Trans-Pennine Ale Trail Update

[mossleysmiffy]

Twas only a matter of time

http://www.britanniamossley.co.uk/

To Respect Our Regular Customers And Preserve Our Status As A Community Local
Travellers On The Ale Trail Will Only Be Welcome After 19:00 By Prior Arrangement

... what with plastic glasses @ Stalybridge Buffet Bar on Saturdays as well (fine for keg cr*p but would any discerning real ale drinker bother ? I don't anymore - I like most locals go elsewhere) ...

Good to see honesty and integrity over making a fast buck - hopefully more will follow and we (customers) can get rid of this plague - and rail staff can also be rid of this plague as well ...

 

[Tomnick]

Seems like a fair measure to take. I enjoyed the trip from Stalybridge to Leeds a few years ago now (before it all kicked off!), and would very much like to do it again - I'm very reluctant to do it over a weekend now though, and it's obviously more difficult to arrange (with a small group) midweek. It's a shame that the sensible folk who just want to enjoy a few pints of decent ale are being pushed away by the idiots who (I'd guess) aren't interested in anything other than mass-produced fizz!

 

[175001]

On the eve of me having to work an Ale Trail stopper, that is excellent news

Absolute hell of a line to work.

 

[neilmc]

So how do you know who's on an "ale trail" and who's just popped in because they're passing? They must be doing better than most pubs to wilfully turn away trade that early in the evening.

 

[Clip]

How are they going to police this then? And what are they going to do when the takings are down?

 

[142094]

So how do you know who's on an "ale trail" and who's just popped in because they're passing? They must be doing better than most pubs to wilfully turn away trade that early in the evening.

Exactly, very hard to enforce unless you kick everyone out who isn't local.

How are they going to police this then? And what are they going to do when the takings are down?

I can see this backfiring for them, unfortunately. No-one will want to be restricted to a certain time and it is much easier just to get on the train to the next station and have two pints to make up for it there.

What possibly should be happening is for more BTP presence at stations and on trains along the line.

 

[mossleysmiffy]

So how do you know who's on an "ale trail" and who's just popped in because they're passing?

Quite easy to spot really ...

1) Large group
2) Often in fancy dress
3) Loud/ignorant/downright rude
4) Been on the pop since midday - therefore already the worse for wear ...
5) People walking IN with glasses in hand
6) Look out of pub door when trains are due

Perm any 3 from 6 ...

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Quite easy to spot really ...

1) Large group
2) Often in fancy dress
3) Loud/ignorant/downright rude
4) Been on the pop since midday - therefore already the worse for wear ...
5) People walking IN with glasses in hand
6) Look out of pub door when trains are due

Perm any 3 from 6 ...

Midday? So late? I had a large group on my train out of Manchester the other week at about 10am, heading to Dewsbury to start as soon as the pub opened. They were knocking back the cans of Stella like it was going out of fashion.

 

[Stephen55a1960]

Midday? So late? I had a large group on my train out of Manchester the other week at about 10am, heading to Dewsbury to start as soon as the pub opened. They were knocking back the cans of Stella like it was going out of fashion.

And therein lies the problem! People drink to excess much earlier in the day.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Quite easy to spot really ...


3) Loud/ignorant/downright rude
4) Been on the pop since midday - therefore already the worse for wear ...

This is no different to beer festivals up and down the country. I love nothing more than drinking a decent pint of bitter but hate the snobbishness that many real ale drinkers adopt. The behavior of some festival goers is no better than the so called lager louts described here. The last stopper south after the Peterborough Beer Festival on a Friday night is test amount to this.

 

[mossleysmiffy]

This is no different to beer festivals up and down the country. I love nothing more than drinking a decent pint of bitter but hate the snobbishness that many real ale drinkers adopt. The behavior of some festival goers is no better than the so called lager louts described here. The last stopper south after the Peterborough Beer Festival on a Friday night is test amount to this.

Peterborough Beer Festival - once a year ...

Rail Ale Trail - every bloody weekend ...

Snobbishness doesn't come into it - it's something called "behaviour" - or lack of ...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This is by no means the first time that threads on the Real Ale Trails have surfaced on this forum and there are always postings from members of the train staff with experiances that they have come across on certain trains.

What railway byelaws cover unruly behaviour caused by alcohol consumption as part of the terms of the Conditions of Carriage?

 

[John55]

This is by no means the first time that threads on the Real Ale Trails have surfaced on this forum and there are always postings from members of the train staff with experiances that they have come across on certain trains.

What railway byelaws cover unruly behaviour caused by alcohol consumption as part of the terms of the Conditions of Carriage?

http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/railway-byelaws/

 

[table38]

Having abandoned the Transpennine Ale Trail a few years ago, we had a go at these instead: http://www.camragreatermanchester.org.uk/#tram

 

[neilmc]

Having abandoned the Transpennine Ale Trail a few years ago, we had a go at these instead: http://www.camragreatermanchester.org.uk/#tram

Beat me to it! A day ticket on the Metrolink, or even an evening Day Ranger, leaves more money available for beer and you can make your own interesting trail. There are almost always pubs close to stations!

 

[Solent&Wessex]

I had a superbly enjoyable, and free of louts, pub crawl along the Calder Valley a month or so ago on a Saturday. Used a West Yorkshire Day Rover, out to Todmorden then used mainly trains, but the odd bus, to visit pubs in and around Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge and Halifax.

 

[yorksrob]

I love nothing more than drinking a decent pint of bitter but hate the snobbishness that many real ale drinkers adopt.

It is annoying though when you go to a pub specifically to sample it's ale and you can't get to the bar because it's full of people knocking back the sort of nitro-keg slop you could get in any town centre drinking den.

 

[reb0118]

I've just had an attack of gout with all this talk of ale trails. :cry:

I've got to keep off the dark ales, stouts, & porters - so it's lager type beers for me now - and I'm too old to be a lager lout (but unfortunately not a beer gout) now!

Saying that I do like the look of the Manchester Metrolink Trails (might even give kwvr45's Calder Valley a wee shottie)

Cheers!
(Off to put my foot on a cushion)

 

[Mutant Lemming]

It is annoying though when you go to a pub specifically to sample it's ale and you can't get to the bar because it's full of people knocking back the sort of nitro-keg slop you could get in any town centre drinking den.

It is actually all part of our changing culture. People go to town centres en masse at the weekends to get ratbottomed so this is just an extension to that element of the English culture of enjoying oneself at the weekend. It may not be yours or mine but we are not only in a minority but are also not profitable enough for the large pub owning and brewing concerns. There is no money in a sad Joe like me having a pint of Old Barnfloor Droppings while waiting on the next train but there is money in a gaggle of middle aged women in pink cowboy hats guzzling Smirnoff Ice between shots of Tequila and a crowd of 'lads' competing to see who will be the last one standing/vomiting etc.

(* Gaggle of Middle Aged Women in Pink Cowboy Hats - the pub at Dewsbury station 7/1/12)... Gang of 'lads' putting a tenner in the 'hat' to go to 'last one standing as long as they don't chuck up first' - Stalybridge Station Bar 18/2/12)

 

[Solent&Wessex]

(might even give kwvr45's Calder Valley a wee shottie)

Cheers!

When I get a chance I will post it up on here, the list of pubs I did and how to get to them.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It is actually all part of our changing culture. People go to town centres en masse at the weekends to get ratbottomed so this is just an extension to that element of the English culture of enjoying oneself at the weekend. It may not be yours or mine but we are not only in a minority but are also not profitable enough for the large pub owning and brewing concerns. There is no money in a sad Joe like me having a pint of Old Barnfloor Droppings while waiting on the next train but there is money in a gaggle of middle aged women in pink cowboy hats guzzling Smirnoff Ice between shots of Tequila and a crowd of 'lads' competing to see who will be the last one standing/vomiting etc.

(* Gaggle of Middle Aged Women in Pink Cowboy Hats - the pub at Dewsbury station 7/1/12)... Gang of 'lads' putting a tenner in the 'hat' to go to 'last one standing as long as they don't chuck up first' - Stalybridge Station Bar 18/2/12)

To be honest I don't care what people drink. I drink real ale. I am not old (I am 31). I drink with people who don't drink real ale. I often go to busy places. What I cannot fathom is why people of any age (in fact the middle aged / more mature ones seem to be the worst) feel the need to drink themselves into a stupor by early evening and then proceed to behave like complete animals in the process, urinating in train doorways, throwing bottles / glasses / cans all over the place, vomiting, swearing, screaming, shouting etc etc etc.

 

[craigwilson]

To be honest I don't care what people drink. I drink real ale. I am not old (I am 31). I drink with people who don't drink real ale. I often go to busy places. What I cannot fathom is why people of any age (in fact the middle aged / more mature ones seem to be the worst) feel the need to drink themselves into a stupor by early evening and then proceed to behave like complete animals in the process, urinating in train doorways, throwing bottles / glasses / cans all over the place, vomiting, swearing, screaming, shouting etc etc etc.

+1

I thoroughly agree!

 

[Cliveblackpool]

How are they going to police this then? And what are they going to do when the takings are down?

Tempted to do the trail, but reading this forum I'll leave it to another day!
In some instances a surge of these type of customers for an hour or two could drive away locals/ regulars who overall may contribute far more in the long term.
The pub in question looks a nice real ale pub.

Tempting to introduce a locals/ regulars discount card!
Ale snobs!
Some love cask condition regional type ales, others have been conditioned into buying heavily advertised National type Brands!! By brewing a beer super bland, smooth not too hoppy, not too malty to suit as many palates as possible for the Johns and the Smiths of this World!!
I do not wish to criticize their choice, but in some ways its a pity that they miss out on the myriad of wonderful flavours that tantalize the tastebuds!!
Luckily real ale did not die out, but the big brewers did try to put us all on keg.
Also apples must be perfect, and round, bananas must be straight!
The demise of the huge variety of superb English apple is another sad thing - unless you are lucky enough have your own trees! (They have had le crunch!)

 

[yorksrob]

There is no money in a sad Joe like me having a pint of Old Barnfloor Droppings while waiting on the next train but there is money in a gaggle of middle aged women in pink cowboy hats guzzling Smirnoff Ice between shots of Tequila and a crowd of 'lads' competing to see who will be the last one standing/vomiting etc.
[/I]

Now just because I'm interested in quality, it doesn't necessarily mean that I have no interest in quantity either
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Tempting to introduce a locals/ regulars discount card!
Ale snobs!
Some love cask condition regional type ales, others have been conditioned into buying heavily advertised National type Brands!! By brewing a beer super bland, smooth not too hoppy, not too malty to suit as many palates as possible for the Johns and the Smiths of this World!!
I do not wish to criticize their choice, but in some ways its a pity that they miss out on the myriad of wonderful flavours that tantalize the tastebuds!!
Luckily real ale did not die out, but the big brewers did try to put us all on keg.
Also apples must be perfect, and round, bananas must be straight!
The demise of the huge variety of superb English apple is another sad thing - unless you are lucky enough have your own trees! (They have had le crunch!)

I go through phases. I used to be heavily into porters and other dark ales, but now I'm more into hoppy ones.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I like real ale. I also like Carling/Carlsberg. I don't mind proper cider (not the fizzy keg stuff). I like red wine. I like port. I like single malt scotch, peach schnapps and dark rum.

And after drinking all that I usually fall in love with the nearest middle aged female in a pink cowboy hat...

 

[YorkshireBear]

Yes kwvr45 I have many a time caught the overnight TPE trains from leeds to manchester on the way to plymouth and watched middle aged men pee down the aisle of the train. One kind guard once let me and a few others sit in first class as there was 4 stags and a hen on the train.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Yes kwvr45 I have many a time caught the overnight TPE trains from leeds to manchester on the way to plymouth and watched middle aged men pee down the aisle of the train. One kind guard once let me and a few others sit in first class as there was 4 stags and a hen on the train.

The overnight ones aren't normally too bad. It is the mid evening ones which are the worst. Try the 2108 from LDS to MAN on a Saturday evening!

 

[ANorthernGuard]

The Trouble with Ale Trails and their ilk is they normally come with groups of people now if the Brittania feels like it can stay in good profit fine, but lets face it Pubs are shutting every hour and they will be very foolish turning custom away, maybe they should hire door staff instead as to be blunt it may seem a brave move but for someone who knows the Pub business very well I have a feeling they will certainly come to regret this decision.

 

[cuccir]

It seems a shame for everyone involved that there doesn't seem to be a way forward for the TP Ale-trail: it supports local independent businesses, and boosts numbers at a few mid-sized stations, some in relatively rural communities.

Unfortunately it's very difficult to think of satisfactory ways in which the numbers can be kept at a level with keeps the ale-trail alive, while not making the lives of staff and passengers a misery. Perhaps a bit of restricting for a few years will kill of the fashion for the Ale-trail, and it can then find new life with more sustainable numbers.

In the meantime, let's not tell the hoards of the Bigg Market about Whistle Stops...

 

[Solent&Wessex]

(might even give kwvr45's Calder Valley a wee shottie)

Cheers!
(Off to put my foot on a cushion)

I got the train to Todmorden, then:

Queen Hotel - immediately opposite station entrance. 4 or 5 ales.
White Hart Hotel - just next door, and slightly down hill towards town. Wetherspoons, but a new one and quite nice.
Polished Knob - Free house opposite Bus Station. A pub which specialises in live music in the evenings, but serves a good selection of ales and pleasant enough during the day.

Then 'bus (589 or 592) out on the Burnley Road for about 10mins to The Staff of Life. Nice little pub in a strange location.

Time for a pint, then bus back towards Todmorden, getting off en route to go to Jacks House. Looks a bit ropey from the outside, but we found the beer to be varied, very pleasant, good value and friendly locals.

Bus back into Todmorden.

Train to Sowerby Bridge.

Visit The Works and The Puzzle Hall Inn, both close to the station and each other. Good selection of ales at each.

Bus (577) towards Halifax. Alight on Free School Lane just before Saville Park.

Visit The Big 6. A truly excellent hostelry, hidden away in a terrace house in the most unsuspecting location. Only open evenings midweek so worth checking if going then. I cannot state how good this place is!

Then bus (577) an hour later to continue into Halifax.

Visit Dirty Dicks Food and Ale Emporium. Bus from Big 6 stops nearby.

Walk down to station (straight down the road). Away to home.

Could divert via The Three Pigeons should time permit.

 

[142094]

Do believe I've been in the Polished Knob with 4SRKT on a Pacer bash a few years back. Did you not try the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms at Sowerby?