retiredmartin

28th December 2019 (still)

The night was going badly. I’d planned on a couple of quick ticks in Lytham and Kirkham, with Blackpool failing to come up with its regulation £2 a pint nightclub called “Daft Derek’s” this GBG year.

Sadly (perhaps), an early Green Devil, and unadvisable but rather brilliant three pints in Taps had wrote off the plans for exotica in Bamber Bridge and beyond. Such is the lot of the unprofessional ticker.

So Kirkham and a mixed grill in Preston it was.

But the trains were running late, and after sharing a £1.50 of chips at Senior’s we were tempted into Lytham’s Station pub (non-GBG), possibly not for the first time.

Mrs RM wandered off, leaving me to make the difficult choice.

“Are you hear for the Queen ?” someone shouted into my ear.

Well, the night was turning distinctly BRAPA-esque, but it transpired a group of Freddie and Brian lookalikes were taking the stage at 7 and we’d need to drink up or pay a fiver or whatever to listen to cover versions of “Hammer To Fall” and “Bicycle Race” and no doubt other Queen classics.

“Our train is at 6.57” I said, with unnecessary precison.

The beer was unnecessary too, though perfectly good; Dizzy Blonde and 61 Deep both NBSS 3+ despite those octagonal glasses I detest.

At the snappily named Kirkham and Wesham we left the station, along with several people drunker than us, to be met with a horde of Stockport County fans returning from a triumphant 2-1 win at AFC Fylde.

Last year I noted the likelihood of the Tap & Vent Brewhouse ruining the purity of the Fylde GBG entries, and here’s the evidence.

Yes, another blokes pub to accompany the Stables over the road. “My Girl” and “Angie” played, the Hophurst beers were a cool and chewy 3.5, and it was more small Proper Pub than micro/craft bar. Result.

Back in Preston half an hour later we decided that 3 packets of crisps and a bag of chips was poor diet, so topped it up with a mixed grill wrap at mick’s hut, another very good but possibly fatal reason to live in Lancashire’s top city.

“It’ll take 10 minutes” said Mick (not real name).

Just time to share a Yorkshire Blonde (3.5) in the Old Vic then.