retiredmartin

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.