retiredmartin

April 2026. Tyldesley.

My GBG newbie is over a mile from the centre of Tyldesley, in an area of neatly kept old mine workers houses,

pleasant if unremarkable. You’ll need to cross the A580 into Astley for the really interesting houses and the mining museum.

Should you be cancelling your big holiday in Whitby or Wealdstone and hotfooting it (on the Guided Bus) to Tyldesley instead ?

Well, no.

But the Colliers Arms is a bellwether pub, a place to judge the state of lunchtime drinking outside the shiny city centres in 2026.

It’s very friendly, a genuine welcome in a standard issue Craft Union preparing for Easter and the Masters.

Your soundtrack is Whitney, Bowie and UB40, the holy trinity of mid-80s pop.

There’s some heritage Holt pubs nearby that will appeal more to Stafford Paul,

but at least here there’s beer he’s heard of.

My first sip of the Rev (a bargain £3.30) isn’t promising.

“Sorry to trouble you, I think this may be the end of the barrel”

I offer, awaiting the disdain of the Carling drinker at the bar.

There’s three ways this goes. 1) Confusion, and asking the manager for help. 2) Resistance, “it’s fine, ain’t it Dave ?”. And 3) the correct response “You’re right ! Sorry about that. Sit down and I’ll change the barrel“.

Five minutes later, and what feels like a gallon vigorously pulled through, I get a pint of foamy joy (NBSS 3.5), proof that the Good Beer Guide is about quality not quantity.

I leave as the tradesmen arrive.