retiredmartin

May 2024. Stockport.

A 5.30 Saturday kick-off v Wolves at the Etihad, sadly no longer clashing with Olivia Rodrigo at the Co-op across the road as she opted to busk outside the Arndale Centre instead, sounded perfect.

The walk through Sheffield station on Bank Holiday Saturday finds the city as busy as I’ve seen it, the police out in force to separate the ultras supporting Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones at the World Snooker finals.

As always, the trains that the southern based Government say we no longer use were unhealthily packed, and I was pleased to break my journey at Stockport.

No, I was, honest. It’s been too long. I’ll be back this week if that barrel of Bass at the Petersgate Tap lasts.

I escaped via the Edgley Park exit (congrats to County), noting the facade of the Blue Bell.

Equally impressive in its way is the bran’ new Stockport Interchange,

168 buses per hour, apparently.

My target is just round the corner, a brewery tap just took new for the GBG but firmly embedded in Matt Curtis’s masterful guide to Manc.

A really, really, friendly place for Stockport young and old. Babies, couple holding hands, blokes in Primitives Tee with dog, pizza gobblers.

That Manchester Best a cool, crisp, chewy NBSS 3.5+, maintaining Stockport’s position at the very top of the beer quality table.

OK, the seating felt a bit “secondary school” but the ambient soundtrack made up for that.

Round the corner again you find one of the Robbie’s boozers that converted me to their wondrous (pre- makeover) pubs 20 years ago.

Yes, that might even be the same GBG 2004 sticker I remember.

With all this major investment in Stockport it’s possible we’ll yet see the Pineapple rise again.