Meet Manchester Victoria Station by ticket line under departure board at 10:50am

Our first location, the Flying Horse Hotel opposite the Town Hall, was Greater Manchester Pub Of The Year back in 2019 and will not disappoint. A multitude of ales (about a dozen?) are available along with honest, home cooked meals including that fabled local delicacy, rag pudding! Look out for the meal deals and CAMRA discount. Another point of interest is the real log fires — which may well be a welcome site today. If you visit in the warmer months (and winter months if the weather is bright and sunny) is the outside street drinking area where we can gaze at the snails pace renovation of Broadfield Park Slopes. [Should this have been completed we will use it as a short-cut on our way from the station.]

We now have a walk through the centre of Rochdale. There is, supposedly, a short-cut through the modern arcade but I have never found it so we will be sticking to the streets and making use of a few ginnels.

Upon reaching the heritage area of Rochdale we will frequent The Baum, which is laid out in a way that is quite intimate, with bare wood floors and a traditional feel to it. For those still hungry food is served daily and is excellent quality at a reasonable price. Awards here go one better than Greater Manchester, as the Baum has been the National Pub Of The Year. Again outdoor drinking is available in the beer garden to the rear where (baring the looming Seven Sisters and Exchange Arcade) you can imagine yourself back in time as there are with plenty of sets and 'gas lamps'. The next-door Rochdale Pioneers [the kernel of the Co-Op movement] museum is well worth a visit in its own respect, but not today as more drinking calls.

Heading back towards the Esplanade [bit posh sounding for Rochdale!] we approach a homage to Ms Stansfield, namely Our Gracie's. As well as the five (mainly LocAle) beers on offer there are, stand back in amazement, up to eight real ciders/perries on offer, so something for everyone [except those desiring mead!]. The décor is very basic (reminiscent of Rochdale's back-to-backs in the 30s?), but the welcome couldn't be warmer, with the clientele being made up of a cross section of locals. Expect the locals to talk to you, on my last visit I got the life story of a birthday boy who was dragging(?) his extended family around on a pub crawl! NOTE: The 60s music videos on a screen above the bar doesn't exactly fit with the theme, but then again Grace isn't well known for TicToc videos!

Next up is just across the way, so travel time is none existent, to the Lucky Duck where we will find a quirky homage to the Anas family. No that isn't the surname of some locals, but the Latin for ducks, of the feathered/mallard variety not meaning you have to bob down to avoid striking your head on entry. The small front bar is complemented by a bigger room upstairs, which encompases a pool table should you wish to play. All decorated in that minimalist style much loved by micro-bars, supplemented by many duck decorations. It advertises itself as not dog, but duck friendly — any takers?

We are now travelling to Castleton (Not the one in Derbyshire!) and there are a couple of options to get there. The 'easy' way is to cross the road and catch a number 17 bus. These leave every 10 minutes and take about 20 minutes to get there, but this being the beginning of rush hour...
Option two is to travel back to the train station and board a train. This only takes a few minutes to travel to Castleton, but the 15 minute walk to the station has to be factored in. Both options will place us at our final destination for about 4:30pm.

Our final port of call is the Old Post Office Ale House to give it its full name, usually abbreviated to the Post Office. The photo right is of the interior, as there is a bus stop right outside the front door, so the only external shot possible (other than by a specialised camera) is through the shelter, so the bus timetable is more prominent that the pub! (Illustrated here) Having opened it ten years ago, the current 'landlord' is retiring this month, but not to worry, it has been taken on by his son. There are up to five beers on handpull, complemented by a wide range of ciders. A loyalty scheme is in operation, so sign up and return (often) to take advantage. The interior furniture is that mix and match style often employed by micro-pubs, and does have the original Post Office signage on display as a talking point [but don't ask for stamps or your pension].

To make our way back to Manchester there is the number 17 bus, but that takes quite a while (but does have the advantage of passing the Marble Arch and Angel). Trains are every half hour, with the option, if one misses, of travelling back to Rochdale to catch a fast through train direct to Victoria.

Arrive	Leave	Pub	Address	Food
10:50am	10:50am	Meet Manchester Victoria Station by ticket line under departure board
11:03am	11:16am	Train to Rochdale [actually Chester to Leeds, Platform 5] [Back-up 11:33am (12:05pm) Train to Rochdale (Actually Wigan Wallgate to Todmorden Platform 6)]
11:16am	11:30am	Walk from rail station to first pub (unless tram passes!)
11:30am	12:45pm	Flying Horse Hotel	37 Packer Street, Rochdale OL16 1NJ	Food
1:00pm	2:00pm	Baum	35 Toad Lane, Rochdale OL12 0NU
2:00pm	3:00pm	Our Gracie's	13 The Butts, Rochdale OL16 1ES
3:00pm	4:00pm	Lucky Duck	1 The Butts, Rochdale, OL16 1E
4:00pm	4:30pm	Bus station for 17 bus (4:07pm) alighting at Castleton at 4:30pm Walk to station for 4:20pm train to Castleton arriving at 4:25pm
4:30pm	5:20pm	Old Post Office Ale House	858 Manchester Road, Castleton, OL11 2SP
5:24pm	5:41pm	5:24pm Board Northern train towards Clitheroe. Alight at Manchester Victoria at 5:41pm.
5:25pm	5:51pm	5:25pm Train towards Rochdale, then at 5:35pm board train towards Wigan Wallgate, arrive Victoria 5:51pm.
5:55pm	6:12pm	5:55pm Board Northern train towards Blackburn. Alight Manchester Victoria at 6:12pm.
5:58pm	6:25pm	5:58pm Train towards Rochdale, then at t 6:09pm train towards Headbolt Lane, arrive at Victoria at 6:25pm.
6:25pm	6:41pm	6:25pm Board Northern train towards Clitheroe. Alight at Manchester Victoria at 6:41pm.

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