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Millay
08-10-2010, 13:56
I’m off to Liverpool next weekend to fill in a gap in my UK drinking experience. I’ll probably set up a Scouse Blog thread but for the time being I just want a bit of advice on a pub around Lime St Station to meet some mates on Saturday lunchtime. There’ll be somewhere between 6 and 10 of us so want something of a reasonable size. Real ale is a requirement of course and somewhere easy to find.

Been looking at some reviews and Old Boots’ Liverpool crawl and was thinking Doctor Duncans or the Ship & Mitre might be good places. The Crown and the Head of Steam also look convenient.

As well as a place to start, does anyone have recommendations within walking distance if we decide to take a bit of a crawl.

I’ll be there on Friday evening so can check out a few places. I was expecting to have my Liverpool correspondent Grailhunter with me but he’s working so won’t be joining in until the Sunday.

Cheers

ROBCamra
08-10-2010, 14:10
I’m off to Liverpool next weekend to fill in a gap in my UK drinking experience. I’ll probably set up a Scouse Blog thread but for the time being I just want a bit of advice on a pub around Lime St Station to meet some mates on Saturday lunchtime. There’ll be somewhere between 6 and 10 of us so want something of a reasonable size. Real ale is a requirement of course and somewhere easy to find.

Been looking at some reviews and Old Boots’ Liverpool crawl and was thinking Doctor Duncans or the Ship & Mitre might be good places. The Crown and the Head of Steam also look convenient.

As well as a place to start, does anyone have recommendations within walking distance if we decide to take a bit of a crawl.

I’ll be there on Friday evening so can check out a few places. I was expecting to have my Liverpool correspondent Grailhunter with me but he’s working so won’t be joining in until the Sunday.

Cheers

IMHO the Crown is one of the worst places to ever have made the GBG, at least it's been dropped for 2011. Crap beer and a clientele that wouldn't get into the nearby Spoons.

Doctor Duncans is great but small, Ship & Mitre is large and I love it but may well be packed with footy fans on Saturday lunch.

Two suggestions on Dale St would be Vernons Arms & Thomas Rigbys. Both have good ale and are quite large.

In a different direction but about the same distance is the Fly In The Loaf on Hardman St. One of my favourite Liverpool watering holes. It's the sister pub to Rigbys & The Lady Of Mann. :cheers:

oldboots
09-10-2010, 10:40
I can't argue with ROB he's hit it fair & square (especially about the Crown). My suggestion would be meet in the Head of Steam as it's at the far end of Lime St station is biggish and sells good beer (usually), it also has free toilets if you get the code from the barman,

then either

1. head across the road and down the hill to Dr Duncans and the Dale Street crawl (S&M, Vernon, Lion, Postehouse, Rigbys, LOM, Hole int Wall, plus any others you feel like then maybe heading more into the city for the White Star and the Globe {a bit small and more of an over sixties club})

or

2. head along Lime St/Renshaw St to the Dispensary and do the Georgian area crawl (Roscoe Head, Fly, Philly, Belvedere, Ye Cracke, Pilgrim, Grapes, Swan). The Caledonia has recently been improved (it couldn't have got worse!) and might be worth a visit.

Along Lime St avoid the Crown:sick:, Punch & Judy:eek: and McHales Irish American Shamrock Bar:ninja:, The Vines is a wonderful gin palace but no ales and the Liffey is a good Orish pub if you like wall to wall Guinness, Pogue Mahones is a better Irish pub though.

The Baltic Fleet is a don't miss pub but it's down near the Albert Dock past the L1 development and not actually near very many other decent pubs.

The area bounded by Hanover St, Bold St, Duke St and Berry St is the clubbing part with all the favourites ONeills, Yates, Reflex, Walkabout, Mojo etc plus some dodgy pubs, but there are a couple of good curry houses. The Swan is the best there for ale and atmosphere. China town is Berry St / Nelson St, (The Nook is just weird, visit only if you like freak shows) but be aware some restaurants don't take plastic there.

If you're there for a weekend you could do the lot and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Grailhunter
09-10-2010, 13:00
I was expecting to have my Liverpool correspondent Grailhunter with me but he’s working so won’t be joining in until the Sunday.



I have to say mate the Ship & Mitre is excellent and usually a dozen or more ales. Think the footie is on the sunday isn't it - Liverpool derby, so on the saturday it shouldn't be too rammed here. Wish I could be there.

Millay
10-10-2010, 12:10
Thanks for those replies, all very useful. I think we’ll probably meet up at the Head of Steam for convenience then take Old Boots’ second option of the Dispensary, Fly, Philly etc. area. Might do a bit of scoping out on the Friday as my mate is staying at the Adelphi (I’ll be in the Holiday Inn). Then when Grailhunter hopefully arrives we can do the Dale St pubs on the Monday or Tuesday.

One more question, to get to Chester do I go from the Liverpool Central Rail Station



I have to say mate the Ship & Mitre is excellent and usually a dozen or more ales. Think the footie is on the sunday isn't it - Liverpool derby, so on the saturday it shouldn't be too rammed here. Wish I could be there.

Yes, the Merseyside Derby is on the Sunday so I’m hoping the local wildlife will be ‘resting up’ on Saturday. Hope you can make it for a few days mate, if so I’ll see you on Sunday in Chester.

ROBCamra
10-10-2010, 12:50
One more question, to get to Chester do I go from the Liverpool Central Rail Station


Yes, Liverpool Central, trains every 1/2 hour or so in midweek but Sunday is bad. A 40 minute journey in midweek is an hour and a half on Sundays as they are doing track maintenance and you have to change trains in Warrington or get rail replacement bus from Rock Ferry.

trainman
10-10-2010, 16:42
Yes, Liverpool Central, trains every 1/2 hour or so in midweek but Sunday is bad. A 40 minute journey in midweek is an hour and a half on Sundays as they are doing track maintenance and you have to change trains in Warrington or get rail replacement bus from Rock Ferry.
Wow! It's enough to start contemplating a different destination! Or a victory for the coach - 50mins, but Natl Express have a horrible pub gap (outbound) between 07:45 & 13:15. Good luck Millay.

Millay
10-10-2010, 22:08
Yes, Liverpool Central, trains every 1/2 hour or so in midweek but Sunday is bad. A 40 minute journey in midweek is an hour and a half on Sundays as they are doing track maintenance and you have to change trains in Warrington or get rail replacement bus from Rock Ferry.

Thanks for the warning ROBC, unhelpfully the Merseyrail site doesn’t tell me that when I search for tickets, that little nugget of information is tucked away elsewhere. Don’t really want to go through that hassle but with the Merseyside derby at 1.30 I’d prefer to be somewhere else.

Grailhunter, if you’re reading this what do you think. Fancy an afternoon in Manchester instead, or any other thoughts? (City away at Blackpool on Sunday and Utd playing on Saturday).

ROBCamra
11-10-2010, 08:17
Thanks for the warning ROBC, unhelpfully the Merseyrail site doesn’t tell me that when I search for tickets, that little nugget of information is tucked away elsewhere. Don’t really want to go through that hassle but with the Merseyside derby at 1.30 I’d prefer to be somewhere else.

Grailhunter, if you’re reading this what do you think. Fancy an afternoon in Manchester instead, or any other thoughts? (City away at Blackpool on Sunday and Utd playing on Saturday).

Why not try a trip to Southport. Several good pubs, train from Liverpool Central every 30 mins and takes 45 mins.

Barons Bar, Guest House (my favourite), Lakeside Inn, Bold Arms, Cheshire Lines, Sir Henry Seagrave, Masons, Willow Grove, Windmill.

All in a Victorian genteel resort. Harrogate by the sea. What's not to like. :p

gillhalfpint
11-10-2010, 09:29
Peter Kavanagh's in Egerton Street is another we got to on our last Liverpool crawl along with Baltic Fleet, Belvedere, Cracke, Dispensary, Doctor Duncans, Everyman Bistro, Fly in the Loaf, Lion Tavern, Philharmonic, Roscoe Head, Ship & Mitre and Thomas Rigby's.

We found a leaflet in one of the pubs that has all the good centre pubs listed together with a map, and the 2010 leaflet is out now as we picked one up at York fest if I remember rightly. Have fun.

Millay
11-10-2010, 13:51
Peter Kavanagh's in Egerton Street is another we got to on our last Liverpool crawl along with Baltic Fleet, Belvedere, Cracke, Dispensary, Doctor Duncans, Everyman Bistro, Fly in the Loaf, Lion Tavern, Philharmonic, Roscoe Head, Ship & Mitre and Thomas Rigby's.

We found a leaflet in one of the pubs that has all the good centre pubs listed together with a map, and the 2010 leaflet is out now as we picked one up at York fest if I remember rightly. Have fun.

Thanks Gill, a few more pubs to add to the list

Millay
11-10-2010, 13:52
Hi Grailhunter, I sent you an e-mail at work but understand you are unable to pick them up so we’ll correspond through the magic of PG. As you’ll see above ROBCamra has found that there are engineering works on the Liverpool-Chester line on Sundays and the replacement bus makes it a one and a half hour journey. Don't really want to do that. I thought of Manchester, but as good as Manchester’s pubs are I’ve done most of them and there are so many new and undiscovered pubs in Liverpool.

I’m thinking of braving it out in Liverpool for the Sunday so could meet you there. The game starts at 1.30 so choose your arrival time carefully. I’m staying opposite Lime St so you can dump any luggage in my room if you want to.

We could then do Chester and/or Southport on the Monday & Tuesday.

Alternatively if you wanted to delay it and meet in Chester on the Monday instead that would be OK. There seem to be plenty of pubs in Liverpool to keep me amused.

Let me know

Cheers

Grailhunter
11-10-2010, 19:17
[QUOTE=Millay;21746]Hi Grailhunter, I sent you an e-mail at work but understand you are unable to pick them up so we’ll correspond through the magic of PG.
Let me know
/QUOTE]

Definitely agree that 90 minutes to get to/from Liverpool to Chester is complete rubbish. I reckon the earliest I could get to Liverpool on the sunday would be 1.00 / 1.30 so maybe best to take up your offer of dumping my bag in your room and then make a decision. If the city centre is too bad we could always get a local train somewhere nearby for a few hours or even 'do' the Mersey ferry across to Birkenhead and a few beers there. You can do the Gerry & the Pacemakers impersonation !!

Been to Southport before and have to agree with ROB it is excellent. A good option to keep in reserve.

Millay
12-10-2010, 15:45
OK mate. I’ll probably welcome a lie in on Sunday, although I suppose it’s possible a couple of the Saturday crowd might still be hanging around, hopefully not on the floor of my hotel room.

Drop me a text with your ETA when you’re on your way. I’ll have my personal mobile.

PS – First I was going to be on Strictly Come Dancing and now I’m being lined up to do impressions. I’d better sort out an Equity Card.

oldboots
12-10-2010, 20:20
....... or even 'do' the Mersey ferry across to Birkenhead and a few beers there. You can do the Gerry & the Pacemakers impersonation !!


I wouldn't recommend Birkenhead, one decent pub, The Stork, otherwise very dodgy or just carp. The PuG reviews from a Mr Carruthers tend to highlight the pub's trouble record rather than ale quality which is probably fair comment for Birkenhead :eek:. Will Millay do requests?