While I was enjoying the pubs and other attractions of London and Kent at the weekend, my proof copy of the 2025 edition of the Merseyside Pub Guide was delivered. It is now on sale.
This year's edition lists 2,041 locations of which I have visited 1,534, and is up to date to 19 March 2025.
You can order a copy direct from the printers by clicking here. Or in due course it will be available from Amazon and other popular distributors.
I headed out on a sunny Thursday for a train ride to St Helens, starting my researches in a new (ish) one, the Tipsy Tap:
A rather fine shop conversion, this one. It was ticking over nicely at two on a Thursday with a dozen or so customers.
The decor, mainly bare brick walls and wood effect floor, is well done. Two different sports channels were occupying multiple televisions, all silent, and the only sounds were gentle muzac and multiple conversations. I looked round from my seat; this is quite a big place with a number of side areas and rooms, so plenty of space at busy times.
My pint of Landlord was, perhaps, a little tired; maybe the first out of the pump today. Drinkable, anyway.
On my walk to the Tipsy Tap I had passed by a place previously unknown to me, the Barrow Street Lounge, so it would be foolish not to attempt a tick there:
This one is a little odd. A large shop conversion - It's got two front doors so maybe two shops. Inside all the walls are painted black, but decent lighting means it is not excessively gloomy. Four pool tables, three darts boards and one of those boxing machines indicate the people they are aiming to attract.
At half two on a Thursday there were two playing darts, two playing pool and that was about it as far as custom was concerned.
I sat in a little booth and enjoyed a pint of Guinness.
The sounds in here were, again, background muzac and chatter.
Two brand new ones, what next? How about a wonderful pub overdue for a revisit? The Cricketers. But once again, my plan was disrupted, in a good way, because as I headed in that direction I passed the former Punch Tarmey's which my records said had become a night club called Kingdom, which had then closed. Not so any more as I found a bar called Buzzby's:
The layout inside looks the same as Punch Tarmey's, but the decor is now American themed.
Just two or three other customers at three o'clock as I enjoyed my first Carling of the day.
I'm still persevering with Untappd at the moment, but this is the second place today that isn't on there. I realise that it isn't really the market they are aiming at, but surely it would be better to list everywhere that sells beer? Oh wait, it is there but as Punch Tarmey's, they are only five years out of date. Oh well, I got a tick here, anyway. I wonder how many pubs I've logged in total? Ah, you have to pay to get that figure. Stuff that.
OK, on to the Cricketers, at last:
This fantastic pub is as wonderful as ever, and remarkably busy compared with the previous ticks. I eyed up the wide range of handpumps and selected King Rat, a slightly stronger version of all time favourite White Rat. It was lovely, 5.0 on Untappd.
In this great pub the music was mostly drowned out by multiple conversations. Most tables were occupied but I managed to find a free one.
I must say it is surprising to find a boozer with so many customers at four on a Thursday, clearly they are doing everything right. They won pub of the year more than once, obviously it is well deserved. I wondered why this place is so successful; other pubs offer quality real ales but aren't as busy as this. I don't know what their secret is, but long may they continue!
Just down the road is the Golden Lion:
This was a plain traditional boozer where I tasted a pint of Double Diamond many years ago, at a time when it had become rare. Is it open on a Thursday afternoon? Is it open at all?
Sadly, it would appear to be finished, just one of the many "ordinary" boozers that have been lost over the last few years.
Two new ones, one unexpected tick and one absolute gem, I think that's enough for a Thursday, I'll head home. The further pubs I had intended to visit, Black Bull, Eccleston Arms, Bird I 'Th Hand and so on, will have to wait for another day.
I began a Friday jaunt with a long bus ride towards Greasby. Respect for the dead is all very well but mile after mile of main road at ten miles per hour is a bit much, I feel.
Eventually I reached the Gravesberie Inn:
From the standard Greene King offering of Scrumdown, Landlord, Abbot and Old Speckled Hen I selected long standing favourite Abbot.
A couple of days ago I commented to some friends that the quality of the real ale in pubs has improved and I haven't had a pint of vinegar for a long time. Obviously this was tempting fate, and the Abbot here was very sour. Yeuch, I said, perhaps a little too loudly, I think everyone in the pub knew my opinion of the beer. It was replaced promptly without objection with a Landlord which was excellent. The barman, who hadn't served me but was advised of the problem by the barmaid, didn't just turn the clip round, he grabbed a screwdriver and detached it from the handle.
One odd thing about this incident was that at no point did anyone taste the offending beer. I know the customer is always right but throwing away ale just because of one complaint seems a bit foolish. The cynic in me thinks perhaps they already knew it was off and hoped to sell some to people who don't like complaining.
Anyway, this is a nicely done food oriented pub with a large area devoted to drinkers. A bit bog standard identikit in its decor, but pleasant nonetheless.
Not busy at two on a Friday but ticking over gently, conversations mixing with golf commentary. There's only one thing more boring than golf on the telly, and that's actually playing it! Oooh, contentious!
Next, a long stroll through residential streets to the Saughall:
I've always pronounced it soch-all but it occurs to me that that might be completely wrong.
Oh dear. Three handpumps, one clip turned round. Have you got any cask, I asked, but the answer was no. OK, I'll have a Carling. Er, I think that's gone as well. He disappeared out the back for a moment and returned to tell me it's bottles only, except for this Paradise No. 3. I decided to risk it and it was very sweet and fruity, I really liked it. Untapped tells me it's brewed by Thwaites. This is, of course, a Thwaites pub.
Sadly, something tells me this could be my last time here: Half two on a Friday, no lager, no Guinness, no bitter, no cask, and no customers. Except me.
Leaving aside the total lack of trade, this is quite a pleasant pub; the same golf on the telly but this time silent, thank goodness. Pleasantly decorated, knocked through but retaining two sides. Each table has a number and condiments, but I wouldn't fancy ordering any food. Who's going to cook it; is there a chef poised in the kitchen?
The barman "busied" himself playing darts, there wasn't anything else for him to do. Except get on to the brewery and order some beer!
On to the Willows, surely not as dead as the Saughall:
And indeed not: At three o'clock there are more than a dozen blokes enjoying, mostly, lager, and filling the large open space with chatter. No indication of any food offer, this is certainly wet-led and, compared with the last place, it's doing OK.
Depending on how fussy you are, there was quite a lot of swearing in the chatter, but it was all cheerful so I'm not complaining.
I remembered last time I did the next walk the sky was black and there were rumbles of thunder. No such problems this time but it was grey and windy and not the sunshine the forecast had suggested. On to the Overchurch:
As I circled the pub to get a photo I decided it wasn't open. But remembering that I had thought exactly that last time I was here, in 2019, I headed to the closed door, pushed and it opened. Inside I found one plain clean and tidy room with about a dozen customers chatting. This is a proper traditional boozer, long may it continue.
Again, the golf was on the telly, I presume that's the only sports event this afternoon, silent again I'm pleased to say, with just one customer watching closely.
There is another side to the pub, the lounge, but I think it's not open now, certainly there's no one in there.
The good news now is that the only "required" tick near here is a purveyor of great ales, and it's also the best place to go for the bus back to Liverpool, so on to the Bow Legged Beagle:
Ah, now this is the pub of the day. Two dozen or more customers and they're not all blokes, there are old women, young women, and little kids as well.
Four handpumps but I didn't look further than Peerless Oatmeal Stout, a long term favourite of mine and it was gorgeous as expected.
There was some music playing but it was drowned out by the cheerful chatter all around the room.
I studied the walls, they have run out of room for pump clips, I wonder what they do with new ones. In front of me I could see favourites White Rat and Big Bog's Peat Bog Porter. Are they still going, I haven't seen Big Bog for some time? Those were just in the panel beside where I was sitting, there were many other clips to consider.
As I enjoyed my wonderful stout I eyed up the counter. They've got Budvar, Erdinger, and a number of other keg taps I can't recognise from here. Hang on, why don't I just read the blackboard: Oooh, somebody's Peanut Butter Milk Stout, a sour cherry one, and a strawberry, so tempting all of them but I'm already on pint number five so I think I should head home.
Did this used to be a bank? (Checks Streetview: Yes it did.) The back corridor and the gents have impressively large safes in their walls, both branded Chubb.
By the way, for those who are keenly awaiting the delayed new edition of the Merseyside Pub Guide book, it is now with the printers and I hope to receive a proof copy shortly.
Everton were at home so I headed once again in that direction as there are still a few desirable ticks in the area. This time I turned away from the ground on to Stanley Road, to begin with a look at the Pitch Pine:
This still looks like it could be an operational pub, but actually I don't think it's been open for many years. Nearby, the William Shakespeare is certainly long closed:
On to a pub which I marked as closed back in 2010 when I found it boarded up, but recently I learned it has been saved, so in to Swift's:
My first time in here since '03! A rather fine pub with two sides, one counter. The decoration of wood planks and mustard coloured plaster is really well done, and they've kept (or replaced) an ancient fireplace.
Ticking over well at two o' clock, although this is probably too far away to have much of a match day crowd.
Whoever 'saved' this pub has done a fantastic job, a very pleasant interior without spending millions.
I checked my notes from 2003, they just say "plain clean and tidy", it was probably one of many pubs round here that I did in one crawl, including the Pitch Pine. On getting home I decided to examine my records: It was, in fact, a record breaking Thursday evening survey with friends, when I had a half (probably) in no less than ten pubs: Banjo, Bedford, Cabin, Coopers, Knowsley, Melrose Abbey, Pitch Pine, Swifts, Victoria, and William Shakespeare. Coopers? Ah, yes, I must have stopped off at the one on Lime Street Station on the way home.
Back towards the ground now, along with everyone else, and on to County Road. My database says that there's just one pub on this thoroughfare that is overdue for a visit, and I think it might be under threat once Everton go. So, in to the Clock:
At five and twenty to three the pre-match crowd was thinning out and the staff were busy clearing the tables stacked with glasses and preparing for the five o'clock rush.
The pleasant interior has two rooms with the servery between them, and there's also a serving hatch on the corridor between the front and back rooms, whence I obtained my second Carling of the day.
Soon, the hubub of conversation faded out as everyone headed for the ground.
Aside: A friend of mine who used to be a season ticket holder until he moved two hundred miles away, had always visited a few times a year to see his beloved team play. He wanted to do so today but couldn't get a ticket; I guess every match will be a sell-out from now on as people say goodbye to the old ground. On the plus side, he's got a ticket for the new stadium next weekend, so I'll still get to see him for a few beers.
By five to three we were down to about a dozen customers or fewer, and the main sound was the clink of glasses being collected.
Next, the miniature gem that is the Abbey, last visited seven years ago:
What is it about this place that makes it so attractive? I don't know. The ceramics outside and the traditional interior combine to make it very good.
Oddly, the barmaid asked me if I was staying in with my Carling. As if I would want to freeze outside with a plastic glass!
The interior was presumably little rooms originally, but it's now knocked through into one pleasant space.
Everyone else seemed to be related, and most of them had Chinese takeaways to eat. I suddenly felt very hungry!
Now, I'm faced with something of a dilemma: I can walk on to one or two required ticks, if they're open, in the Anfield direction or I can take probably my last opportunity to say goodbye to the Spellow and the Winslow, with their pre and post match memories from thirty years ago.
The temptation of a brand new tick won, and I headed to Taggy's:
Will an LFC themed bar be open when they're not playing? Things didn't look good as I approached but the (red, of course) front door was ajar and I entered to find a handful of customers in a very pleasant comfortable bar, the first time today I've taken my coat off.
No Carling so I had Carlsberg instead, and sat in comfort with Sky Sports News telling me Everton were still 0-0 at half time. I had heard a loud roar as I walked up, but clearly it wasn't a goal.
A number of people arrived to check in to accommodation, which is clearly an important part of the business here.
I would be interested to see what this place is like on a home match day, presumably it'll be packed, it's rather clever of the management to handle different days successfully. There is also a large beer garden at the back which can absorb a match day crowd. Once the residents were checked in it was just me in the lounge.
Too far to go back to Goodison now so onwards, perhaps there's one Anfield boozer overdue for a tick, Dodd's Bar, but I'm not sure it exists any more, having been merged into the Sandon complex, which is all shut today. So I walked on towards West Derby Road and the lovely Belmont:
Not a required tick as I was last here in 2021, but a convenient toilet break located on a bus route home and also a rather excellent traditional boozer always worth a visit.
Only about half a dozen customers in at five on a Saturday, which is not very good.
I noticed they've got that mysterious "Caines Lager" on tap, nothing to do with Cain's I suspect.
A steady stream of customers wandered in and out, they all seemed to know each other which must be the definition of a good local.
So, four required ticks, one of them brand new, is that enough? I think so!
On a warm and sunny Thursday you find me on a very long bus ride to Woodvale. During the seventy minute trip (!) I was able to observe umpteen pubs; I noted surprisingly few changes; one closure and more interestingly, one I have recorded as closed but the doors were open - Swifts in Kirkdale. Eventually the bus passed Woodvale airport (Despite flying from Speke many times I never landed here, although it was always my emergency fallback if I couldn't get back in to Liverpool.) and I got off and took a short walk for a long overdue visit to the Sparrowhawk:
I must say I feel a little underdressed in my t-shirt although nowadays everyone dresses down to some extent, even in a dining pub as posh a this one.
In the beautiful multi-roomed interior every square inch of wall is covered in miscellaneous pictures, perhaps to excess?
I took my pint of Sparrowhawk Pale, brewed by Facer's in Y Fflint, and found a table without place settings in the end of the room allocated to drinkers. I noticed they also had Facer's Plum Porter, I should have tried that to see if it was as wonderful as Titanic's original. The Pale was very good, anyway.
At two thirty the lunch time rush was over, the customers were mostly finishing their meals or just coming in for an afternoon drink.
A stroll of a mile and a half brought me to a new one, In Den Engel:
Here I found a pleasant plain shop conversion with one wall occupied by a fantastic range of bottles of (mostly) Belgian beers. On the counter were keg taps, again mostly Belgian, and also three handpumps, so I'm afraid I wasted my chance to have all time favourite Rochefort 10 (I see they've also got a Rochefort Triple, I've never heard of that one.) and had a gorgeous pint of Titanic Plum Porter.
A group of four departed shortly after my arrival, leaving just three customers at ten to four. Then the other two departed. The landlady appeared, wiping tables and asking if I minded the open door. I was still quite warm after my walk so I didn't.
I had chosen a seat facing the wall of bottles and I have to confess to being tempted to just stay here and have some favourites or some new ones. Especially as it is another mile and a half to the next target. If this bar was walking distance from my home I would ask them for a stock list and then tick them off, two or three a day, until I'd tried them all! That might mean the end of the Merseyside Pub Guide!
What about this weather! Having switched this morning from winter coat to summer jacket for the first time in 2025, I then undertook a mile and a half of walking with the jacket over my arm, and I was still quite warm when I reached the next target, the Pines:
This pleasant shop conversion has just two handpumps, but that's more than enough and my pint of Vocation's Chop and Change was a very tasty hoppy pale one.
The place was pretty busy at five with umpteen regulars who all know each other chatting amongst themselves and to the barman who was kept busy with lots of orders. I bagged a small table, and there were one or two other free tables but lots of the blokes were standing and plenty were sitting outside as well.
Not everyone was on the beer, I saw bottles of wine and what looked like some kind of gin and tonic being consumed as well. Customers, male and female, ranged from older than me down to only just legal drinkers. So this is a great bar for all the locals and it's deservedly doing well.
My original plan for today was to start here and finish at the Sparrowhawk, until I realised this bar and the one round the corner don't open until four, so I reversed the route. So, round the corner to the Grasshopper:
I entered to find a tiny shop conversion with at least six handpumps, I've always been a fan of Derby's Shiny Brewery so I selected their Disco Balls, a tasty pale one.
No chance of a seat in this busy room but wait, there's a door through to the other half where there were plenty of free spaces. Some blokes were enjoying playing darts, with definitely more fun than skill involved. That's the way to do it!
As I enjoyed my ale I got chatting to the darts players, they were celebrating a birthday and it was great to have some conversation covering pub guides, how to run a bar, darts skills and multiple other topics.
All too soon it was time to head for a train towards home, so I departed. Happy birthday John.
What did I say about the weather? It was raining as I walked to Hillside station. Four excellent cask ales, one new tick, that's a good result for a Thursday.
The sun's shining bright, let's head to Southport again. This time I'm going to start at Connolly's:
The roadworks outside precluded a good picture, I'm afraid.
Last time I was here, back in '04, it was called the Coronation. Since then I had recorded it as closed, but here it is in a new guise; a rather fine Irish pub, happily lacking the excessive "Irish" decor.
There were two handpumps on the counter but the clips were turned round so I had a Guinness.
My attention was caught by a notice on the TV screens offering free Guinness. For the first six minutes of Ireland games in the Six Nations. I wonder what the T&Cs are? Presumably you have to finish one before you get another. I think I would see this as a challenge, I reckon I could down two and demand a third before the six minutes were up, although with umpteen other customers also ordering it might not work.
This is a rather fine pub, warm and comfortable. The barmaid was chatting to the regulars, the whole atmosphere was friendly - I like it.
I wandered on. Metro used to be a hotel bar which actively invited non residents, but today it was shut. On to the Scarisbrick Hotel:
There are three bars inside, at least one of which offers real ale, but the whole complex is closed for maintenance work, that'll teach me to try Southport in February!
Onwards along Lord Street to a new one I had noted on my last visit, Casablanca:
I entered a long narrow shop conversion very well decorated with a green colour scheme, with lots of plants everywhere. (Probably all plastic?) I really liked the overall effect.
The barmaid, who was chatting with a friend at a table out front, followed me in and soon poured a Wainwright Gold from one of the two handpumps on the counter. I noted it was fake cask but who cares, it tastes good enough. Oooh controversial, that'll get me drummed out of CAMRA! The pump clip had "brewery conditioned ale" on it to make things clear. The other pump offered Hobgoblin IPA with no such warning, so was it real? I doubt it.
No wonder all those places are closed, no one else was in here and I had the place to myself as I enjoyed my pint which, incidentally, came in a Wainwright glass.
After all those failures I had to replan my survey, Corridor is overdue a revisit so let's try there:
Eight or nine customers makes this place a lot less empty than the last one. In 2018 I enjoyed some good real ale, today there were no visible handpumps and in fact for a moment I thought there was no draft beer at all until I realised there was a row of keg taps behind the servery. I selected Guinness from the range of standards.
Another place where the decor is very good, here it's understated with a touch of faux-industrial lighting.
Most of the other customers were eating, but I couldn't reach a menu from where I was sitting so I can't comment on the range. I didn't want to get up and grab a menu because then they would think I was going to order food.
Where next? Just round the corner are two never visited places so let's have a look. Le Grog doesn't appear to be open:
But Sacrebleu two doors down is:
Continuing today's theme, this one is very well decorated, bare brick and blue painted wood panels down the walls, with a remarkable plain smoothed concrete floor.
I selected the lovely Neck Oil from the standard range of taps. At five quid it was the most costly beer so far, but that's hardly expensive.
The friendly barman seemed to know all the customers (except me, of course) which is often an indication of a good pub.
I watched the barman pour a Guinness Zero from a can. If I selected no alcohol beers perhaps I could manage more pubs in a survey? I have resolved to try Guinness Zero next time I see it on draught because I'm told it is the best no alcohol beer available. Not from a can, though.
Next, there's a more traditional pub I haven't been in for over five years, so why don't we finish in the Masons Arms:
So this is where everyone is! The tiny boozer was pretty full, so having got my pint of Plum Porter, gorgeous, I had to stand for a few minutes until a corner became available and I could sit next to the warm fire in a tiny side room.
What can I say? A classic boozer, a Robinson's house, beautiful inside and deservedly doing a good trade at five on a Thursday.
They even had Old Tom on draught, maybe I should have selected that for its rarity, but I went for a favourite instead.
People went out and people came in, the pub continued to be full, so even in February a quality boozer can get enough custom. Well done!
Five required ticks, one of them brand new, and finishing with an absolute classic - Another great survey.
I'm hoping to be at Wigan Beer Festival on Saturday, the usual offer is available: If you recognise me I'll autograph your copy of the Merseyside Pub Guide book! (If you bring one.) By the way, talking of the book, the 2025 edition has been delayed but I hope to get things moving in the next couple of weeks.
It's too cold for a long walk, and tomorrow is forecast to be wet, so let's do a few in town.
I started just across the road from Lime Street Station, in Boom Battle Bar:
I must say the exterior as you approach the entrance is hardly attractive, but it's better once you get in.
The former car park or storage area is part of the St John's Centre, quite a clever use of otherwise redundant space I think. Black painted walls and ceiling and a concrete floor, all lit with distracting neons, gives the place a gloomy feel at this time but I imagine at nine this evening it will be lively and fun. It's unlikely I'll be coming back to find out, though.
My Guinness cost £6.50, standard pricing for this sort of place, I guess. No one comes in here just for a drink, I think!
So, in conclusion, probably a great place for a good night out with a group of friends, but not really my sort of bar!
On to Bundobust. Bugger! I forgot to take a photo.
I climbed up the stairs and went through the doors to find a colourfully decorated shed of a canteen. I was pleased to see a couple of handpumps on the counter next to an impressive array of craft keg taps. Only one handle was in use, Galaxy & Simcoe is a Bundobust badged brew which means Thornbridge make it which pretty much guarantees I'll like it, and it was very good.
Something of a snag at the bar, the credit card machine wouldn't work because the WiFi was down. I offered to pay by cash but they don't take it, so two friendly apologetic bar staff had to work to get the gizmo back on line.
I selected a table by the window so I could look out over Bold Street. There were lots of people going up and down but here and the noodle bar and shops over the road seemed very quiet.
Some of the walls are covered in old doors. Now that's a decor style I haven't seen since the Tut 'n' Shive chain back in the nineties which even used doors for the ceiling.
As I enjoyed my delicious hazy pale there was a very slow trickle of customers. Everyone else seemed to be eating which is, after all, what this place is really about.
This pub has unisex toilets. At least I really hope it does because if not, I used the ladies!
With two new ones under my belt, how about a classic? The Grapes:
This pub has undergone quite a few changes since I first came here in the nineties. A "Porter's Ale House" with no cask, a rather scruffy dump with great real ale and, most recently, a pleasant clean and tidy pub with the same excellent cask.
The gorgeous real ale continues, I selected Four Star Daydream stout from Black Lodge which must be about half a mile from here, a really creamy smooth stout.
A slight delay getting served because three girls had ordered five pints of Guinness which took some time with the fill-stand-topup process. I'm assuming there were more of them round the corner, or maybe it was a heavy afternoon's drinking and they wanted two pints each!
This pub was ticking over gently at three on a Friday afternoon.
I've always been fond of this place, although some of my friends were rather put off by the "scruffy" era, and I can't really blame them, it was a dump for a while. It is amusing to see that the "Porter's Ale House" signage has survived in the presumably 90s stained glass panels.
I think another classic is called for, so let's try Ye Cracke:
Recent reports have suggested the real ale offer here is not as good as it used to be, in fact I came here a few years ago with some friends and we walked straight out. Let's see...
"Only" three cask ales on, but my Skinful from Beartown was spot on so what more could one ask. The friendly landlady commented that it was Valentine's Day, I complained that I hadn't got any one to take out, she said it's a ripoff and the restaurants put their prices up for the day.
As I sat down the place was fairly quiet, with just a handful of customers. Suddenly the sound level increased massively, and a pub crawl of about twenty blokes came in. Needless to say it took quite a while for them all to be served, and the noise level remained high. Good for the pub's takings, of course, and I was pleased to see that a significant proportion of them were on the cask ale. Just a few lagers and Guinnesses.
One more on the way back to the station? It's only a quarter to four. I tried new ticks Tom Thumb and Outpost but neither are open yet. Hmph. It's starting to rain, I'm off home.
