Excellent. Enough time for the Olde Cottage, Chester before the train. Bass was available but I don't see Wye Valley HPA very often so opted for that. A lovely pint of well conditioned cask ale and as good as you will ever get.

The couple of hours at Chester beerfestival was excellent but so too are the pubs / bars afterwards including Telford's Warehouse for a pint of Weetwood Cheshire Cat

A visit to The Mount Inn, Chester before the festival. Nice outlook onto The Dee from its beer garden. Always a friendly welcome from staff & the locals. Hyde's Lowry V good value too

I'm at the Boughton side of town so it makes sense to do the superbly refurbished Jolly Gardeners on Christelton Rd before the beerfest (town hall). A v enjoyable half of Weetwood Best (Ginger Monkey coffee roasters next door for the win) inspirecheshire.co.uk/breathing-ne...

Early arrival at Staminee de Garre, Bruges pays off if you want a seat to enjoy the superb house tripel (Brouwerij van Steenberge)

Cantillon Kriek available & superb on draft in 't Brugs Beertje. Bruges classic brown café

We certainly won't be having a Straffe Hendrik Quadrupal on this hot afternoon. Easy drinking Blanche de Bruges Rosé on the menu and refreshing. When I walked past last Friday the brewery was having a grain delivery

Orval at Café Terminus, Blankenberge before the train to Brugge. Superb. There's an M6 Sandbach services feel about the place but it works

A tram from Middlekerke to Blankenberge Markt (approx 1hr 15) brings you to Havenhuis, located at the bottom of a typical coastal apartment block. The draft beers are fairly ordinary (today) but the bottled selection is good. Lupulus Blanche excellent

Another visit to outstanding Den Toogoloog, Middlekerke (nr Ostend) for a Carolus Tripel. The doors to the refrigeration area have been retained as an original feature from when it was a butchers. Staff interested in the photo of its UK 'twin' The Hop York also previously a butchers with tiled walls

Amazing the amount of space available for bikes on Belgian rail. I gave up on transpennine and took a chance leaving one locked at York station. The last time I tried to get one on a Crewe > Derby 'service' it was physically impossible to board & I went home and put the bike in the car

A superb afternoon at De Dolle Brouwers Esen, near Diksmuide. They're down to less than 10 bottles of Dulle Teve Reserva. Kris described it as gastronomique. A little try of their Desem Sourdough beer before finishing on their superb dry roasty export stout. Wonderful!

Excellent start. Oeral blond at De Dolle Brouwers v refreshing. Served in the limited edition hand painted UK style glass. Tap room lovely and cool this afternoon. Export Stout also available but best left for later!

Frustrating that the train passes so close to the village of Esen but there's no longer a station and the walk from Diksmuide station to de Dolle Brouwers seems longer than it is

Final coastal bar: Ostend's highly regarded Café Botteltje (also a hotel). Busy this evening, including their outside seating. A local beer to finish on and one you won't see widely in the UK - Strubbe keyte Tripel.

There's no mistaking when you're arriving in Blankenberge. Despite the Bass signage outside Les Vedettes I opted for Westmalle Tripel. You certainly don't have far to walk for Markt tram stop. Almost the equivalent of a kusttram buffet bar

A superb few hours at Den Toogoloog, Middlekerke enjoying a select range of bottles. Westmalle Extra followed by de Glazen Toren Ondineke & De la Senne Bruxellensis Reserva. Afternoon ruined by the inconvenience of a tram back to Ostend😡 Thank goodness Leeds postponed this obsolete mode of transport

30mins on the coastal tram from Ostend to Middlekerke for a jewel in the crown of the Belgian coast. Den Toogoloog. A really friendly welcome. Westmalle extra with its banana notes is perfectly refreshing. Bar formerly a butchers (3 day kust tram ticket just €18)

Making the trip worthwhile. Superb de dolle export stout on draft at Bruges Beertje. Coffee and roast notes with a slight tartness. Sublime. Easily one of Belgium's greatest beers. Worth risking the pub guard dog for

A stop off on the way from Cafe De Hoptimist into Bruges centre for a Brouwers Verzet Super NoAH blond at Bernie's on Vrijdagmarkt. A shade under 5% citrus blond, perfect for the weather. Plenty of room inside as people obviously opt for pavement seating

Ok, so the walk S West of Bruges Station isn't exactly full of historic merit but I've walked through worse underpasses. Two year old Orval at Café Hoptimist perfect after the rail journey from Paris (Change Brussels)

Sensible people take lifts and not the 670+ steps in 32c+ Good views though.

The weather's looking pretty good. I wonder if we'll be able to see The Isle of Man, Rivington Pike and Hoylake today

What an excellent final pub. Harvey's best at The Gardeners, Lewes before the train back. Superb , friendly, welcoming pub. Hats off to Brighton station who put station departure signs in 'Northern' to 'elp us get home

Industrial estate tap rooms aren't everyone's cup of tea but I've had a lot worse walks than the one to Beak Brewery, Lewes, Sussex

Couldn't have wished for better weather for the main event. A trip to Harvey's Brewery Tap, Lewes starting with a pint of XX Dark Mild. Excellent

Excellent start to the afternoon with a nostalgia visit to classic The Evening Star, Brighton. Three Burning Sky beers available. I opted for The Complete Rustic Pale Ale which was perfect for the weather.

After the £6 bargain pint of Crackendale at Thornbridge's The Wild Swan it's time to be a little self indulgent & throw caution to the wind enjoying premium craft pints at circa £7

Obviously it's (almost) illegal to use UK rail on a BH weekend (+strikes) so rather than risk missing my Eurostar I've arrived London two days early. What a superb pub Thornbridge's Wild Swan, Fetter Lane is. The Crackendale passed the second pint test. £6 reasonable in the Smoke too

@edgranter.bsky.social There's a nice photo of The Cheshire View pub on Pastrack. Hats off to cyclists who get up that bank. I have to go via Harriseahead and that's hard enough www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx...

When one is on a sojourn in Burton on Trent it's always a pleasure to use the new steps frm the hotel to station - one of the UK's major infrastructure projects. Leeds may not have trams, HS2 between Birmingham & Manchester may be abandoned but we have this legacy project. I K Brunel would be proud!

Finish the evening on a classic. Burton Bridge Inn for a superb dry roasty Top Dog stout. Excellent.

Worth the hotel price. I managed my first visit to Tower Brewery's Friday tap openings when it isn't raining cats & dogs. The Kings Ale was excellent. Strong, rich full-bodied but not excessively sweet

What a lovely walk from Tutbury and Hatton rail station to the Spread Eagle (Rolleston on Dove) for a pint of Pale Brummie at The Spread Eagle before it shuts on the 25th for a refurb

Slightly overcast this afternoon but the views west from The Gresley Arms beer garden out towards The Peckforton hills and Wales are still reasonable. AND they have Shropshire's Three Tuns Bitter & their superb Stout otb.

Hi, are there any professional economists / think tanks out there who can shed light on the fact the UK economy seems to be stagnating, we have a productivity issue and appear incapable of achieving growth 💹 ? (Crewe)

Last stop before the train home. Absolutely superb pint to end the day on. Wye Valley HPA at The Olde Cottage, Chester. About as good as cask beer can be. Sublime.

Under the river for stop six. Gallagher's Traditional Pub (Birkenhead). Second Brimstage beer of the day which was also excellent. Subtly floral Elder Pale Ale. Pub is a real juxtaposition but works

Stop five Liverpool. The Baltic Fleet, classic flat iron pub. First encounter of the day with Brimstage Brewery beers which are always excellent. Dad's favourite Liverpool pub due to its nautical associations (he's ex RN & can even remember the overhead railway).

Stop four Liverpool. The Lion Tavern with its superb tiled bar. Higsons retro classic bitter with hints of toffee. Extra points for a cupola in the pub ceiling.

Stop 3 Liverpool. A classic. The Ship & Mitre. Opted for a local brewery - Black Lodge 'A better land' which had a subtle spicy quality. Must've been a Bents outlet at some point (with a sister brewery in Stone, Staffs - now Lymestone) www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx...

Stop two Liverpool. The Vines. Exquisite neo baroque exterior and award winning interior. Two quid for a half in the centre of a major UK city isn't bad at all. Theakstons Quencher. Offered a straight glaaaaas or a jug.

Have Merseyrail day ticket. Will travel. First stop The Crown, nr Liverpool Lime St. Couldn't resist the Bass which was cool and 'nutty'. Superb large Walkers Ales, Warrington signage in relief.

Thank you to Marcus (York Soc for Preservation of Beers frm the Wood) for recommending The Little Ale House, Stonegate, York. Multi level v friendly bar. Good selection. I opted for Craven Brew Co Best Yorkshire Bitter. Nice Dyson clock www.spbw.beer/about-us/bra...

Every visit to The revitalised Golden Slipper, York gets better. Friendly with superb multi room ambience. Nice beer selection including Yorkshire Heart Ghost Porter rich and excellent

If you want to be at the frontier of the craft beer curve you can do a lot worse than get the No 6 York > Osbaldwick / Murton Way for BrewYorks 10th Anniversary beerfest (reduced service on Sundays). Superb beers. Tuju, Finland; Prizm, France; Frontaal Netherlands highlights. A superb beerfestival.

Brew Yorks birthday bash is a highlight of April with a select list including Brouwerij Frontaal but there's always time for a pint of Kirkstall Three Swords at The superb Templar before the Leeds > York Train brewyork.co.uk/brewery-bash/

The Gresley Arms, Alsagers Bank must have one of the best beer gardens in the area. Good views out towards Wales, Warrington and Widnes this afternoon. That climb isn't getting any easier though. Holden's Bitter otb & excellent. A beer I rarely see. At least the ride back is mainly downhill

Is there a better way to celebrate National Bass Day than at The Vine, Pittshill, Tunstall (one of Stokes 6 Towns) with the presentation of CAMRA Heritage Award & National Inventory recognition by @jmarkdodds.bsky.social who braved W Coast Mainline engineering to present camra.org.uk/awards/herit...

Well, the weather changes quickly in The Moorlands so in 3 miles we've gone from Spring in Cheddleton to dark skies & cats & dogs in Leeks Roebuck for a pint of Titanic iceberg