This month we are off to the land of the Chorley Cake (recipe here), not to be confused with the Eccles cake. The former is made with unsweetened shortcrust pastry, as opposed to the sweetened flaky (often sugar glazed) pastry for the latter. In contrast Chorley cakes are frequently served with butter spread on top. So indulging in a Chorley cake won’t contribute too much of any obesity concern, as opposed to the gallon of beer you may well consume! Don't mention the cholesterol.

We will be starting our quest in the Sir Henry Tate, Chorley’s Wetherspoon’s outlet, where we can take on board vitals for the day ahead (unless you have brought your own packed lunch). As the Sir Henry Tate operates under the Lloyd's banner, contrary to the normal Wetherspoon building, this is actually new build rather than a converted bank, town hall, rail station et cetera. It will, as expected, have several beers on offer at their normal competitive prices.

Dragging ourselves away and turning west on High Street then left along Cleveland Street, where we will find the Flat Iron. Had we been visiting a few years back (1974 to be exact) the first GBG describes this as a 'true drinker's pub' which served Tetley Walker from Warrington! Still a drinkers pub, but with beers from the likes of Taylors, Ossett, Bleckedge and other local brewers [okay Taylors and Osset aren’t that local, and come over t’ills from the enemy – Yorkshire!] After settling the War of the Roses, we now head right towards the market place.

Our next outlet, the Bob Inn, is actually a market stall, so is minute, but there is (usually) ample seating adjacent and in the market hall. As would be expected, it won’t win any awards for its architecture or décor, but makes up for that with its passion for real ale and cider (it has been Central Lancashire’s Cider Pub of the Year). They try and keep a spread of styles on sale, often including a dark beer, and with the emphasis on smaller breweries. Should you be hungry, you are encouraged to patronise the street food outlets in the market and bring in your comestibles.

Crossing the way, we will enter Ben’s Tap, which is the tap for Ben’s Brewery which, surprise surprise, forms their normal range of beers (all of which are vegan). There are also a range of ciders available, and a fridge stocked with a selection of bottles and cans. If you haven’t finished your marketplace fodder, you are allowed to bring it in. For those still seeking sustenance, a range of fabulous cakes, blondies & brownies is available, all provided by a local bakery. The décor is a little different to the Bob Inn and, as is the case with many micro-pubs, features much use of pallets.

We now travel around the corner to visit Riley's Taproom. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t sell Riley Brewery beers, but is owned by a family of that name. Along with a range of craft beers, some being real ales dispensed through membrane keg, there are three handpumps for cask ale enthusiasts. A rare (for Lancashire) beer recently spotted (August 2025) is Taylor’s Dark Mild. Unlike Ben’s Tap, there isn’t a pallet in sight, the décor being modern minimalist.

We now head back towards the station and call in the Shepherds’ Hall Ale House & Victoria Rooms. From the outside it looks like the sort of building Wetherspoons usually frequent with lots of Victorian(?) ornamentation. Originally opened as Chorley’s first micro-bar, but in 2020 it expanded into shops next door and thus lost it micro status. Don’t panic when you approach, the prominent Chorley Fitness branding doesn’t mean you will have to run on the spot while drinking your beer, that refers to the upstairs (24-hour!) health club. Back in the bar, seven handpulls are in use, with each pump reserved for a distinct style of beer, so there should always be one to suit your taste. For those wanting a continental drink two Budvar Czech lagers (among others) are available.

For those who’s beer gauge is reading full, we will be passing the station on our way to the final outlet so you can sneak off without causing too much of a kafuffle. For the remaining troops, the Malt ‘n’ Hops feels like an old, long established, station pub, but surprisingly it was converted from a shop (built 1870's) in 1989. Take note of the unusual address, Friday Street. I wonder if there used to be a full week of streets in Chorley in days gone by? [I have found a Thursday Street in Swindon, but for the rest of the week you need to travel abroad.] Back to the beer, this is a genuine free house with up to nine guest ales available, including a regular mild. For those wishing sustenance before the trip home, good value filled rolls and pork pies are usually available.

Around 5:30pm there are three trains an hour back to Manchester, spaced roughly every 20 minute, so whenever you take in the sheets and turn for home, a train should appear fairly quickly.

Frugal travel option

For those who wish to take the frugal route and use their concessionary pass all the way (Chorley isn't within Greater Manchester) you can use the 9:50am train from Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton (arrive 10:08am) then walk to Bolton Interchange (10 mins) where the 125 Stagecoach Gold^* buses to Chorley Town Centre leave at 10:27am (arrive 11:16am) or 10:37 (arrive 11:26am) which will allow you to join up in the Sir Henry Tate.

For the return the 125 buses are at 5:10pm, 5:20pm, 5:32pm, 5:46pm, 6:04pm, 6:30pm, 6:55pm then half hourly back to Bolton (taking around 55 minutes), from where there are regular Manchester bound trains.

* Upmarket buses, more like a coach (double deck) with most having leather seats!

Local leaflet

For a full listing of all the real ale outlets recommended by the Central Lancashire CAMRA Branch then download this leaflet here https://centrallancs.camra.org.uk/dl.php?id=229793

Timings

These are guidelines only. We can stay longer if the craic is good, or move on swiftly if the beer options/quality doesn't come up to standard. They also don't include any travel time between pubs, so this means either leaving early or arriving late.

Arrive	Leave	Pub	Address	Food
10:40am	10:45am	Meet in the "Platform 13/14 waiting room" Manchester Piccadilly
10:50am	11:20am	Barrow-in-Furness bound train direct to Chorley
11:20am	11:30am	Short walk in to town centre
11:30am	12:30pm	Sir Henry Tate	New Market Street PR7 1DB	Food
12:30pm	1:30pm	Flat Iron	21 Cleveland Street PR7 1BH
1:30pm	2:15pm	Bob Inn	24 Market Place PR7 1DA	Street food in market
2:15pm	3:15pm	Ben’s Tap	2 Market Place PR7 1DA
3:15pm	4:00pm	Riley’s Taproom And Wine Bar	4 Cleveland Street PR7 1BH
4:00pm	5:00pm	Shepherds’ Hall Ale House & Victoria Rooms	67 Chapel Street PR7 1BS
5:00pm	6:00pm	Malt ‘n’ Hops	50/52 Friday Street PR6 0AA	Rolls and pork pies
5:22pm 5:35pm 6:03pm 6:22pm	5:58pm 6:15pm 6:45pm 6:58pm	Trains back towards Manchester Piccadilly