Pub Of The Year, and Others

Undeterred by the damp weather, I took a bus to Saint Helens for a Saturday afternoon research trip.

I started at the Liverpool Arms.  I knew it was closed, I just wanted a picture of the classic 60s building, but all I found was a patch of waste ground!

Next, the Golden Lion.  Again, just for a photo, I thought, but to my surprise it's open:

Inside I found a beautifully cared for two sided local, with a handful of regulars chatting in the bar side.  A steady trickle of customers kept the place ticking over.

There were a couple of handpumps on the bar, but they looked out of action so I stuck to lager.

Back in 2003 my notes described it as "slightly worn", certainly not true now, and I think it was the last place I saw Double Diamond on draught - In fact I vaguely recall I might have tried some DD because of its rarity.

Just a short distance down the road is the now-famous Cricketers Arms, which is CAMRA's Pub Of The Year 2018:

When I was here in 2003 it was a plain keg only boozer.  What a transformation!  Umpteen handpumps offering a wide range of ales, my pint of Wily Fox Karma Citra (fnarr fnarr) was spot on.  And only £2.60 with CAMRA discount.  AND in a lined glass for a full pint.  (I must say, sitting as I was just in front of the counter, pints with big heads kept setting off alarm bells, but of course in these now rare glasses everyone was getting a full pint of beer!)

This is a splendid real ale fan's pub (And they're building a brewery out back - Brewing in three months, says the boss.) and yet, unusually, they also sell "ordinary" beers like keg Robinsons smooth, Tetley's Mild or Carling, catering for less adventurous customers.  I often see real ale places that, out of beer snobbery or just lack of thought, don't cater for the non-enthusiast.  It costs very little to put on a keg of Carling and one of bitter, and once the Carling drinker is in and comfortable, you might persuade him to try something with a bit more flavour.

The walls are covered with pump clips and other beer ephemera, of course.

On a wet Saturday afternoon they were quite busy, with a lot of CAMRA members visiting the Pub Of The Year, as well as regulars.  There was a minibus pub crawl, from Wakefield I think - I bet they didn't do the Golden Lion!  I placed a copy of the Merseyside Pub Guide on my table in the hope someone would notice it, but no-one did.

My next destination was the only Merseyside Wetherspoon's I've never ticked, the Running Horses:

I must say I wasn't looking forward much to this place.  A Lloyds No.1, on a leisure park in St Helens, on a Saturday afternoon, it's going to be (a)noisy, (b)packed, and (c)full of "professional drinkers".  But I was completely wrong, there was (a) a gentle hubub of conversation despite the large echoey room, (b) it was doing good trade but with plenty of free tables, and (c) most of the customers were dining.

The large open room with a central island bar is well done out, completely fake, of course, but none the worse for that.  There's a giant screen at one end, which was programmed to show the test match, I think, but as it was rained off there was nothing to show!

I must say this place struck me as an above average Wetherspoon's, the beer was spot on and promptly served, the waiting staff were keenly clearing the tables, there was enough space on a Saturday afternoon for me to sit down, everything just worked efficiently.

Next, towards the town centre and the Nelson:

What a contrast.  Quite busy, very noisy, and everyone except me was watching the rugby, Wigan v Warrington.

There were two handpumps, I risked White Witch, which was somewhat past its best, I'm afraid.

Inside this large pub there are some older features including a glazed partition and a fireplace.

I've not seen rugby league for a long time, there was some kind of video referee system which looked incredibly complex, and the crowd shots suggested no-one understood what was going on.  I certainly didn't, but then I've only played Union which is very different!

Time to go home, noting en route that the Royal Alfred by the station is closed and tinned up:

Coming soon - Smithdown Road, and more St Helens.