BLOGGERS TIP: If in doubt about your featured image. Go with the cat. A farm cat, rather than a pub cat, but with free cows thrown in.
And because you can’t resist a Paddy McAloon reference;
This is the cat that catches the mice* at Hilly Billy Farm in Allgreave.
I would normally tell you these are the cows that produce Holstein Pils but you’ll know that’s been subcontracted to cows in Wolverhampton.
Allgreave is very definitely the lesser-know Peak, 20 minutes from Macclesfield and the same distance from the comforts of Buxton. Some really good isolated, and therefore vulnerable, pubs round here.
Here you get Bottom-of-the-Oven, Wildboarclough and Flash. (You also get Wincle, but I won’t mention that so as not to get Russ in a state).
And you get snow. Probably even in June.
I walked up to Hilly Billy after waiting a while for the Rose & Crown to open at 11am. You never really expect rural pubs to open before noon. In fact, 4pm is good going these days unless they’re of the “Will you be dining with us, Sir ?” variety.
But the delay was my good fortune; their Double Dutch chocolate ice cream was the best outside Naples, and I had a roaring fire to myself.
Back at the Rose & Crown at 11.45, it still looked very shut.
The sun came out. I knocked at the door.
“Come in. Come in. I’m just hoovering” said a lady though the window.
The door remained locked. I presume I was expected to climb in through the back window.
Once inside I could see the results of her tireless cleaning.
An immaculate public house, with one of the great welcomes. Dick and Dave should detours (blog post title there).
Fresh flowers, proper fires, brasses, hand-written specials. The works.
Sure, it’s not as basic as the nearby Quiet Woman (look it up), perhaps a bit chintzy, but that’s what folk who drive out from Rotherham want.
Ignore the Evil Handle and this was a very good half of Storm, with an acceptable level of scum on top.
“You’ll enjoy that”
I did.
“Enjoy the views”
I did.
“You enjoyed that, a lovely beer. You had the first pint too, it must be good“.
A lady after my own heart.
*I made that up, I’ve no idea what cats actually do.
retiredmartin 
One of the first times the ice cream tempted me more than the ale. Talk about two birds with one stone. For fear of stealing Russ’ thunder I at first thought the woman was lurking ominously above you and it was about to be a bad experience. I’m glad she was only cleaning.
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She was great, as was the ice cream lady. I really rate the Macclesfield Forest/edge of Peak area. But as you note, you never can tell !
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“I really rate the Macclesfield Forest/edge of Peak area.”
Should that be “rarely” or do you always rate this part of the country favourably? 😉
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That’s def. really, as in I’ve always found the area great.
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“That’s def. really, as in I’ve always found the area great.”
Good to know. 🙂
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Haven’t you heard, the latest copy of “Beer” has given birth to a new army of GBG completist spotters. Hanging about far-flung country pubs, camera in hand, keeping an eye out for a pinked up map and a dog-eared GBG in an outside pocket.
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I have this image of a flock of tickers running after Simon as he rushes to catch the 05.56 from York to King’s Cross, looking utterly bewildered as the Beer Guide increases to encompass all outlets with Punk IPA in bottles.
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Although all Trans-Pennine trains will gain automatic GBG entry by virtue of selling bottled Cloudwater.
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I also forsee your future role as the public face of the British Mobility Scooter Association. Surely an organisation CAMRA can find common ground with?
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Good point. Combine the two, employ old folk on scooters to deliver CAMRA-approved craft cans to their neighbours. Win-Win.
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I initially read that as “craft cats”. That could be a better option 😀
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Are you suggesting some CAMRA members might be in favour of the future promotion of containers full of feline urine?
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Was she hovering or hoovering? I find it annoying when pub staff hover at your table.
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Definitely the latter ! That typo changed the sense entirely, and you beat Russ to it 👏
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LOL. I thought you might have missed my joke.
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Late to posting all this week due to driving my wife’s lunch truck for her alas. And next week I should be out of town for at least two days due to work (sigh). 😉
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Strictly speaking not only should it be hoovering but Hoovering.
But like Dave I don’t wish to pique our Canadian chum.
Is he still stuck in the car park ?
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Just changed it. Not doing it again. Hoover can sue.
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So what you’re saying is that Hoover can just suck it up …
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Brilliant Holste(i)n gag!!
Is that the Beverley Hilly Billy by the way?
😉
PS Nowt wrong wi proper ‘andled glasses lad, if tha comes from rieght part o’t’ country…
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Handled glasses are the very embodiment of Evil, along with jam jars and tasters. Sorry, but I have to stick to my principles on this one 😉
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From time to time make a point of asking for a handled glass when having a pint with my (southern bred) mates in our local – much to their disdain and amusement.
I do agree on jam jars – clue’s in the name – just for jam, (and moonshine – where it is advantageous that the moonshine runs down the side of the jar onto the floor rather than into the glass….)
I thought the BBC archive film of Greasborough WMC in 1965 on Twitter this week was really good. There’s great shot of the bar staff filling handled glasses with Toby Bitter – with huge frothy heads. Mind you with thousands of pints to serve (according to the commentary) there was obviously no time to hang about achieving the perfect dispense…
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Although probably in those days using oversized glasses
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Dear Twitter
I keep getting trolled by people going to pubs I haven’t been to. Is it possible to introduce a robustly regulated queuing system?
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They said they’d put the bunting out for you if you give them 24 hours notice.
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Planning on going tomorrow so that complies!
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Bring me back an ice cream please !
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Wow that looks like a real treasure. And yes, I thought I knew Prefab Sprout well, but your knowledge goes deeper than mine– had never heard that track before!
I do love the idea of being told “You’ll enjoy that” as a pint is put before me. And with an interior like this pub’s, I’d be tempted to “enjoy that” all day long…
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You don’t know “Farmyard Cat” ! Now I feel sorry for America ;-0
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“but with free cows thrown in.”
I’ll take one of those free cows please. My wife knows how to butcher one of those into all sorts of tasty bits. 🙂
Just below Macclesfield is something called ‘Sutton Lane Ends’. Is that a village or just letting one know to slow down because the road is out?
“(You also get Wincle, but I won’t mention that so as not to get Russ in a state).”
Oh, no worries there. There’s too many to choose from! (LOL)
“their Double Dutch chocolate ice cream was the best outside Naples,”
Firenze has some damn fine ice cream as well.
““Enjoy the views””
Have to admit, the UK has some gorgeous countryside.
Cheers
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Sutton Lane Ends very much a straggly village; 2 pubs in the Beer Guide in recent years, but a good joke.
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What a fantastic boozer! Be a shame if pubs like that bite the dust…great line about subcontracting cows to Wolverhampton! 😀
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