Beer Gardens of West Cheshire

As you read this summer may well be only a fond memory or a distant dream, but let us fantasise for a moment and imagine that the next couple of months are blessed with an abundance of opportunities to indulge in that quintessentially English pastime of supping real ale in a pleasant pub garden. Apologies if we’ve left out anything obvious but here are our ‘top ten’ venues, in no particular order, to drink al fresco in this particular part of Cheshire.

1. Harp (Little Neston) Stunning views across the Dee Estuary and over to the Halkyn mountains are without parallel. Good beer too. Timmy Taylor’s with a guest normally available. And a bonus for would-be twitchers is the possibility of spotting herons, egrets and the occasional raptor in this marshland haven for avian wildlife.

[Big Addition to the above! Landlady Ann Brampton has called to add to our understanding. The Harp has a big beer garden at the rear of the pub, which our correspondent must have been unaware of, focussed as he was on the birds outside. Not only that, but the beer range is a lot better than mentioned. Holt's Bitter is a rare brew for the area, and is very popular. It accompanies Tim Taylor's Landlord as regular beers, and there are no fewer than 4 regularly changing guest ales. Recently available were Boddington's Commonwealth, Bass, Burton Ale and Spitfire. There is no TV, radio or one-armed bandits to disturb the peace. I visited the Harp a few years back, and I remember it well as a characterful and historic pub. I cannot give it praise enough. The Harp was Wirral CAMRA's Pub of the Month in June.]

2. Grosvenor Arms (Aldford) One of South Cheshire’s finest. A fine choice of beers, top notch pub grub and spacious, tan-friendly gardens, which include a tractor to amuse the kids. Can get busy and, during a sunny weekend, there’s no guarantee you’ll find a space amongst the large array of outdoor seating. Walk off any excesses with a stroll round the attractive local village and nearby River Dee.

3. Goshawk (Mouldsworth) Terrific location on the outskirts of Delamere Forest. Whilst the pub interior may be nothing special it’s gardens include a splendid venture area for kids and one of the most picturesque bowling greens this side of Manchester. Beer quality varies but you might strike lucky with an interesting guest.

4. Red House (Chester) Classic riverside venue with a terraced garden which sweeps right down to the Dee. Terrific views over "The Meadows" and beyond. Just pips "The Mount" - offering Greene King beers and mooring facilities for your speedboat.

5. Mount (Chester) With a view of the Dee that stretches right down to the suspension bridge and the Groves this must be one of the best vistas of any city pub in the country. Beer is currently just Greenalls but enjoy the spectacle of the summer sun setting over the city skyline and young couples making love on the adjacent "Meadows".

6. Pheasant (Higher Burwardsley) A garden view which, stretching right across the Cheshire plains over to Chester and the Wirral, must be one of the best in the county. Smashing location on the "Sandstone Trail" and popular with walkers looking for a bite to eat or a whet of their whistle.

7. Calveley Arms (Handley) Best known for its high quality food, visitors can also enjoy an increasingly interesting range of guest beers and a spacious garden that is accessed through an arch in the leylandii. There you will find a rare chance to hone up your boules skills before you take on the locals during that Eurocamp holiday in France later in the summer.

8. Plough (Christleton) Whilst the re-design of its interiors are not to everyone’s taste, it can still boast a large orchard-set beer garden and a superb sun-trap-cum-patio. Find compensation for the bland beers in the array of bright young things that frequent a venue that is set in one of Chester's more affluent areas".
The Plough is a current Good Beer guide entry serving an interesting selection of beers including a regular outlet for Spitting Feathers. They are very supportive of the Campaign

9. Rake Hall (Little Stanney) Large pub not far from Cheshire Outlet Village with expansive lawns, shady trees and water features. Greene King beers.

10. Sportsman (Tattenhall) Savour a tasty pint of Thwaites while sat in a super sun-trap patio or practising bowling commentary (“that jack’s going all the way to Preston”, or “the wood’s as short as a carrot”) while watching a few ends on the adjacent green.

CITY CHAMPIONS!

An office outing last summer provided the perfect opportunity for a stroll round Chester on a sunny afternoon. Shunning the dubious delights of the racecourse, our little party elected to begin with lunch in the Albion on Park Street. Considering that most members of our group are not pub-goers, this wonderful town pub earned very good reviews. The food was well received, and I was very happy with the beer quality.

Next port of call was the Golden Eagle on Castle Street, near the Cheshire Regiment Museum. Being so close to the racecourse is a mixed blessing, as we were served our ale in plastic glasses. This concession to outdoor drinking was however, completely compensated for by excellent beer from Cheshire’s own Weetwood brewery. Sadly, we hear since that Weetwood is no longer available, as not enough customers wanted it. Shame on them!

By this time, a spot of shopping was called for, but that done, a stroll alongside the Shropshire Union Canal revealed to me for the first time, the delights of Old Harkers Arms. This is a fairly upmarket, wine bar sort of place, in a converted warehouse, but with a range of more than half a dozen cask ales. The menu looked certainly good enough to merit a return visit with the better half.

Final resting-place before the train home was, inevitably, the Mill Hotel. If you have never been, stop putting it off, and go! The bar is lined with hand pumps, and real ales of every style and taste await you. I had a half of Black Cherry Porter from Lloyds, and finished off with the best beer in the world, Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout, from Wye Valley of Hereford. Sitting on an old school desk in the late afternoon sunshine, watching ducks pass by along the canal was a peaceful and highly enjoyable finale to an office trip. Beats losing your shirt to the bookies!

Chester News

All Our Chester-days
Lest you were thinking things were bad regarding quality of pubs and choice of real ale in Chester these days, a look at an old copy of the late, lamented Chester City fanzine "The Onion Bag" makes for sober reading. Back in 1990, the so-called Yeastie Boys listed their top ten quaffs as follows:-
1. Oak Best (Harkers Arms) 2. Border Bitter (Custom House) 3. Greenalls Original (Faulkner) 4. Greenalls (Albion) 5. John Smiths Bitter (Cherry Orchard) 6. Greenalls Original (Little Oak) 7. Greenalls Bitter (Bouverie) 8. Greenalls Bitter (Commercial) 9. Youngers IPA (Boathouse) and 10. Greenalls Bitter (Plough).
Oh dear. Neither Oak Best or Border Bitter survive; Greenalls, if you can still get it, is nothing like its former Warrington-brewed self; and the Faulkner's become a wine-bar. Where were the Mill, Duttons and Telford's Warehouse then? Where were all the cracking tasty ales handcrafted by microbreweries? Best to count your blessings, eh!