March - Navigation
The Navigation
1 Manchester Road, Heaton Norris, Stockport SK4 1TY
The Stockport & South Manchester Pub of the Month award for March 2014 is to be awarded to the Navigation at the top of Lancashire Hill, Heaton Norris. Stuart Ballantyne has been to visit.
The pub has been run for over five years now by Barry Harvey and his partner Deborah. Beartown is a small independent brewery based in Congleton with only a handful of pubs. In Greater Manchester it runs the Cheshire Ring in Hyde and the Navigation in Stockport. Over the last ten years the Navigation has had a chequered history with several changes of management - or at least that was the case until stability returned to the pub under the stewardship of Barry and Deborah.
Barry has kept his prices down in the pub by absorbing price increases himself because he feels that imposing such price increases on his customers at this time would kill the pub's trade. In these credit crunch times that is a remarkable achievement and demonstrates a commitment to the pub and the pub's valued regulars.
Since taking over the pub Barry has increased the number of regular Beartown cask beers sold from three to five and introduced a guest beer. He regularly now sells Beartown Bearskinful, Kodiak Gold, Best Bitter, Bear Ass and Bruins Ruin plus a guest beer which is often Holt's Bitter. This growth has occurred because Barry keeps 'a damn good pint' and it is despite the pub's unpromising location with little or no passing trade. This shows just how hard Barry and Deborah have worked to make the Navigation such a success.
Originally very much a 'Blues' pub, the Navigation is now jointly popular with both City and United fans. The pub boasts both enthusiastic darts and pool teams that play in local leagues making the Navigation a true all-round community local. In the summer months (if we ever get one) the pub has an outside beer garden at the back which is very popular.
So why not join the local CAMRA group for the presentation of the pub of the month award on the evening of Thursday 27th March 2014 when a great night will be experienced by all those in attendance?