A year ago I was staying in Altrincham, an ideal base for the Manchester Beer Fest (good and bad of that to follow). This year, I’ve gone upmarket and given Mrs RM the fast Wi-Fi she deserves in Stockport, an ideal base for trekking back to Alty.
Since last year, the refurbished railway station has finally opened, and splendid it is too, a match for Doncaster even.
I was going to treat Mrs RM to a Korean Fried Chicken Burger and a pint of Blackjack in Market House, but Observer award status meant an hours wait to share a table with pushchairs and prosecco. The Shuffled Deck was superb (NBSS 4), but vertical drinking and the Taylors don’t get on. The Market House is like a little bit of IndyMan, or End of the Road, all year round, and I want one in Cambridge.
I was surprised to see a spare table over the road in Pi, and made a dash. Two decent plates of stodge from the Pieminster range for £6 each made us feel human again (it wouldn’t last).
As with the Tap & Bottles in Knutsford, this Pi has a proper pubby atmosphere, with a more mature customer mix than you’d expect, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” playing not too loud to drown out some terrific banter.
Perhaps Pi looks solid rather than cutting edge craft these days, but the beer range sticks to good local breweries like Tatton, and Beavertown for the Spurs fans (presumably).
A cheery, boisterous and unpretentious gem, but it was good to get back to civilisation;
retiredmartin 
Where did you stay with good wifi in Stockport? Not the Premier Inn, right?
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Trivelles, a mile north (past the Magnet and Hope). Five minutes from Heaton Chapel rail and Heaton Hops Cheaper than Prem Inn.
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Trivelles looks nice on the outside. Does it follow to the inside?
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Should have added Dick, very clean and neat rooms (some bigger than others). No food, but we just had breakfast in the Toby Carvery for £4.29 (probably = $3 by the time you return !).
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That is a good price at £4.29.
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Formerly the Saxonholme Hotel, I think.
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Trivelles have hotels in the other tourist honeypots of Bootle, Bradford and Eccles.
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I recognize that railroad viaduct. Were you heading to or just leaving from the Crown?
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Heading from station past the Crown to the Nursery for a quick pint with Peter !
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A pint of Hyde’s sounds good right now, even at 6:30 AM. And with good company!!
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I had too much strong Dutch beer at John Clarke’s tasting at Manc Beer Fest yesterday and am off beer now.
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For the benefit of the uninitiated, “Peter” is “Mudgie” 😀
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And just like that, the mystery was gone.😁
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Main topic of conversation in the Nursery was distinguishing you two apart !
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Dave has the beard.
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Is that a Sean Spicer fact ?
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Sean Spicer has no facts!
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You haven’t heard apparently. He has “alternative facts.” They really are creating a new reality. Sadly we are going to exist within it.
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It’s all I hear. BBC obsessed with it.
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We over here should be!
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Dick is older(but not ancient), taller(not tall though), skinnier(but not skinny) and less bald(but still balding).
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So,young, short, fat and bald😄
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“Saved by py in Alty” – now that would be a blogpost worth reading! 😮
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I’ll work on that ! Or, “Saved by py in Lye”
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