A Grand Day Out
The sun glinted on a variety of train passes, shiny coins and the top of many heads as we set off from Runcorn East on a mystery tour organised by the Chairman.
40 Minutes later we were ensconced in a refreshment area on Stalybridge station at the start of a pub tour with a difference, it was by rail!
The fantastic Transpennine Pub trail is becoming popular at weekends following it's inclusion in the Oz Clarke and James May TV show, but we went on a Monday to find most of the pubs were quiet. Good for us, talk was aplenty and beer flowed from the laden kitty until the early evening when those looking forward to cocoa and bed returned, only to leave the Chairman and Ex Chairman to uphold the honour of Runcorn 41 Club, moving bravely towards Huddersfield before returning home once the lamplighter had been around to illuminate the gas lamps of the pennine cobbled streets.

One noteworthy pub on the trail (most are less than 100 yards from the train) was the one we went to for lunch, The Riverhead Brewery Tap & Dining Room served an excellent lunch and a very pleasant time was had by all
The journey went without a hitch, other than tickets and debit/ credit cards being lost by a senior member of the team and oh yes! The chair and ex chair being stranded in Manchester awaiting a coach transfer because they had cancelled the trains back to Warrington and Runcorn!