January 2026. Widnes. From a morning in Liverpool to mourning in Widnes, as Peter is laid to rest with his parents. “Anyone for Widnes needs to move to the front carriages” says the nice guard in his guttural Mersey accent, confirming that the station doesn’t have a long platform, but it’s the only one they’ve… Continue reading HOMEWARD BOUND
Month: January 2026
A MORNING IN LIVERPOOL
January 2026. Liverpool. A night in Liverpool before Old Mudgie’s funeral on Friday in Widnes. He’d have been pleased with the last couple of Proper Pubs, and no doubt with the Excelsior across from my £24.99 Travelodge if I’d gone in, but I was done for the night by six. In the morning I exchanged… Continue reading A MORNING IN LIVERPOOL
THE GRAPES. A GREAT PLACE TO WAIT FOR YOUR LIVERPOOL CHINESE TAKEAWAY
January 2025. Liverpool. One of my (few) guiding principles in life is that I will never stand still (literally) when there’s a walk to be done, and “Your food will be ready in 10 minutes” is an instruction, not invitation, to skip out of Big Bowl Noodle Bar to find a pub. I’m not sure… Continue reading THE GRAPES. A GREAT PLACE TO WAIT FOR YOUR LIVERPOOL CHINESE TAKEAWAY
CHAT GPT FINDS ME A CHINESE TAKEAWAY IN LIVERPOOL
January 2026. Liverpool. I hope AI does take over the world. It’s much more polite than the humans. Chat GPT may not know how to count, but it can do useful things like advise on Chinese takeaways. And so it was that in the Roscoe Head I was having a conversation with a robot about… Continue reading CHAT GPT FINDS ME A CHINESE TAKEAWAY IN LIVERPOOL
LAST 5 STANDING – ROSCOE HEAD, LIVERPOOL
January 2026. Liverpool. Ten minutes walk from Love Lane through Liverpool One‘s shops brings me to my Travelodge, and reminds me I still haven’t repaired that wedding ring I had surgically removed by Ernest Jones Jewellers here in 2023. My room costs £24.99, which in 1993 would have bought you a terraced house in Anfield,… Continue reading LAST 5 STANDING – ROSCOE HEAD, LIVERPOOL
HIGSONIANS
January 2026. Liverpool. A third new Liverpool GBG tick in barely an hour brought me to the scruffier bit of the modern city, not far from Toxteth and Cains and all that. Love Lane is notably quieter than the Ropewalks pubs, but seems to have the smartest menu and they’ve pulled out all the stops… Continue reading HIGSONIANS
BEYOND THE ROPEWALKS
January 2026. Liverpool. My son Matthew has just had a curated exploration of Stockport’s superior public houses. Well, Runaway, the Crown and the Magnet, for a start. Sending me photos of him drinking Bass under the viaduct creates a feeling of both immense pride and jealousy. Despite living in the heart of Manchester, Matt and… Continue reading BEYOND THE ROPEWALKS
ST. PETERS TAVERN, LIVERPOOL. NBSS 3.5 FOR THE BEER, NPPSS 5 FOR THE PORK PIE
January 2025. Liverpool. Ten minutes after leaving the Red Cat I was standing next to Sir Ken. Nothing brings happiness (geddit ?) like being in a great pub city with a £24.99 Travelodge booked and a Chinese takeaway recommendation from ChatGPT. A tough choice; revisit the great museums and art galleries behind St Georges Hall,… Continue reading ST. PETERS TAVERN, LIVERPOOL. NBSS 3.5 FOR THE BEER, NPPSS 5 FOR THE PORK PIE
MAGICAL MERSEYSIDE MURK IN MOSSLEY HILL
January 2026. Liverpool. I thought I’d have a night in Liverpool before Peter the Pub Curmudgeon’s funeral 2 stops away in Widnes on Friday. Normally one hour thirty-six to get to the edge of the Pool, say Google Maps. But this was far from a normal rail journey, as I first had to push the… Continue reading MAGICAL MERSEYSIDE MURK IN MOSSLEY HILL
NO LARKIN ABOUT, IT’S THE KENTISH HORSE, MARKBEECH
January 2026. Markbeech. Kent. A last new GBG entry ticked in Kent, not too far from either Kentish Paul or the in-laws. Sadly, a flying visit to the Kentish Horse at Markbeech, only a mile or so from the legendary Queen’s Arms at Cowden Pound. It’s also barely half an hour’s walk from Cowden station,… Continue reading NO LARKIN ABOUT, IT’S THE KENTISH HORSE, MARKBEECH
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