HUMOURIST Hilaire Belloc decreed in the early 20th century that ‘once you have lost your pubs, you will have lost the last of England’.
The really good pub should tempt you in for a quick half and make you feel so comfortable you stay all night.
There’s perhaps some truth in this. If a country is defined by qualities which are uniquely their own then pubs reach to the core of Britishness. If a visitor wants to leave behind the tourist sites and hotels for a while and reach under the skin of the nation then a visit to the pub and a chat with the locals is the most accessible and quickest route.
But pubs are in crisis, squeezed by tiny profit margins and changes in society and particularly its male drinking habits. City centres still retain a strong representation or does there seem a future for the urban pubs and in Manchester there are many such classics. These are set out in the pub crawls on the following pages.
So what makes a good pub? Is it that atmosphere of age, the frisson of time passing? Is it beautiful fittings and fixtures? Is it talkative locals and a friendly landlord or landlady? Is it finely kept real ales and good food?
It’s actually all of these. The really good pub should tempt you in for a quick half and make you feel so comfortable you stay all night.
The three pub crawls here we feel capture all these qualities and prove that the atmosphere in a good pub is unbeatable...almost, let's say, priceless.
The pub crawls:
1) Central And Over The River Into Salford
The pub tour below takes in several pubs so if you drink in them all you're going to get very dizzy. Perhaps split the tour. All the places mentioned serve a range of cask ale in ever-changing combinations.
Detail Of The Crown And Kettle Ceiling
