There’s quite a few of us in this club. You’ll see us in groups of 3 or 4 on a Thursday afternoon with pints in front of us in a pub that serves good beer, or has a bit of character, or probably both. We’re aged from 63 upwards, mostly male, retired, and up for a good day out. We’re not local, we’ve used our Senior Railcards and maybe also our bus passes to get here. Sometimes we’ll stay in the same pub if it’s really good but it’s much more likely that we’ll visit three or four, and maybe five or six on a nice long summers day.
So why Thursdays? We’re not working so we can choose any day, but on Monday, Tuesday and even Wednesday many pubs are closed or don’t open until 5pm or later. On Friday and Saturday they get a bit busy and we like to have a seat to rest our old legs, and on Sunday the timings of train services make it a short day out.
It’s not a frequent thing, no more than once a month, and usually planned a bit in advance with a date in the diary to look forward to. At least one of the group is a pub or beer fan and will choose the pubs and plan the route. Others though will just be along for the chat and a bit of an adventure and will roll their eyes if any of us starts analysing the beer or praising the quality of the tiling in the snug.
That’s Bernard above left, one of my regular pub trip companions. We’d seen the other three lads in the Ship and Mitre a few doors away and there they were again when we walked the 50 yards to the Excelsior. They had caught the train from Shrewsbury to do the same as us, a Thursday crawl around the best pubs in Liverpool. They were off to the Vernon next and we were heading for the Lion so we never saw them again, but I hope they’re still getting around the country on beer trips – and sorry I didn’t make a note of your names!
We met another trio from Shropshire in the Olde Salutation in the picturesque black and white village of Weobley in Herefordshire. I had joined Bernard for a couple of days on his leisurely. pub-themed cycle ride from John O’Groats to Lands End. This leg was from Kington (previous night at the excellent Olde Tavern), and after a coffee at the quite old New Inn in Pembridge we stopped for a pint in Weobley. Mark, Ted and Quentin were already there (I got their names this time but not a photo). They had caught a train from Ludlow to Hereford, and arriving before the pubs opened, decided to catch a bus to Weobley. Mark was the beer enthusiast but the others were enjoying the Butty Bach and the chance to see rural Herefordshire. In true pub crawl style we saw them again later at the Barrels in Hereford.
John, Mike, Ann and Ken had caught an early train to Cambridge for a beer and culture day. They had started the culture bit at the Fitzwilliam Museum and were now at the Eagle for both culture and beer. This was where Crick and Watson announced the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, and the pub is also famous for the extensive graffiti left by WW2 airmen. Mike was the pub geek in this group and his plan for the rest of the day was more beery, with visits to the Free Trade, Elm Tree and Cambridge Blue.
Most Camra members these days are also pensioners, and the out of town midweek trips organised by some branches make them honorary members of the Thursday Murder a Beer Club. The photo shows one of the Weekday Wanders organised by Stockport and South Manchester Camra which I joined on a trip to Wigan. And yes, that’s Bernard again in the photo along with my brother and sister-in-law Barry and Joan, and standing on the right, organiser Dave. The Weekday Wanders are tested in advance by Dave and a detailed plan is published before the day on the branch website. They have covered most parts of Greater Manchester and a couple of towns just outside. Just to be awkward, they usually take place on a Wednesday rather than a Thursday.
I doubt our pub trips contribute a huge amount to the beer drinking economy but I’ve been surprised by the number of similar groups we’ve met on our travels. If nothing else it challenges the stereotype of the older drinker sitting alone in his local supping a half of bitter. Just to prove it here are two more photos of old blokes enjoying pints a long way from home. And yes, it’s him again.
