A Butchers At Garston

A little trip to Garston to tick off some pubs, actually starting in Allerton at the Butchers:

A pleasant micro-pub converted from a butchers' shop, retaining the tilework and meat-hooks etc.  More of a cafe than a pub, really, but with two handpumps and a great menu of bottled beers from around the world I'm happy.  All the other customers were on coffee and/or food I think, but my pint of Shropshire Gold was perfect.  Served at my table, as well.

The menu looks good, especially the breakfast.  But I resisted.

Continuing the theme of Tuesday, this was a first visit for me, but I'm not expecting any more new ticks today.

Off to Garston proper, and the Masonic:

I selected a real ale from the two handpumps in the bar side.  We've got loads more in the yard, said the barmaid, come and have a look.  So I followed her through to the lounge and then outside to see a selection of tapped casks.  "They're £2.90 a pint, or £10 for all you can drink"!  "You need to be careful about turning the tap off", she added as she poured my pint of Hooky.

Oh my goodness!  The temptation!  All you can drink, and pour it yourself.  Am I dreaming?

I manfully resisted, and only had the pint of Hooky, which if I was being super critical might have been just past its best, but I couldn't be sure.

A peaceful pub on a Thursday afternoon this, with a few regulars chatting and the racing commentary in the background.  Why haven't they got the cricket?  Australia wobbling at 108 for 5.

On towards the centre of Garston, skipping the Derby which I ticked two years ago.  I was rather doubtful as to the status of the New Wellington, but here it was, open:

I seem to recall this was a very large two sided place, I think one half is no longer a pub but what remains is a rather fine one-bar boozer with two rooms nicely decorated.  The handful of regulars were somewhat boisterous, but they took no notice of me in my quiet corner.

No real ale, so a cool and refreshing lager was in order.

Truly a local's boozer, every newcomer was greeted by friends already in; a pub where everyone knows your name.  (Except mine, of course.)

The locals calmed down a little, and I monitored the Test Match.  122 for 8, who'd have thought it!  (Little did I know...)

On to the Swan:

I entered the bar side, and risked a Doom Bar from the solitary hand pump.  It was foul.  I should have complained but I couldn't be bothered.

Again, plenty of regulars chatting in this gem of a pub only let down on this occasion by the quality of the ale.

I abandoned my pint of vinegar and headed for the final target of the day, the Alexandra.  Sadly, when I got there not only was it closed, but it had been demolished and replaced by a KFC.  Streetview research shows it was still standing, albeit boarded up, just a year ago.  I gave up in disappointment and headed for home.

Pub of the day: Masonic, for the beer offer!
Miles walked: 2.3
Maybe coming soon: Bootle, Southport

A Wirral Miscellany

I started a Wirral jaunt on a bus to Greasby, and jumped off outside what used to be the Twelfth Man, and then was Goodwin's, now its the Gravesberie Inn:

Wikipedia tells me Gravesberie is the original Saxon name of Greasby, recorded in the Domesday Book.

Pleasant contemporary chain dining pub decor greeted me.  Unusually for a Greene King pub, there were no handpumps at all on the counter, so I resorted to a half of Punk IPA, which was very welcome in the hot humid weather.

The bar side where I sat was completely empty, but I could hear chatter and the rattle of cutlery from the dining side.

Next, a stroll through quiet suburban streets to Saughall Massie, and the never before visited Saughall:

Another pleasant enough food place and once again one side is dedicated to drinkers, where I sat alone.  There were plenty of people in the dining side, though, and lots of food appeared while I was being served.  Three handpumps offering Thwaites Original, Thwaites IPA, and Gold from, you've guessed it, Thwaites.  On a cooler day I might have nit-picked and reported that the Gold was a little over-chilled, but today it was lovely.

From the architectural point of view, I noted old-looking leaded glass in all the windows.  Some of the matchboarding inside could be fairly old as well, but I suspect most of any history has been refurbished away over the years.

Next, a short walk to the Willows:

Another first visit for me, but would I get a tick?  I entered the lounge side to find a function going on, with tables decorated and a buffet.  I approached the counter and asked if I could come in, the landlady said yes and served me a lager.  Phew!

With all the tables decorated I wondered where to sit, soon heading for the corridor to the bar side where two blokes were playing pool in an otherwise empty room.

It was pleasantly cool, dark and peaceful this side, and I enjoyed my Carling.  The jukebox and the click of pool balls mixed with the clink of glassware from the servery and the distant chatter from the other side to make an ideal pub soundtrack.

More pool players arrived, looking rather damp.  I peered out of the window to see that the rain which had been threatening all afternoon had started pouring down.  And the next target might be closed...

The rain stopped and I headed off.  Rumbles of thunder threatened, and a few drops of rain spotted my tee-shirt as I aimed for the Overchurch.  Would my luck hold out?  Was I in for a soaking?  Would it be open?  It didn't look promising as I approached, but walking past for a better photo I could see an open door:

Yes!!  My third new tick of the day.

Inside, a plain pleasant traditional estate boozer, one room with about ten regulars chatting.  No real ale, of course, so another Carling for me.

Time to head for the centre of Upton.  Could I get another new tick?  Oh yes, the Bow-Legged Beagle:

Unusually, it's got an automatic sliding door, I bet there's an icy blast when someone comes in in the winter!

I had a spot on pint of Liverpool Brewing Co's Session IPA.

I presume this is related to the New Brighton place of the same name.  A one room shop conversion making a comfortable friendly boozer with excellent ale.  Nine other customers, who all knew the barman, I was the stranger!

I noted a very good selection on the keg taps, including my favourite Stay Puft from Tiny Rebel, and Budweiser Budvar.

So, there're two more pubs here which I last visited in 2013, but I think I've had enough for today, so time for a bus home...  After all, four new ticks is pretty amazing nowadays.  That takes me to 1,313 pubs visited out of 1,846 listed.

Pub of the day: The Bow-Legged Beagle
Miles walked: 2.6
Maybe coming soon: Bootle or Garston

Saturday Afternoon In Town

Just a quick trip into Liverpool city centre, for a chance to check out our new Wetherspoon's:

Not the best time to visit, half past three on a Saturday afternoon, but needs must...

This compact member of the chain, with one open dark-panelled room broken up by pillars, was not surprisingly packed, and customers were waiting three deep at the counter.  A quick glance at the pumps found me Oakham's White Dwarf which when I was eventually served was superb.  To be fair, I didn't wait too long, there were a large number of staff running up and down behind the counter and, unusually for 'spoons serving people in order.

I managed to find a vacant table near the kitchen, and I watched meals whizzing out.  For some reason one lonely chicken burger sat on the top shelf for ages while other meals came and went, I wonder why.  Eventually it was delivered, with no hint of why it had been delayed.

Just across the road is The Old Bank:

The interior here is spectacular, and I think it has been further tidied up since my last visit, in 2002.  Marble columns, gold ceiling decorations, wrought iron banisters and umpteen chandeliers.

Again, it was busy on a Saturday afternoon, but not as packed as Wetherspoon's.  A very mixed crowd, groups of lads, tourists, a hen party, and a lone pub blogger.

The kit was set up for live music later, a solo singer judging by the size of the stage.  In the mean time, plenty of sport was on tellys around the walls.  Large screens and yet somehow unobtrusive - Well done!

A brief random wander took me to a place I've never heard of, the Castle Street Townhouse:

I wonder what this was before?  Now, it's a rather well done up-market bar full of beautiful people drinking gin or Prosecco, but also quite a lot of beer, Blue Moon seemed the most popular served with a slice of orange, of course.  I chose Love Lane, a pint of which cost me £5.00.  (Cheaper than the pints of Dark Star Hophead I had in London yesterday!)

I must say that while this is certainly not my sort of pub, it is rather well done, with efficient friendly staff buzzing around providing good service.

Now we're doing bars I've never heard of on Castle street, the options are manifold.  I chose McGuffie at random:

This narrow corridor bar had rather fun quirky old-looking decor to match the original leaded glass shop front.

Only two beers on tap, Asahi or Kozel, and they don't sell pints, only schooners.

Another bar that's not of my sort, but is still rather good.  A bit too much show-off cocktail shaking behind the counter, er, what's the name of that film?  Duh, it's Cocktail, with Tom Cruise.

Time to go home.

Pubs of the day: Captain Alexander for the ale, the Old Bank for the decor.
Miles walked: 1

Dodging The Grockles

A visit to Cambridge City Centre on a Sunday during tourist season (January to December) is always a pain, but I had some shopping to do.  As soon as possible I headed out of the centre to escape the hoards of tourists who seemingly don't seem to know how to walk down a busy street let alone how to behave in a pub, and to the Castle:

The pleasant old-ish multi-room interior with a slightly quirky layout including a window between two rooms, was pleasingly quiet at one on a Sunday, a wonderful oasis of calm after Trinity Street.

A wide range of Adnam's brews is on offer along with a couple of guests, and I selected the always good Ghost Ship.

The handful of other customers were all dining, from the menu of pub standards.

Across the road to the Architect:

Rather fun contemporary styling in here, with pale blue wood panelling, white tiles, and faux-industrial lights and gantries.

In this Everards house I obviously went for Tiger, but a couple of pulls soon revealed it had run out.  Instead, I had a pint of Sunchaser which, to be honest, was well past its best.  Probably the first one pulled today.

Only five other customers, all eating, until a sixth came in for a half of something.

Down some back streets I've never seen before to a pub I've never heard of, the Punter:

Here I found a pleasant traditional multi-roomed boozer, quite busy with dining groups.

My dithering at the four handpumps was quickly halted when I spotted that the house ale was brewed by Oakham.  Punter Blonde tastes like Oakham Citra, one of my all time favourites.

Quite a loud level of cheerful chatter in here, in contrast to the last two visited.

I noticed the groups of diners were getting their drinks served by waiters, had I committed a faux pas by ordering at the bar?

Frodsham

Outwith my purview, I know, but worthy of a visit.  Of course I don't need an excuse for a pub crawl, but I wanted to ride the new train service on the Halton Curve, so I travelled from Liverpool to Frodsham, where I started in the Queen's Head:

At ten past eleven it was unsurprisingly empty.  The interior is an odd mix of very old stonework and beams at one side, and less ancient traditional dark wood matchboarding elsewhere.  Overall a very pleasant multi-room pub.

There were four handpumps and I selected a pint of Weetwood's Cheshire Cat.  I turned down the offer of a loyalty card, who knows when I'll be here again?

The music was a bit loud for an empty pub, I thought.  The menu looks good, fish and chips were £9.99

Next, the Red Lion.  Annoyingly, they don't open when Whatpub says they do.

On to the Bear's Paw:

A splendid ancient building outside, inside lovely dark wood panelling in multiple rooms.

The handpumps in this Greene King house offered the usual IPA, Abbot, Speckled Hen, plus two from Weetwood, my pint of Eastgate was spot on.

The menu with GK's Time Well Spent branding includes fish and chips at £9.99.

Initially empty, this place got much busier as I enjoyed my pint and watched a bit of World Cup Cricket.  All the other customers seemed to be here for the food.

Next, I walked straight past the front door but eventually found my way in to the GBG-listed Helter Skelter:

I think this is a modern conversion, it's very nice inside.

No less than twelve handpumps in here, no wonder CAMRA like it.  I had a great pint of a favourite of mine, Salopian Oracle.

Much busier that the previous two places, in here the gentle background music was mostly drowned out by cheerful chatter.

I must say this is a wonderful friendly local's boozer, filled with laughter and chit-chat.

My next target was the other GBG pub, Kash 22, but it wasn't open:

Neither was the Cholmondely Arms:

So I headed for the Golden Lion:

What a beautiful interior in this Sam Smith's pub.  I couldn't see any real ale, but the keg OBB was £2 a pint.

As you can imagine, at that price it is quite popular although it was by no means full.  The soundtrack was multiple conversations, with no music.

It was only after I had typed these thoughts that I noticed the "mobile tablet and laptop free zone" sign.  Ooops!

So, with a number of my targets being closed when they should be open, the Red Lion got another chance:

Perhaps more down market than most of my previous calls today, but none the worse for that.

Only Doom Bar on the counter, so I decided to stick to lager instead.

The regulars were occupied playing pool and chatting, while I watched the Windies trounce Pakistan.  (As soon as they'd won, the telly was switched to horses.) 

The pub seemed to have more dogs than humans in, I'm not sure how many, if any, were residents.  They certainly made more noise than the humans, anyway.  Racing from Epsom was on the telly now, with just one or two of the regulars paying attention.

Time to head for home, with the added bonus of a loco and coaches to take me to Earlestown:

Pub of the day: The Bear's Paw for looks, or the Helter Skelter for ale and atmosphere.
Miles walked: 1

Eastham and Bromborough

A train under the river, and then a long pleasant walk through the woodlands of Eastham Country Park found me at Eastham Ferry.  There are two pubs here virtually side by side, both with Marston's branding.  I started in the big rather austere building that is the Eastham Ferry Hotel:

I can't remember what the interior looked like last time I was here, back in 2003, but I'm guessing it hasn't changed much.  Very pleasant, with some old-looking features (I initially wrote original here, but as it was built in 1896 I suspect not.) including ceiling plasterwork and a rather fine semi-circular counter in dark wood with etched glass panels.  It's partially knocked through, but retaining separation between the areas.

There were two handpumps, and my pint of Pedigree was the best I've had for ages, the last few times in various places I've been unlucky and it's been chilled to death or just tired, but this one was perfect.
 
The food menu looks good value, with Fish and Chips for £8.75, but at ten past one I couldn't see anyone eating.  The place was pretty empty with just a handful of other customers.

Just a few yards away is the Tap:

This Brewers' Tudor building houses a fine traditional boozer.

A couple of real ales were on offer, I had a great pint of Banks' Sunbeam.  It is pleasing to note that, as with the last place, this is not a "Real Ale" pub, and yet it serves excellent real ale.

I think I was initially the only customer, some more came in while I was enjoying my ale.

The only sound in here was rugby on the telly (I think.  I'm sure I heard them mention Anfield at one point?), the gentle whirr of the chillers behind the bar, and, briefly, others ordering their drinks.

Now, this is scary:  Wondering about the sport I was hearing, I fired up Google on my tablet, intending to type "rugby at anfield".  I typed "rugby" and it offered "at anfield" as the first suggestion.  How did it know?  Pass me that tin-foil hat!

A long walk back through the Country Park, by now full of families and dogs, then took me to the Royal Oak:

Last time I was here, in 2003, it was a Beefeater, now it's in Greene King's Hungry Horse chain.  The inside has standard chain dining pub decor and ambience, but I think slightly above average.  In the corner where I sat, the wood block wall panelling was attractive, and very unusual.

I approached the counter to see the barman attempting to pull a pint of IPA, and getting mostly froth.  He asked what I wanted, so I requested a pint of IPA "when you've done that one".  "Am I doing it right, it's my first day?", he asked.  I offered some advice about letting it settle, but it soon became apparent the cask was empty, confirmed when his boss came to see how he was getting on.  I next selected Abbot.  "This is a pale one", he said.  "No, that's cleaning fluid" I replied.  Finally, he pulled a good pint of Ruddles County, the only other option.  He couldn't find it on the till, "Sorry, I can't help with that".

Just to be awkward, I occupied the table for twenty in the corner but the place, although ticking over, wasn't busy and no big groups came in.  Actually, for a Tuesday afternoon it was doing quite well.  With "Jumbo cod and chips" only £7.99 I'm not surprised.

Just a short walk to the Bromborough:

The mystery here is why have I never been in before?  It's only 100 yards from the Royal Oak.

Anyway, inside the Brewers' Tudor construction I found a pleasant food-oriented pub with Greene King's Time Well Spent branding.  There were plenty of customers, mostly not dining, and the chatter was louder than the background muzac.

I checked out the menu, fish and chips is only £5.99 here, it's getting cheaper.  Perhaps it'll be free by the end of today's survey!

The standard IPA or Abbot were on offer, my IPA was fine.

For my next long walk, I cheated and caught a bus to Mississippis:

I wasn't sure what to expect in this never before visited shop conversion.  Not a micro-pub, it is quite large and pleasantly decorated inside.

Four handpumps on the counter, offering from left to right no-clip, Trappers Hat, Doom Bar and Doom Bar.  My Trappers' was spot on, despite the young lady having to ask her boss how to pour it.  Today's themes seem to bar staff on their first day, and quality real ale!

A few lads playing pool were creating most of the chatter in here, with music and Sky Sports News in the background.

Finally, across the road to the Three Stags:

My previous review of this pub includes "all Ember Inns seem to look the same", which I think is still true, but there's nothing wrong with that.

I was surprised to see quite a wide selection of real ales, and I had a spot on pint of Dark Star's Partridge, a classic traditional "ordinary" bitter.

The trend of cheaper food was broken here, with fish and chips costing £10.49.  The place was ticking over at five on a Tuesday, I imagine it's a lot busier at other times.

Time to head for home now, what a great pub survey it's been:  Six pubs, two never before visited, and ALL serving quality real ale.  Also, some very pleasant walking through the country park.

Miles walked: 3.7

The Mapping Project

Other commitments continue to prevent regular research but I have not been completely idle, and the project to map all the pubs in the guide has been proceeding well.  A bug in Google maps has temporarily (I hope) halted progress, but at the time of writing I have the positions of 1,597 pubs recorded in my database.

You can see the results of this effort by clicking here or by clicking on the Pub Map link at the top of each page of the guide.  Alternatively, click on the Map link in the Location column when looking at a pub's details.

If you can provide a precise location for a pub missing from the map, or notice one I've got wrong, please let me know at the usual email address or in the comments of this blog.