It's new ground for me as I spend an afternoon beside the seaside checking out a few of the pubs and the local scene on the Fylde coast.... I had never been to Lytham St Annes in my life as far as I could remember, but I'd noticed that it was the home of several pubs in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, and with a train journey of less than 2 hours from home it was a viable option for a Saturday trip out. The town is made up of four different main areas - Lytham, Ansdell, Fairhaven, and St Anne's, the 'Ribble Riviera'. My original plan was to go first to the furthermost area, St Anne's, and then stop off at Lytham on the way back if time permitted, with both Ansdell and Fairhaven excusing themselves on the grounds of having no Good Beer Guide Pub. In the end I only did the St Anne's bit, so Lytham awaits for another visit. The journey details; I caught the train from Halifax to Preston, and then encountered the usual loud noise and chatter from the regular hen part
I recently paid a visit to a local pub which is to be found in a rather unusual location, which then set me off thinking about other pubs I have visited which are to be found in a similar setting.... The Hop Monkey Music Bar opened a few months ago in Lee Bridge, close to the Dean Clough complex, a short distance from Halifax town centre. I had been meaning to pay a visit ever since last December when this long-standing pub, which had most recently been closed, re-opened its doors, but until last weekend I had not had the opportunity. From the outside it is an unassuming-looking place in itself, but it is situated in a rather unusual location as it nestles beneath a fly-over which carries the busy A629 through this narrow part of the valley. Indeed, the pub is sandwiched in between the road's supporting pillars and struts, with the traffic thundering by overhead. The pub, which was re-built in 1904, was originally known as the Olde Shears Inn, and in the pre-flyover days the mai