“Oi, I was there first”

February 2024. Southport.

Sitting in the crypt at Liverpool Cathedral I bought the on-line Merseyrail pass. £5.95 takes you anywhere, ANYWHERE, in the Mersey area. Even Prescot. With Southport, Waterloo and Prescot to tick, I might complete Merseyside tonight. Mrs RM would be thrilled.

The Day Saver failed to load, but the nice lady at Liverpool Central said (“Tell ’em Lee the manager said is OK“). I could see this was failproof.

48 minutes later I was in Southport, realising just how far the northern extremities of the county were from the centre.

Even worse, the Fleetwood Hesketh Sport & Social Club turned out to be NOT in Southport at all, but 2.7 miles away in the middle of “nowhere”.

Compare and contrast with Huddersfield, who booted the Magic Rock Tap into a heading of “Birkby”, despite it being 0.7 miles from Huddersfield station.

Utter madness.

2.7 miles. I could suddenly see myself getting back to Mrs RM sometime round midnight and being in trouble, so I considered the bus.

Exercising rare Retired Martin patience, I stood at the Holy Trinity stop and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I mean, buses are hopeless aren’t they ?

OK. on DID turn up eventually (after I’d walked a mile towards Churchtown), and the driver was cheery, and it was only £2, and it dropped me yards from my destination, but…

I wish the Fleetwood Hesketh Club was more interesting.

Simon will get bitten by a child or get a dog to colour in his Guide, but clubs do nothing for me, even if the beer (Ossett White Rat, inevitably, at a slightly surprising £4.20) was decent enough.

I stood patiently at the bar while the nice lady changed the WKD barrel, and then as she approached me with a cheery “What can I get you ?” a chap seated at a table 5 feet away leapt up and said “I WAS NEXT !”. Well how the **** did I know !

Inevitably, more Man Utd on the telly, no-one interested this time.

£2 and 20 minutes later I was back in Southport with 20 minutes till the train and a vague notion I ought to do a revisit.

Enellees Glass House offered pints for £2.20,

but I would have popped in Barons Real Ale bar in the Scarisbrick,

but it was closed. In fact, the whole of Southport looked closed.

This blog isn’t ALL sweetness and joy, you know.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

19 thoughts on ““Oi, I was there first””

  2. These posts are the ones that make me amazed you ever finished the guide. Much easier back when Duncan did it. (Just kidding.) Simon’s effort will be Herculean with all the new micros.

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  4. “the on-line Merseyrail pass. £5.95 takes you anywhere, ANYWHERE, in the Mersey area”.
    A retired friend in Liverpool gets all that for free, wasted on him though as he very rarely gets into pubs.
    I’d be in Humphrey’s Old Boot every week.

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      1. Etu,
        I’m not really one for banning things, though didn’t think Humphrey’s Oyster House was any the worse for his restrictions two days ago, but can’t quite understand people spending so much time on their mobile gadgets.

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      2. The scrolling is fine…it’s the loud video (adults) or game-playing (kids) that is blighting many Wetherspoons.

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      3. Spinko,
        I don’t doubt that “scrolling is fine” in that it is silent but it tends to limit engagement with other pub goers. Had I been scrolling in the Shudehill Hare and Hounds two days ago I would have learnt neither that another Holts drinker was from Finland nor which two pubs he was going to next.

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      4. I don’t like keeping the peace but I can see Paul’s and Spinko’s point. I do want the option to hide as well as engage in a pub, and I know Old Mudgie has made similar points.

        The best pub experiences are when you strike up a conversation, like with those Irish lads in the Millstone on Monday, but they only happen if tables are close enough. Perversely I found it hide striking up conversations in Sam Smiths pubs like the Brown Bear as the tables are spaced quite far apart.

        And yes, I want to be able to use my phone, if only to check the cricket score or the next train time.

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      5. It’s only the same as reading a newspaper or book. I like a pub that offers both opportunities to either chat or hide – it’s totally dependent on mood and people might not want to be engaged and just be left alone.

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      6. Spinko,
        Yes, I agreed that I don’t doubt that “scrolling is fine” and admit to occasionally having read a pub’s newspaper.

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  5. “What can I get you ?” a chap seated at a table 5 feet away leapt up and said “I WAS NEXT !”. Well how the **** did I know !

    That’s nothing, I was waiting for a haircut with two blokes behind me. Bloke gets up, I mention it’s me next and he says, “it isn’t, I’ve been waiting in the car outside for half an hour.”

    #NormalforBakewell

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  6. The Scarisbrick/Barons used to be quite nice when it was locally owned, but best and very easily avoided since takeover by Britannia Hotels. The remaining Wetherspoons just further up isn’t one of the better ones either, generally very cramped with uncleared tables since closure of the nicer one facing the Monument.

    Best for a quick pint is the Masons Arms (Robinsons), a bit hidden round the corner from the station. Or slightly further, the Guest House on Union Street.

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