retiredmartin

August 2023. Liverpool.

I left Liverpool’s South Parkway (nice art)

in a mild quandry.

Could I really head straight back to the Wirral without a stop in Liverpool, even with two more ticks to fit in across the Mersey ?

No, I couldn’t. Even if it was just a half hour halt for a half between Central and James Street and some more street art.

Liverpool, and the pubs particularly, was heaving on a Wednesday tea-time. Fantastic to see our major cities bouncing back so strongly.

Obviously you’re a bit spoilt for choice on a stroll through the heart of the city,

but Doctor Duncan’s is the first place you walk past heading from Lime Street and I’d managed to avoid a return visit for 20 years so now I made amends.

Those two guys outside were drinking from a Beartown glass, and my heart sunk a bit as I realised I’d just missed a chance for a reacquaintance with Cain’s Bitter on at least a third iteration of that classic but troubled cask legend.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous the interior was,

but then there’s a lot of wonderful pub interiors here, as Stafford Paul or Halifax Chris will tell you.

Joy of joys, a busy city centre pub with just the three pumps on.

Beartown really are one of the great survivors, and even outside the Spoons fests I’m seeing their beer pop up quite a bit these days. The quaintly named Best Bitter was a cool, rich NBSS 3.5; a winner.

Quite how you decide to drink on the outside tables when the interior rooms at the Duncan are so wonderful is hard to explain, but those tables facing St John’s gardens are a great spot for observing life.

The young staff were irrepressibly cheery and friendly, so much so I brought back the Madri glasses from the next table when I brought back my own.

I do like seeing clean outside tables at pubs.