Following the launch of the Rail Ale Trail in September, Stuart Bedford became the first person to complete the challenge in November. Congratulations, Stuart!
Stuart (pictured in the baseball hat enjoying a pint), who hails from Stockport, spent three days travelling between nine stations on the Trail, exploring the local areas and visiting 15 of the 21 participating pubs. At each establishment he collected a Pub Sticker, completing his branded card and exchanging it for a special baseball cap adorned with the Trail logo.
The Trail was a joint venture between the Friends of Handforth Station, Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnership and the two main sponsors, Crewe BID and the Cheshire Pub Co. It was designed to encourage people to explore this area using the trains and support some of the local pubs.
Hugh Everett from the Friends of Handforth Station, urges people to follow in Stuart’s footsteps and reminds potential ‘Trailers’ that “there is no time limit for undertaking the Trail. All information and the Sticker Cards are available here: https://www.crewe2manchesterrail.org.uk/days-out/rail-ale-trail-1/ .”
Stuart agrees that more people should come out to try the Trail for themselves. “Having visited the towns and villages and their pubs, most with delicious food and many of them new to me, I encourage others to similarly explore and enjoy the experience,” he said, adding “I particularly enjoyed the Hops Belgian Bar in Crewe.”
He also noted that there is pleasure in the planning, for those who enjoy a logistical challenge. “The greatest satisfaction came from sorting out the logistics of the exercise: planning which places to visit and when, creating a programme and then identifying train times, journey times, distances from stations to pubs and, of course, leaving plenty of time to enjoy at least half a pint of cask ale in each pub.”
After completing his Sticker Card and getting his baseball cap, Stuart subsequently returned to the Trail to visit the 6 remaining pubs. He has now enjoyed a drink in all 21 of the participating pubs!
Find out more about the Trail on the webpage and in this news article posted when the Trail launched.