Prescot to Thatto Heath

I started today's researches in Prescot.  There are a number of cafe bars along the main street which maybe ought to be added to my guide, but for today I'm visiting one that is already there, the Tempest:

This is a pleasant shop conversion, the decor of bare brickwork and matchboarding looks good.  I selected the house lager from the six keg fonts but they've "got a problem with the pipes" and there's no draft beer at the moment.  So I had a bottle of San Miguel for my first drink.

At one on a Saturday there were only two other customers and they were waiting for breakfasts and drinking orange juice, so not suffering from the lack of gas.

Next, a walk away from the centre to the Wellington:

This attractive "baronial" building is clearly an inter-war roadhouse, but my buddy ChatGPT doesn't have a precise date for it.  I was startled to see that the source for ChatGPT's info is this very blog!  My smugness at finding my description of the building as "baronial" was correct evaporated when I realised it had come from my own previous comments.  Something of an incestuous relationship, I think, talk about an echo chamber!

Inside some original features are preserved despite significant knocking through of the formerly multi-roomed interior, although it would require someone better versed in architecture than I to decide how much is original and how much is modern repro or acquired from a reclamation yard.

There were two handpumps on the counter so I selected a fine pint of Landlord.

Here there were more customers than the Tempest, some eating.  Plenty of space for more, though.

Next, a march along the perennially busy A58 St Helens Road to the next inter-war roadhouse, the Grapes:

Another impressive building from the 20s or 30s, ChatGPT can't give an exact year.  Again the interior is heavily modified but still has some original features.

I eyed up the handpumps with a degree of suspicion and plumped for Greene King IPA which was excellent.

There were plenty of diners in here, in fact I had trouble finding a table without a reserved sign.  The carvery smelled tempting and had a steady stream of customers.  This one is quite busy compared with the previous two ticks, at half two.  Is it just because time is moving on? 

Next, a longer walk, there are two targets in Thatto Heath overdue for a visit, one of them not ticked for fifteen years.  Google Maps came up trumps and routed me along a pleasant footpath instead of by road.

The first target I came to was the Brown Edge:

What an odd name for a pub, wonder what it means.

Inside is a well done comfortable plain boozer.  The decor in the multi-area interior is somehow rather attractive.

The clips were turned so I just had a Carling.

Quite a few people were in here and the cheerful chatter was louder than the music.  As, I think, it should be.  This is one of those pubs where everyone knows everyone else, so they join in with each other's conversations.

The landlord (I think) sorted out the fruit machine, which involved a lot of ching ching clonk noises and also feeding in lots of notes and coins.  Part of me wanted to say that doing that right by the open door was a little risky but I guess he knows what he's doing.  Thinking about it, if I leapt up, grabbed the bag of money and ran out of the pub, how far would I get before he tackled me?  Not very far, I bet.

Finally, a pub not ticked since 2010 because it wasn't open when it should have been in 2019.  The internet tells me it is now a "community pub" and has been refurbished, so let's have a look in the York:

Refurbished, yes, but happily not ruined.  The multi-roomed interior has been well decorated in plain style, and some excellent ceramics have survived.

I hid in one of the side rooms for peace and quiet, avoiding the cheerful banter by the counter.

My Carling was a malty one, even the ultimate "factory lager" has variations in flavour if you drink as much of it as I do.

Pub of the day: I think the Welly edges it because of the excellent Timothy Taylor's
Beer of the day: Landlord
Miles walked: 2.8
Maybe coming soon: Undecided

Bromborough

It was cold and damp today as I headed under the river to Bromborough where I was hoping to tick some bars I'd only learned of a few days ago.  (Thanks Carl!)

At this point I would like to raise a town planning complaint:  When they built a new "bypass" for the main shopping street, what idiot decided to give the new and old roads the same name?  So as you approach along The Rake there are two right turns 220 yards apart, both called Allport Lane.  How confusing is that?

I started at what I thought was the Vault but it's called Voltage, and not open.  Not a good start.  Maybe I'll try again later.

Tucked away in a little pedestrian shopping street is the Tipsy Cow:

A plain shop conversion this, warm and comfortable inside.  My hopes were briefly raised by a Wainwright handpump but "We don't sell it any more, I don't know why that's still there".  Stella was also off, I had 1664 for a change. 

Only a handful of customers at half one, two playing pool, the rest chatting.  They all know each other, I'm the odd one out.  The predictive text made that "old one out", perhaps I'm that as well? 

There's a DJ desk in the corner, I expect it'll be noisy later.  Maybe karaoke? 

Next, let's try Gin & Milk:

Compared with the plain and perhaps slightly tatty Cow, this place is rather posh and up market and most of the customers at two were drinking coffee.  But there is one font at the end of the counter, so that confirms it as eligible to be included in my guide, and I had a pint of Asahi ordered at the counter and delivered to my table. 

Again many of the customers knew each other, Bromborough might be a bit insular!

I wondered about the odd name.  I looked at the drinks menu and they do offer a cocktail called gin and milk, with ingredients including cherry gin, egg white and milk.  Sounds disgusting but I'd probably like it if I had one.  Maybe.  I've never experienced egg white as a drink ingredient, it seems weird; but don't knock it till you've tried it, I say.

Some food came out, it looked very good. 

As I drank my "Japanese" lager (Where is it brewed?  My guess was Burton but Google says Greenwich, Cornwall, and Chiswick!) I wondered what makes this place so pleasant.  Not sure what it is exactly, but I felt very comfortable here.

I mustn't forget to pay before I leave!  (I remembered.)

Next, something more in the line of a "normal pub", the Bromborough:

This classic boozer belongs to Greene King (Don't they all?).  Inside the brewers' Tudor building a few features have been preserved including some old leaded glass, and what looks like a hundred year old fireplace opposite where I sat.  Of course, that could be modern repro.

Should I risk the solitary Old Golden Hen handpump?  I did and it was very good.  It came in an Abbot glass, I would have preferred a pint of Abbot!

Quite a few customers were here at half two, but there wasn't the same level of interaction as in the previous two bars.

I had a look at the menu, standard chain pub fare with fish and chips costing £10.29.

On the telly in my eye-line was racing, lots of blokes were wearing top hats so I'm guessing it is a famous race meeting?

Next, another "normal" pub, this time with Hungry Horse branding, the Royal Oak:

Once again the lone handpump offering was Old Golden Hen, should I gamble again?  I did and I won another good pint.

This place is a lot busier than the previous ones, families eating seemed to be the main type of customer.  They need to employ another member of staff to clear tables after people have gone, as many tables were piled up with eaten or half eaten food.  (I resisted the spare chips and chocolate cake on offer where I sat.)  Soon after I'd written that a friendly waitress cleared all the debris.

After kicking Facebook very hard (I'm not sure why Google wouldn't send me to the right page) I found what might be up to date info for Voltage which says it opens at four.  Should I try again?  It would be rude not to!

Yes, it's open, my third new tick today.  A rather fine contemporary bar, the interior decor is very good. 

I eschewed most of the wide range of keg beers and finished my survey with a Carling. 

I was on my own in here, just me and the barmaid to enjoy the eighties music selection, Wired For Sound followed by Nik Kershaw's Riddle.  Sometimes the music in an empty pub is too loud but here it wasn't.  On the other hand the flashing disco lights were probably unnecessary!  And drowned out by the sunshine from outside.

Not really my sort of bar, but it's so well done and well cared for that I can't fault it.  I hope they get lots of customers later on, they certainly deserve to.  I wondered if anyone else would come in but I can't wait all night, and no one did.

Until, that is, just as I was finishing my pint two customers arrived so I didn't have to leave the place empty.

Oh wow, five required ticks, three brand new, that's a really good crop, time for home.  Grand total now 1,549.

Pub of the day: The Bromborough
Beer of the day: Old Golden Hen
Miles walked: 1.6
Maybe coming soon: Thatto Heath