retiredmartin

February 2025. Mossley.

Is it Moss-ley ? Or Moz-ley ? Or Moze-ley ?  Who cares ?

Whatever, it’s second stop out of Piccadilly on the line to York.

Matt met me at Platform 1, 1 minute before departure, while I admired the flashy ad for the Mid-Cheshire line.

Matt had never been to Mossley,

quite an omission I thought, till I remembered he doesn’t tick pubs.

Quite an attractive place to live, I’ve always thought, with good lines east and west and those Saddleworth views.

10 minutes up the hill from the station, and we find the Butchers Arms unexpectedly open early for football.

Matt seems astonished this is a Beer Guide pub, the trade driven by pool, darts and Coors rather than cask.

But what cask this is, the local Tiger Rut a cool, chewy 3.5.

Matt is astonished to get pints of Millstone and Guinness for well under a tenner. Note he spent the change on prawn cocktail crisps, very Gen Z.

There should be a special category for pubs with wall displays of locals,

and bright red fluorescent games rooms.

Perhaps the CAMRA AGM in Torquay can develop a symbol for the GBG.

I’ve no idea what symbol you’d have for pubs that play Londonbeat.