tasted as good as ever.

I continued down Wood Street and the next new tick was Soho:

I've never been in here before.  Soho is a rather odd place, with a large outdoor area in front, and a rather well done nightcluby interior with the largest number of glitter balls I've ever seen in one place.  Half two on a Thursday is not really the best time for a place like this, and there was only one other customer.

Nonetheless, as I sat alone bathed in the sparkles from the glitter balls and listened to Don't Look Back In Anger I must say I rather liked the place.  I bet at eleven on a Friday night it's really lively.  (Actually, I'm showing my age here - It'll probably be dead at eleven, and get busy after 1 am!)

My Guinness cost a lot more than in Woodys, at £4.50, perhaps they don't want the down market drunks here!  It was served in one of those "hard plastic" glasses which feel like glass until you lift it half empty and nearly throw it over your shoulder.

Good grief, it's only half two and I'm well bevied, there's only one thing to do, drink more...

At the bottom of Wood Street is O'Neill's:

It's twelve years since I was in here, and it hasn't changed a bit.  Still an above average "Irish" pub, better in my opinion than most.  Obviously I had another Guinness.

The background music was gentle here, often drowned by the cheerful chatter of the customers.

I see they've got one of those bubbling Corona fonts I wrote about the other day, I reckon the bubbles on display are nothing to do with what you actually drink, at least I hope so.

I checked the menu, it looks rather good I must say.  And good value.

Anyway, time to head for home even though it's only a quarter past three.  A splendid crop of three new ticks taking me to 1,397.  The next two I've got lined up require the bus strike to be settled.

Pub of the day: The Swan Inn
Miles walked: 1.5
Maybe coming soon: Crossens, Southport, Heswall, Prescot

A Trip To The Theatre - Or Not

I headed to Prescot with the aim of checking out the new Shakespeare North Playhouse which opens today.  If it has got a bar I could get a new tick?  There was a queue to get in, so I didn't bother!

Just round the corner is the Old Mill:

A pleasantly decorated interior here, it's hard to put a name to the style.  

I selected a handpump from three Hydes' brews but "we're not having cask until next week".  So I ordered a Carling.  A regular butted in recommending Dock 4, Hydes' own lager; "go on, give him a taste".  The barmaid did, and it was OK so I switched to that.  "And it's cheaper", my new friend added.

I headed for one of the seating areas.  "Members only" said a woman there, I hesitated and she added "only kidding".

There were plenty of regulars keeping this cheerful friendly place going at one on a Saturday.

I checked the queue, it was longer, so on the the Deanes House:

No change in here since my 2018 visit, except the handpumps seem to have disappeared.

Pretty much deserted, perhaps three other customers, only just outnumbering the two staff, so not doing so well on a Saturday afternoon, with no atmosphere at all.

Perhaps it could be full for LFC home games, St Helens rugby and other sporting events, but I get the feeling this kind of pub is in decline.  No food to bring in the families, no cask for real ale fans, sports is the only thing they offer and everyone's got Sky nowadays (Except me).  On today's evidence, the daily boozers prefer the Old Mill, and who wouldn't?

Where next?  First another look at the queue - same length - and then on to the Hope and Anchor:

Similar in some ways to the Deanes, yet somehow more pubby and friendly.  Once again two staff but this time six or seven customers, so doing slightly better.   Still worryingly empty on a Saturday afternoon.

The plain traditional decor is well cared for, and I think that's a real stone floor, and not the usual vinyl nonsense.

Next, the Bard:

There's only one thing wrong with this tiny shop conversion, and that is that it is too popular.  I remember struggling for a seat last time I was here and it looked like being the same this time, but as my excellent pint of Shakespeare's Blonde was being poured, some people departed leaving a free table which I soon nabbed.

As you might expect, the walls are covered with your favourite (He certainly isn't mine) author's quotes.  I noticed a "greengrocer's apostrophe" in one, but whether the Bard himself erred I could not say.  (Subsequent research revealed that the apostrophe was used in plural's in some early edition's of his work's.)

Next, the least recently visited pub nearby is Wetherspoon's, so that's where I'm heading. Really, I ought to walk a mile to the Holt, last visited in 2015, but I can't be bothered.

Actually, I eyed up the beer list here in the Bard and was tempted to stay for another, probably Tiny Rebel's lovely Clwb Tropicana, but I resisted.

The Watch Maker:

Sometimes the requirements of pub ticking mean I have to walk past the cask pub and have a lager down the road, it is pleasing when it works the other way round.  Amongst the ales on offer was Shakesbeer, celebrating the theatre's opening.  When I noticed it was brewed by Peerless I knew it would be good and indeed it was.

The pub was busy but not packed, with plenty of food coming out of the kitchen, I don't really understand why my shares are going down, surely if people are worried about inflation they are more likely to come somewhere cheap, and it's the expensive dining places that will see a drop in trade?

So, in conclusion, I failed on the prime objective because I didn't go inside the theatre, but I did visit five pubs last ticked in 2018, so that's a pretty good result.  I also had two pints of quality real ale.  On the down side, the Holt, last visited in 2015, now sits alone, miles from any other wanted tick.

Or does it?  On my walk to the bus stop I passed no less than three bars I've never heard of, so clearly Prescot deserves another visit, sooner rather than later.

Pub of the day: Wetherspoon's
Miles walked: 1.1
Maybe coming soon: Crossens, Southport, more Prescot