I’ve just booked a visit to England at long last and will be spending the first few days of January chez my long suffering parents in the North East (Saltburn-by-the-sea, to be exact). Anyway, I’ll be flying back to Madrid from Liverpool at lunchtime on Wednesday 5th January 2011. My intention is to spend the Tuesday night (4th January) somewhere within easy driving distance of Liverpool airport. I have to be there at 11.30 and really don’t fancy getting up much earlier than 8.30 and fully intend having the “full English” breakfast one last time before returning home!
So, where should I stay to have the best chance of getting to meet some of you? Manchester? Liverpool? Leeds? I know a Tuesday night is not the best but it’s what I’ve got. I’ll be in Saltburn from Jan 1st and might be up to a lunchtime pint in, say, York or Newcastle on the Monday if anyone were available.
Edit: Chester it is, then. Tuesday 4th January 2011. Maybe DsD or WB could suggest a suitable meeting place and time.
LONDON! Oh… gosh darn it.
As far as I know, we’re not going anywhere in that first week, so whatever you arrange, I’ll do my best to make it.
In terms of a stopover on the Tuesday night, I’m tempted to selfishly advise you that Halifax-ish to Speke via breakfast is perfectly OK, but truth be told you’d be better served being much closer – maybe somewhere on the Wirral ???
Haven’t made Christmas plans yet, but will try to adapt. Likely to spend some time in Runcorn; not what you’d call a beauty spot, as Tincanman will testify. A couple of the close-by villages are pretty nice, though – Frodsham has a couple of decent pubs – and the hotels in Runcorn are about half an hour from Speke Airport.
It’s an option.
Tatanka stayed at The Bridge Inn, Port Sunlight recently. Maybe you could get his opinion. Then it would be the Mersey Tunnel dock exit and a straight run to the airport. I cycled it the other day.
I got all excited because i saw NE NW NY in the headline, and thought your were coming to New York.
Sorry Amy! It is on our list, mind you. We have family in NYC and do owe them a visit. So, who knows?
I was going to say, The Bridge Inn and Port Sunlight were a great stopover point when I was on the PH tour earlier in the year. Straight across the Mersey to the airport on tincanman’s speed boat from there too.
The Bridge Inn looks good and is within the Maki price range. So, there’s a start…
Asking for three northern meet-ups in a row to be in Leeds would be a bit selfish on my part. Leeds is a splendid venue of course, but it doesn’t make sense to wake up too far from the airport on that morning. I’ll try and get over the Pennines if I can, maybe in league with DarceysDad. If the meet-up is near Lime St, Warrington or Birchwood stations, then we’d have a train option, but that’s not essential…
All well and good, Tatanka, but how was the Full English Breakfast?
Daddypig – If Maki chooses Port Sunlight, Merseyrail trains run there every 15 minutes from Lime Street low-level. Takes about 18 minutes.
The coffee was terrible – make your own instant – but otherwise the breakfast was ok, what you’d expect in a hotel at that price.
I didn’t try the beer.
Well, if the Maki home base is going to be Port Sunlight, one obvious place for a meet is Chester. Nice place, good pubs, trains from eveywhere…
Now THAT I’d be up for! Get as bladdered as I like and then stagger back to my brother’s house in Hoole.
Good idea, wb.
Is The Falcon on the lights at the top of Lower Bridge St still a Sam Smiths pub? In fact, is it still there??!?!?!?
Not been there in ages, but I’d be surprised if not.
Spent my formative teenage [read "underage"] drinking years in a consistently ram-packed Golden Eagle, off LBSt. In fact, through the 80s, all three brothers did, but we avoided each other’s choices. Middle bruv was in the Bear & Billet, kid bruv in the Cross Keys. The Falcon was the one we were most likely to run into each other if we were on a moving-round evening.
Chester was a bit too far for us cash-strapped youngsters. Frodsham was within easy cycle distance (about 6 miles), and we used the Golden Lion there. It was also a Sammy’s pub, and put on live music; being on the traffic lights in the centre of the village, it was known as the Corner House.
Occasionally we’d follow mates to the Ring O’Bells and the Bull’s Head up Howey Lane, which were nicer buildings but had Greenall’s excuse for beer…
What? Too poor/tight to get on the Crosville H21 either to Chester or back to Runcorn? Surprised at you, wb.
Only ever really drank in The Bear’s Paw or the one opposite the bottom of Howey Lane (Netherton Arms??) in Frodsham, in spite of it being where my dad moved to after my parents divorced.
Greenall’s was bloody awful though: with that and Liverpool’s terrible electric Higsons, it’s no wonder I arrived at Uni a confirmed cider drinker! And in a further ironic twist, which beer re-converted me once I was ensconced in Yorkshire? Thwaites!
Teenagers, eh? Can’t tell ‘em anything!
Oh, we used the H21 often enough, DsD, but we didn’t usually get as far as Chester. That bus had the craziest route. It took so-o-o long, we’d get fed up and jump off at Frodsham. In the end, we’d use the bus as a timer – when we saw it go past the stop that was practically outside our gate (Moughland Lane), we’d set out to walk maybe a mile to the stop where the Busway crosses Clifton Road. We’d still end up waiting for the damn thing to arrive.
Luckily for me, at the time I was embarking on a long beer career, there were a couple of Marston’s pubs in town – the Wellington Hotel, aka Kenny’s after the landlord, in the old town, and one whose name escapes me in Weston Village. What with the Corner House and the Belmont, both Sam Smith’s, in Frodsham, I developed a taste for proper beer at a young age….
Chester sounds good. It’s full of BnB’s too. It is years since i had a good pint of sam smith’s
I’ve not been on Merseyrail for 25 years, it would be splendid to have another ride. Plus I’ve realised that the Transpennine Express doesn’t go anywhere near Bradford, so it wouldn’t help DarceysDad anyway.
Isn’t Sam Smiths a Yorkshire beer from Tadcaster ? All this reminiscing about beer and bus routes is getting befuddling.
A Tadcaster beer indeed. Was once lucky enough to do the brewery visit. Wasn’t driving that day so enjoyed it to the full!
Speaking of driving – I will be travelling over from Saltburn that afternoon A179, A1(M), M62 if I remember rightly. How feasible would it be for me to pick you and DsD up on the way? Just a thought.
First thought is that it would add a bit to your journey, and we’d still have to get back ! But we can talk nearer the time…
I have just booked my BnB in Chester. Hope some of you will be able to make it!
Tuesday 5th January 2011. NW mini social…
Barring a meteor strike, I’ll be there.
@ Maki – ACE! I’ll be ringing my brother in the morning to book my bed for the 5th Jan. And thanks-but-no-thanks to your kind offer of a lift. Since our accident 7 years ago, I don’t let anyone else drive me; the only exceptions in the world are DsMam, the brother in Chester, and Gordon.
@ williamsbach – ah, with you now. I had it in my head your start point for your cycle to the pub was Frodsham side of the Weaver. I was only 13 when we left Palace Fields for Chester, so never drank in Runcorn. Looking forward to swapping stories about pre-pubescent ankle injuries inflicted by those ridiculously undulating pitches at Weston Point!
;o)
@ DaddyPig – Oh yeah, finding and drinking in Sam Smiths pubs in the NW was not at all unusual. Greenall’s beer, along with their thinly-disguised piss-lager Grünhalle, turned all of us into ale-miners – if you found a seam of something rich, you tapped it for all it was worth!
If God is in his heaven, smiling on Christmas planners, so will I.
Here’s my mole’s opinion
In Chester Telford’s Warehouse is good, often has music too, there’s also The Real Ale pub – no guesses what’s in there, oh and the Albion is a good old fashioned street pub. Not been in the Falcon for a while but it always worth a half.
Same mole plugs his own Halton (= Runcorn and Widnes) Community Radio show – 11 to 12 Saturday mornings, 92.3 fm. Spoken word stuff to start; world music from about 11:30 onwards. Can’t tell you what it’s like as I’ve never heard it, but the chap’s musical taste is wide. Might be worth a listen, if you’re in range…
By the way, DsD, it is/was the Netherton Hall, not the Netherton Arms. I remember it first opening; did they build it, or was it a refurbed old house? I also remember the old Whalebone that used to be on the corner of Tarvin Road/Lane (?), almost opposite where the Nethy is now. Never drank in it; my school bus used to go past. They say that local house prices doubled when that ol’ place was knocked down….
OK, wb, you’re scaring me now. Lived in Runcorn, went through Frodsham on a school bus, familiar with Chester pubs. Own up: Helsby Grammar, King’s School or are/were you Catholic? Unfortunately I had 5yrs at one of those three. . .
HCGS for Boys. Became HHS; first year turned comp when I went into 4th year, and worked its way through. 6th form, too.
Don’t do school reunions, though.
PHEW!
I’m not sure I’m ready to have to defend pics of the 13yo, bad-hair me in a King’s School stripey blazer.
I definitely don’t do KS re-unions!! There are a couple of my mates from back then I’d love to see again, but they’re the ones who also would avoid organised back-slappings like the plague.
Ta, wb.
Keep forgetting to say: 5th is gordonimmel’s birthday. Bonus!
Ah yes, indeed it is.
Unfortunately I think I’ll struggle to make it to this party. frauimmel will be back at work, tessimmel will be back at school, all of which means I have to be bright eyed and bushy tailed here at Schloss Immel at 6.00AM the following morning.
So, unless anybody is doing a trip back accross the Pennines on the night……….
*thinks* maybe I should drive myself and just not drink any alcohol………..nah!!!!!!!!
(BTW Darceysdad, it’s looking likely that our annual Birthday Pub Crawl with Purplepastie is going to be on Sunday 2nd January. Pencil it into your diary.)
Hang on a minute . . . if Sunday is the 2nd, Tuesday can’t be the 5th. Where’s me calendar?
Yup! Tuesday is the 4th Jan.
Just clarify, please, Maki, which is your evening out in Chester, and which is your flight day?
Doh! Doh! and double Doh! I’m flying back on Wednesday 5th so the night in Chester is Tuesday 4th
Ah, but for which night is the B&B booked?
Same night – fortunately I didn’t mess that bit up!
I’d suggest the Falcon. Historic building, reasonably central, Sam Smith’s, decent prices. About 20mins walk from the station, as memory serves.
The following link is a very handy pub crawl from the station towards the Diva football stadium, with a map showing other central pubs too. The Falcon is green no. 6. If any of the other places appeals, I’m sure we could factor ‘em in…
http://www.wcbrewery.com/footballcrawl.html
DarceysDad – do you agree?
It’s a 2½ hr-ish train journey from Leeds, so I’d need to arrange some time off work on at least one of that day / the day after. And it would be best to start early-ish in the evening as I guess I’d have to head back at 9.30 / 10pm ish.
I’ll do my best to get there anyway…
I hope to be in Chester by about 6.30 pm. If you can stand being driven by a cautious (but not overly so) guy in a hire car I’d be happy to make a detour and pick you up in Leeds at 4 ish, if that helps…
The Falcon was obviously my first thought, but truth be told, I haven’t had a drink in a Chester city centre pub this millennium! DarceysUncle has been primed and charged with the vetting of potential venues in Chester, but will be providing B&B for me only.
So if DaddyPig, gordonimmel (in the event of a late change of domestic arrangements) or anyone else wants transport to and from West Yorkshire, I will be driving over on Tuesday afternoon, and returning Weds as soon as I’m sure my system is alcohol-free.
Sorry, didn’t make my intended point there:
Anyone making budget calculations for a night out so far away – I’m looking at you, DaddyPig – need not worry about transport costs, and can divert those intended funds towards some accommodation instead.
Very kind offers, thanks DarceysDad and Maki. I think I’ll need to get back the same evening, it is do-able via Manchester. Maki, If I can sort the annual leave and the ‘pass-out’, I’ll be in touch about maybe having a lift. Cheers again both.