January 2024. Chorley.
It was such a good plan. Ben’s Tap, the Flat Iron and Riley’s Taproom; 3 new Chorley GBG entries a minute apart. Fantastic ticking.
Only Riley’s wasn’t open. Facebook said 1pm, What Pub said 2 pm, but it turned out the correct answer was 3 pm. And although the pinned post on Facebook had Christmas opening, half a dozen posts down the later opening that Friday had completely escaped my notice. As always, fellow tickers, send your servant ahead of you to check actual opening times.
Never mind, I can do Riley’s on the way back from the St Annes pubs, and an extra visit to Chorley is a life joy.
But I wasn’t waiting 2 hours in the wet. With half an hour till the train south, I succumbed.
Well, Spoons do prepare food fast, and the Sir Henry Tate is a decent JDW,
and this seat by the door had a tremendous view of proceedings.
Though gentlefolk in High Vis and mums with pushchairs struggle to generate the excitement of the Old Boys in the Flat Iron.
That said, all human life is here, and much besides, and while my FREE pint of Abbot Reserve was a big mistake, huge,
it was also (my notes record) potent and chewy.
And while having a 6.5% pint in a non-GBG pub with your Katsu chicken may be just about the worst mistake possible for a ticker,
je ne regrette rien, as they say in Preston.
retiredmartin 
Hello Dave! Great to see you blogging again after the tennis accident. Brenda sends her regards and hopes your leg gets better.
LikeLike
Well, I need to know more about this “tennis” accident.
LikeLike
Come on Dave, you must remember, it was at that place just outside Preston when you tried to leap the net and got your left leg stuck in it. Brenda feels guilty for laughing at the time now that you have to sit down to pee these days.
LikeLike