I came back from the Isle of Man on the Mannanan, a boat obviously named after Liverpool wing legend Steve McManaman, somehow resisting the keg option on board.
The ride down the Mersey towards Pier Head give you tremendous views of the Merseyside Marvels; New Brighton beach, the Magazine, Birkenhead docks…
Sadly I’m returning home via Liverpool, and I reckon I’ve time for one (1) Scouse Pint on the way to Lime Street.
There’s load of new stuff around Dale Street, but if you can walk past the Lion you’re a better #PubMan than I.
This is the bellwether ‘Pool house to judge the state of pubs. Last time here with Stafford Paul it was a bit too quiet, as had The Tand earlier.
But on this Wednesday evening just after 6 it was doing good trade, but was enough to see the pumps ticking over.
Apparently so. The house Mild from Rock the Boat (from the place with the iron men) was cool, rich and possessing a scummy head, a tremendous NBSS 3.5+ pint.
OK, it’s high tables, but there’s nothing much better than a post-work pint in a big city with Thin Lizzy and the Dubliners for company.
And the sun streaming through the windows.
A chap walks to my table. Is he about to tell me off for taking photos like they do with Blackpool Jane ?
No. “Can you watch my bike outside while I nip to the loo ?“.
“Sir, I can’t believe you’d be suspicious of your fellow Scousers as to think they’d nick your bicycle“.
I’m not used to such levels of responsibility since retiring, I can tell you, but somehow I managed it.
Great to see the pub in such good form,
and in fairness Liverpool looked a picture. I must persuade Stafford Paul back there soon.
NB At the bar, the barman told me he only gives 99p to the Manx pound. Can that be true ?
retiredmartin 
“The only jarring feature was that any fixed seating that once existed in the bar itself had been removed and replaced by posing tables.” I wrote in 2019. Plus the beer was a bit lacklustre. But they did have a free jukebox, that “didn’t seem to include much music recorded over the past thirty years.” 😀
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Interestingly, Paul and I sat at the posing tables in the bar in 2019 chatting to the barman when there was clearly bench seating free.
The beer a bit lacklustre in 2019, but was much improved this year.
It’s interesting to visit a pub every few years and observe changes.
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Yes, 2019, in normal times, I remember it well.
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Managing a huge NHS budget v watching a bike outside a pub in Liverpool. It’s a hard call.
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I was never in charge of NHS diversity budgets, it was never THAT bad.
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Nothing could possibly be THAT bad.
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Missed the bit about only giving 99p to the Manx pound. When I came back from the IOM I had terrible trouble changing my Manx quids back into English money. God knows why, it’s the pound sterling.
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You missed it because I added it after the event. I THINK he was joking; as you say more likely to be refused than bartered.
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You could have offered your Manx money for the bike.
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It wasn’t worth a quid. Or even 99p.
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Surely they will accept them in the Okells pub.
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Very good.
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Fortunately, Shane Mac Gowan has undergone some much needed dental work since that clip was recorded.
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