Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Manchester

Liverpool Weekend (Day One) – And Another Delayed Train

I walked relatively quickly from Cloudwater to Manchester Oxford Road railway station, as I’m always slightly nervous about being late for pre-booked services of any kind. It’s a slightly odd railway station, constructed in 1849 and reconstructed in 1960, now looking and feeling dated and it feels like it is ready for a major refurbishment.

They’ve put quite an attractive frontage on the building at least.

I arrived with eight minutes to spare until my train departed, with the boards showing that it was running on time. Marvellous, I would be in join Susan, Steve and Bev for the evening meal and still have time to get to my hotel to check-in. The signage at the station was clear and it was a fifteen second walk to the platform.

The 16:46 train to Liverpool Lime Street via Urmston cost me around £3.50, this was not an expensive train.

The Northern train pulled in on time, it all boded well after the delays of earlier on during the day.

It wasn’t particularly busy and I’ve moaned enough times before about how they shove seats onto these services with minimal thought for comfort. There was though a USB power supply which was useful to top my phone up a little.

The view from the train window, just as there was an announcement that trespassers on the line at Warrington had caused a delay to the service. This felt sub-optimal as we sat there for ten minutes. Pesky interlopers.

We got to Birchwood and there was an announcement that the service was delayed and might be cancelled.

On the bright side, a more promising announcement was made and once again my train was likely to arrive something like 33 minutes late so I would get 50% off the fare. Given how cheap the fare was this was hardly a big bonus, but nonetheless, it would pay for a drink.

We arrived safely at Liverpool Lime Street. Taking into account the Delay Repay refunds, it meant that my journey from Norwich to Liverpool had cost just over £15, which is hard to complain about. I felt that the delays were just perfect insomuch as getting a partial refund, but without being majorly delayed and eating into my time in Liverpool.

The delights of the station concourse and it was great to be back in Liverpool once again. I haven’t been travelling much recently, so I’ve been very much looking forwards to a weekend away and it was rather lovely to finally arrive. I then just had to head to my hotel and then go to the Indian craft beer bar that I suggested we all meet at, a plan was coming together.

September 9, 2023
Liverpool Weekend (Day One) – Manchester and Cloudwater

Pleased with my visit to Track Brewing, located just over the road, I had enough time to visit Cloudwater for a beer still spending the Delay Repay train money on this little treat. I’ve visited the Cloudwater taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile a few times, but this is the first time that I’ve visited the set-up in their home city.

After a momentary bit of confusion as to where the tap room was, I found the steps up as it’s located on the first floor.

It might look like it, but I didn’t incompetently meander into this bit as it’s signed off as staff only, but I did take a photo.

There’s the beer board and there was a personable and friendly team member ready to take my order. She was conversational and engaging, it all felt a comfortable and inviting set-up.

I accept it might appear to be sub-optimal going to a brewery’s taproom and then having a guest beer, but I have worked through a lot of Cloudwater stuff already. Cloudwater beers are delightful and exciting, but I was intrigued with the Green Nebula beer from Uchu Brewing. This was really rather complex, it was dank, decadent, smooth and had flavours of key lime pie. I very much like key lime pie, so all told, this was one of the best beers that I’ve had in a while.

The interior of the taproom, which was clean and organised, and there is more seating downstairs. It’s under-stated and functional, all fair enough as the priority here is the beer.

The food options and that chicken curry pie tempted me, but I was restrained, not least because of the limited time that I had before going to get my next train which would sweep me into Liverpool.

I don’t often play them but I don’t dislike board games, this board game day is something that Tony from the Hop & Vine (the best pub in the country) does and there’s lots to be said for gossip, beer, board games and perhaps some cheese. I know how to live…..

With that it was time to make the 20 minute walk to Manchester Oxford Road railway station, but I was very pleased to have had chance to pop into this taproom. I liked the relaxed nature of arrangements, care had been taken with selecting the beer options and the team members were all friendly and welcoming. All really rather lovely.

September 9, 2023
Liverpool Weekend (Day One) – Manchester and Track Brewing

Safely into Manchester Piccadilly railway station, I was getting 50% off my fare due to Delay Repay which meant I thought I’d use that to visit Track Brewing and Cloudwater.

It’s around a fifteen minute walk from the railway station to Track, although I did walk at something of a speed to maximise the time that I had. Which inevitably mean I over-heated as, something I might have mentioned, it was too hot. There are quite generous opening hours for a taproom, it’s open from 14:00 until 22:00 on Tuesdays to Thursdays, from 12:00 until 22:00 on Fridays & Saturdays and from 12:00 until 20:00 on Sundays.

I didn’t find it the easier beer board to read due to how it angled back, but I was more interested in the beers than the internal decoration. They didn’t have many sour beers, it’s primarily pale ales and the like but it looked all rather interesting. They’ve usually got around 20 keg beers and 3 cask, something for nearly everyone. Oh, and what looked like a bucket of bar snacks.

Everything was reasonably priced, so I went for four different 1/3 measures (the more astute readers will notice one of these isn’t in the photograph). All the beers I ordered were brewed by Track and they were the ‘Sonoma’ Pale Ale, the ‘Half Dome’ Pale Ale, the ‘Not Equal To’ DIPA and the ‘Made in the Shade’ porter. The highlight of the arrangement for me was the DIPA, which was dank, smooth tasting and hazy in appearance.

The taproom looks over the brewing area and there’s also a food section selling pizzas. I would usually have been tempted, but alas, time was not on my side. Being able to see the brewery set-up always gives an air of authenticity to matters.

The pizza menu. The pepperoni, hot honey and N’djua one sounds quite delightful and also reasonably priced given how inflation seems to be taking its toll everywhere at the moment.

There was also an assortment of shrubbery to look at. They hold numerous events here, including brewery tours and samplings, as well as a chess, cheese and beer evening. I’m not sure any of my friends are particularly engaged in playing chess (and those who do are unlikely to be excited by the combination with craft beer and cheese), but that does sound a rather tempting event. Not that I can play chess very well, but I always remain enthusiastic with such things.

They’ve got a leaflet explaining the history of the brewery. Frankly, they’ve made more effort than many pubs do which have hundreds of years of stories to tell. The online reviews for this taproom are very positive and they’ve annoyed only a few people over the years which is always good going when there’s alcohol involved.

I liked it here as it was airy (important when it’s so hot), bright and not too busy. The service was friendly and there were plenty of different beers available. I was pleased to have made the effort to walk out to the brewery and it also meant that I had time to visit Cloudwater which is located over the road.

September 9, 2023
Manchester – Manchester Victoria Station (Tiled Map)

Whilst meandering around the railway station of Manchester Victoria waiting for my train to Newcastle, I saw this rather impressive tiled map of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. It’d be quite hard to miss it, it’s a not inconsiderable map on the wall.

I can’t help thinking that it shows a rail network rather in isolation, as if the passengers didn’t intend to go very far north or south with any other rail operating company. Manchester Victoria was the most substantial railway station in the L&Y network, although it’s much smaller now. The network lasted until January 1922 when the area was regrouped into the larger London and North Western Railway (which lasted for all of one year before becoming London, Midland and Scottish Railway). Of all the routes on the map, it looks like the significant majority are still in operation.

April 14, 2019