My clear policy is to alternate these highlights posts between the lesser known gems and the “honeypot” pub towns.
So I’ll follow Brentford with Crewe.

My 3 day holiday last Autumn was a first visit to the Railway town for a decade, and you’ll be delighted to know it got the highly prized retiredmartin cheap break accreditation.
So what’s Crewe got to offer, apart from £30 a night hotels, when it re-opens to tourists ?
ARCHITECTURE


ART


MUSIC
Crewe is the centre of the £55 billion classic rock tribute band industry.

FAMILY BREWER & OTHER “PROPER PUBS”
Duke of Gloucester


Brunswick Hotel

The Raven
New to the Guide, showing it’s not all micros in GBG20. I liked my Arkell’s Gold, a cool, chewy NBSS 3+, and the banter was, inevitably, about Mark Knopfler’s guitar work on Telegraph Road. You never get Dire Straits in a rubbish pub, as BRAPA well knows.

Borough Arms
The long-standing free house, as good as it gets.

An Erdinger stronghold, apparently.

CRAFT BEER
Until recently, craft means Hops, a Belgian beer bar felt very community free house, much in the style of the Cambridge Blue.

I read the WhatPub blurb about Orval ambassadorship.
“Do you have Orval ?”
“Yes we do “
“I’ll have the Tom’s then please”
Golly, it was lovely.


Tom’s Tap is a brewery bar on an industrial estate. But Tom’s have made an effort, as in those Halesowen places, to make it homely, even nicking The Scream from the Louvre to brighten the place up.


The beer was good; the toilets will send the Beer & Pubs Forum into meltdown.

Sadly, BrewDock didn’t last till lockdown, but at least they tried.

“The revitalisation of Crewe. Ha !” I thought, sipping my Cloudwater cherry cola sour and chatting to some typical Crewe hipsters on the terrace overlooking the retail park.

CULINARY HIGHLIGHTS
Some cosmopolitan options, and not just cheesy chips and donor kebab either.
A GREAT Turkish breakfast in Lily Cafe contained your year’s veg quota,
and the crispy beef and Singapore rice from the Emperor opposite the Travelodge was in my year’s Top 5.

And football at Gwesty Road ? Been once. Saw them beat Walsall 5-1 with Tony Naylor in full flow.
You could do worse for an overnighter, and your mates will be dead impressed.
More lower league/non-league football town reminiscences, please. The blog has definitely gone up a notch 🤣.
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Cosmopolitan = women in the pub?
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No, long hair. Mind, we’ve all got long hair now.
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Where’s Matt when you need him?
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Cutting his own.
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I’ve never been to Gresty Road. It is something to look forward to as Hull City Association Football Club (Tigers) Ltd tumble down the league. I’ve been to Gresty Park just the once for a 2-1 injury time win. The only trouble with that place is the walk along the dual carriageway from Nantwich – I suspect you could cut through the agricultural college but I wouldn’t want them to think I was goat rustling and shoot me. Shame the second trip just missed out as our first called off game.
What is the white cheese like in the healthy Turkish breakfast?
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Did you not get to the Hop Pole for the highlight of your day ?
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Unfortunately, although I don’t think either of us has confirmed it personally, it has been reported that Punch Taverns have severely damaged the unspoilt interior of the Hop Pole. Not corroborated yet on WhatPub, though.
Quite a thought that it’s now 29 months since our visit to Crewe.
The appearance of the Brunswick really isn’t helped by all the tacky advertising boards and posters.
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T’other Mudgie,
Yes, I think I learnt about the damage to the Hop Pole on Discourse where it was also stated that the Brunswick no longer has Holts.
Not worth going to Crewe then.
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You’ve sold it to me….the erdinger looks surprisingly good. I am going stir crazy obvs 😄
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