February 2026. West Didsbury.
I left Matt back at Piccadilly, no doubt to attend to housework, and added a rare Greater Manchester GBG newbie before City v Fulham.
This year’s Manc ticking has been a bit of a slog, with brewery taps in Wigan and Timperley only opening weekends, craft bars not opening at all, and pubs seemingly miles from railway stations (I will get there, Norden).
But a south Manchester Holt pub should be no problem at all by metro, right ?
And it was no problem, though the CAMRA Geography Department could have saved me 5 minutes walk in the drizzle by labelling it as Burton Road rather than West Didsbury, which is where I got off.
Blimey, isn’t West Didsbury shiny, the Heaton Moor of the, er, west (?).
Modern arcade bars, impressive road houses,
and the Railway,
a smaller than usual, open-plan modernised Holt house.
Oooh, look at the shiny hand pumps !
More Old Monkey than Hare & Hounds. Yeah, I know the Hare & Hounds isn’t one of theirs but you always feel it should be.
It’s a quarter to five, the trade is local, well-dressed, and young(ish), with urgent discussion about the ABBA round and Everley Bros v Righteous Bros confusion in the pub quiz. The Millennials get a very pop quiz friendly soundtrack.
A great neighbourhood feel, with particularly warm and cheery service at the bar and lots going on. You don’t get Japanese pop-up kitchens in Weaste.
I decide on the Pint and Pasty deal; I’ve never been able to resist a deal. In truth, the cheese and jalapeno pasty is a little underwhelming compared to the impressive mess of crumbs I leave on the nice table, but the Holt Bitter is cool and smooth (NBSS 3.5).
I leave at the first notes of “Rio”.
Later that night Matt sends me a photo from his evening in Stockport.
retiredmartin 
Were they both for him?
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He is his father’s son.
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‘I leave at the first notes of “Rio”.’
Wise choice. Nobody wants Mr Ferdinand on their juke box.
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I only drink there a few times a year, but the Railway is a great pub (much better than the trustifarian frequented and much pricier Metropolitan across the road). Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA gave it our Most Improved Pub award last year. Paul Heaton from The Housemartins/Beautiful South lives in West Didsbury and is a regular at the Railway, I’ve seen him in there once or twice.
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Is he there during Happy Hour?
(Gets coat…)
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Oh well done Sir !
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Give it a couple of years and treat Matt to a copy of the guide. Could you become the first father and son combo to complete it in the next 20 years or so????
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He’s going to struggle with all those new Romanian and Italian GBG entries.
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All those hand pumps – it looks like Black Country Ales.
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Yes, there’s definitely two sorts of Holt pub; the smart one with the full range (which I’ve never seen anyone drink) and the unimproved one with Bitter (and Mild if you’re lucky).
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I haven’t drunk in a Holt’s pub for a long time. I remember the unimproved ones when I was at the CAMRA AGM in Salford. One that didn’t fit into that category was The Lamb in Eccles which was magnificent.
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Indeed, they’re not all as magnificent as The Lamb, Jon. But some are.
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Is the Met a hotel too?
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Good spot, Lana. It was the Midland Hotel a while back, though just a large pub restaurant now.
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One of life’s biggest frustrations is pubs that improve after you move away from the area. It seems to happen to me a lot. When I lived across the way from the Railway (a long time ago, I admit) it was keg-only and rough. I used to walk into Didsbury proper to drink the Marstons in the Royal Oak and the Station.
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Indeed. It would be interesting to think about which towns that particularly applies to. Top of my head for starters; Halifax, Byker, Bridlington, Preston, Tonbridge, Hastings.
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It had never occurred to me that the Hare & Hounds in Shudehill was not a Holt’s pub. I just walk in, drink the only cask beer on the bar (Joseph Holt’s Bitter) and then walk out again. Unless it happens to be NBSS 4+, in which case I have another.
Thanks for opening my eyes!
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