March 2024. Rochdale.
I’ve blogged about the five pubs we did with Blackpool Jane, all good, and Brids Cross my beer of the night.
Giving ourselves a full afternoon before the pubs was a good idea; we basically DID Rochdale, ticking everything on the town trail.
As well as the historical plaques there’s some lovely maps to help you negotiate the different quarters,
but the stars are the giant murals and random art works.
It’s not a town centre heaving with historic pubs, more slot machines and pawn shops.
But those micros will make their own history, and Rochdale makes the best of what they’ve got. As here;
A shame the shops were so quiet that Wednesday,
but at least that means taking photos is easier.
And in the Cafe Grande Abaco by the bus terminal we had that joy of positive, friendly young folk that broadcasters like James O’Brien that morning had told us don’t exist.
We complimented Dylan on his ❤️ on Mrs RM’s flat white, and he whipped out his phone to show us his other decorations including this magical swan.
Dylan, you’re a star.
retiredmartin 
Great sequence of posts. You really did the TIC a favor. Great looking town.
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It deserves the attention.
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The reason that the “shops” in your picture are quiet is that there aren’t any shops in it!!
Some of the artwork you’ve featured, the beer rats on the Pint Pot and the Co-op signs on the closed Butterworths shop are painted by Vic aka Doodleher. She’s done lots of stuff in the town hall and the main mural in Bombay Brew.
About – Doodlher
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The modern shopping centre was busier, but there weren’t many people about, in common with most towns these days. Pubs are busier.
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Maybe others were gone by 10.10am like me.
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You voluntarily listen to that whey-faced half-wit James O’Brien ?
Oh you poor thing.
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He’s had his day.
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I’ve really enjoyed your series of posts about your Rochdale artisanal beer tour. I hope you will forgive me a feeling of pride that one of my beers was your beer of the night. I wonder if you’d mind be using a screen shot of that comment in my socials – along with a link to your blog of course.
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Of course, please do !
(I rarely mention the actual beer in my posts so it must be good. Great pump clip too).
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