Where Am I?

A bus under the river soon dropped me in, er, is it Liscard? Or Seacombe?  Who knows!  My first target was the Rose & Crown:

I was a little concerned as I approached:  Two shut doors and Christmas decorations still on display, could it have closed?  Happily no, the third door was welcoming and I was soon in the bar side which was deserted apart from the friendly barmaid who quickly poured me a pint of lager.

The decor in here is plain, one might even say down at heel, but well maintained and spotlessly clean so really all it needs is a few more customers.  And the removal of Santa and Rudolf painted on the windows.

I could see some people in the lounge side even though the entrance door was locked.  There must be another way in.

More "customers" came in, three youngsters who headed straight for the toilets and left a few minutes later.  That won't pay anyone's wages.

Next, Sandbank:

According to my database we're now in Seacombe, but I wouldn't place much trust in that.

Exactly as last time I was here, 2018, this is a pleasant one room boozer populated with cheerful locals.  So much busier than the Rose and Crown it's hard to believe they're well under a mile apart.

Just two female customers amongst two dozen blokes, mostly about my age with one or two a generation younger.

I remember a previous time here when I was politely asked to move from where I was sitting because the table was reserved for bingo players.  I don't recall actually moving so perhaps I said I'm leaving after this pint.  No bingo today, just a cheerful crowd with no one watching the rugger.

This boozer is a bit of a classic, I think, long may it continue.

If I were to predict pub closures, my next target would be top of today's list but let's try the Mona Castle and see...

Sadly, my prediction was correct and although it still looks almost like it might be an operational pub the doors were closed.  A great back street boozer, I'm sorry to see it gone.

On to the Five Bars Rest:

This was another one I thought might have failed, but the door was open, albeit with a rather unwelcoming "PROOF OF ID MUST BE SHOWN ON ENTRY" notice.

I entered (Without showing any ID) and soon sat down to enjoy another Carling.

Only three or four other customers so the place was hardly even ticking over, but at least it's open.  The interior is plain and perhaps even a little untidy, but as usual nowadays very clean and well maintained. Actually, looking round I think the untidy is undeserved, it's actually rather a nice pub.  Long may it survive.

When I was researching this location last night I came across a police report when they attempted to get the place closed back in 2008, complete with fascinating extracts from the incident logs.  I'm surprised this sort of information is freely available, it doesn't show the pub in a good light even if the licence wasn't withdrawn.  Names and addresses of the protagonists are sometimes shown.

Oh dear, the witty sign behind the counter "YOUR IN MY PUB NOW" is rather spoiled by the your/you're error.  I blame the education system.

Next, along to Egremont where there are two ticks close to each other.  The weather had worsened to dark drizzle as I passed the long closed and never ticked Brighton:

Carrying on, I passed by the Vaults (Saved for later) and headed down to the river and the Ferry:

A really busy pub aiming at diners but welcoming of drinkers.  Two operational handpumps on the counter and I soon had a carefully poured Wainwright.  Spot on, it was.

My report from my previous visit - Is it really twelve years ago? - included the phrase "a little tatty".  Not true now.

I found the only free table in the whole place, they are certainly doing a roaring trade.

Down on the waterfront with a scenic view of Everton's new stadium, this is a great location for a pub and it's doing very well even in today's horrible weather.

Unfortunately, my seat obstructed the way in to the ladies, so by the time I'd drunk half of my ale someone wanted access.  I jiggled my chair to let her in, bumped the table and tipped my pint over.  How annoying!  Fortunately no one, not even me, was splashed with beer so I just finished what remained in the glass, mopped up some of the mess with blue roll provided by a barmaid, and then departed, somewhat embarrassed.

Finally back up the hill to finish at the Vaults:

Another classic boozer this one, one open room (but I think there might be another room down the hill?), well filled with cheerful locals, but there were enough spaces for me to have a table and comfortable seat to enjoy my final drink, a Guinness this time.

The regulars in here were certainly enjoying their cheerful banter, it was completely drowning the football commentary on the TVs.  And a remarkable lack of swearwords, I must say.

By the way, I see the premiership football today is one early match, one late match and none at all at three o'clock.  That's a new one on me, another result of Sky's influence?  Has the historic 3pm Saturday finally been destroyed?  I hope not.

So in conclusion five required ticks, the last two haven't been done for twelve years so very overdue.  Only one real ale, but a number of decent boozers.  And one regrettable loss, if the Mona has closed it's a shame.  (Or two regrettable losses if you also count one third of a pint of Wainwright on the floor of the Ferry!)

Pub of the day: Sandbanks, a classic.
Beer of the day: Spilled Wainwright
Miles walked: 2.5
Maybe coming soon: Fazakerley, Anfield, Crosby, Wallasey