retiredmartin

11th February 2023.

I have a confession to make.

My completely authoritative GBG completion spreadsheet is NOT 100% reliable. I was convinced that I had a pub called “Keg n Cask” to visit in St Annes, but also a nagging feeling I’d been there already. And by searching MY OWN BLOG while in Cask & Tap in Blackpool I confirmed I had been, but had entered it in the ledger as “Cask n Keg” in error, so missed it in crosschecking.

I think you see the problem (formulaic micro pub names). Here’s the corrected sheet;

Blimey, I though having two pubs called “Rivington” in Rivington was bad enough.

I caught the train back to Preston from Blackpool North, experiencing that frisson of excitement you get when your ticket says Blackpool South, and decided on a whim to stay on the carriage through to Adlington.

Look Mr Inspector, here’s my ticket.

On-line tickets are brilliant, as long as you’ve got internet.

Adlington (pop. 6,010) is famed for very few things, but it is the birthplace of the Speaker of the House,

whose welcoming speech for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK last week was almost as good as Volodymyr’s own.

And the 6,010 souls have a good choice of pubs;

Hang on. Is that TWO (2) Spinners Arms on that list ? How will I know if I did the right one ?

I need a pie. An award winning one.

And a sit down.

A village with award winning pies and puddings and a community bench. What’s not to like as they say on “Move to the country“,

And a micropub (actually, two, just noticed Inn The Dog House).

Wonder what The Old Post Office used to be ?

A very friendly place, with proper seating,

cheery Peter Kay-themed accents and local pies, Adlington being equidistant between Bolton and Wigan.

I stare, blankly, at three incomprehensible pump clips and say “The pale one, please ?“

Yes, it’s a question.

“But which one ! They’re ALL pale !” says the local imbiber (good name for a pub, that) behind me.

Look , I don’t care, I just want a beer, any beer.

The one I pick (the middle one, obvs) tastes like homebrew, but is cool and fruity and cheap (NBSS 3+) and the pub feels like a place anyone could go for a pie, pint and pointless debate about buses.

Talking of buses, I suddenly realised I had half an hour to wait till the return train, so I thought,

“Why not try a bus ?”