Away To Rochdale Provides The Best Medicine....

Back on the road watching football this weekend meant a more difficult than usual journey over the Pennines to Rochdale where we were lucky enough to see our team come home with all 3 points on a hot and sunny afternoon, bookended by some excellent watering holes....

An early start for a Saturday meant I left the house before 9 to catch the bus in to Halifax where, after a cup of tea at the Temperance Movement, it was off to meet some of the lads to catch the bus over to Rochdale, the queue already including a number of other Town fans. Normally we would have caught the train, which takes around 25-30 minutes, but industrial action on the railways meant that no service was operating. So it was about 9.45 when we arrived at the somewhat grandly-titled Interchange, which basically consists of a modest-sized bus station with the terminal stop of the tram nearby. Passing up on the opportunity to catch the soon-to-depart tram all the way to East Didsbury we headed instead to the Flying Horse which always seems to be open whatever time I'm in town.

The Flying Horse Hotel, about which, like some of the other places we visited on this trip, I have written before, is a large rambling free house opposite the magnificent gothic Town Hall, which has been undergoing a massive refurbishment for ages but has now started to shed some of the scaffolding, and the boarding between there and the pub has now been removed. And with the St Chad's Parish Church looking down from a lofty position above and a vast pedestrianised area stretching over to the area to the front of the Town Hall, once everything is finished it will surely be one of the finest open spaces in any town in the UK. Rochdale, which has its fair share of tatty streets and scruffy industrial areas, is also blessed with some magnificent buildings in its town centre.

We went inside where they were already doing a steady trade, with a few football fans, a largish family group, and various others dotted around. Some of us decided to go for breakfast with our beers, and so a few minutes after ordering a decently-priced pint of Phoenix Golden Pale Ale, a 4% beer made with Phoenix hops, I took delivery of a sausage sandwich which I'd felt was a little pricy in comparison, but that was immediately forgotten when I took a bite. The quality of the sausages within was excellent - plenty of juicy meat and well-balanced seasoning - so much so that I asked the lady who served us where they get them from (Joshua Law & Sons of Whitworth, apparently). Delicious, easily a 4.5 on the National Sausage Sandwich Scoring System if there is such a thing! However, sadly the beer was a bit thin and lacking in character (NBSS 2.5) although when we later took our glasses back to the bar I noticed the pump clip was turned round. Better though was a pint of the 4.2% Admiral from another well-established local brewery, Pictish (I'd decided I would drink local stuff today) which I went for next. This was another single hop beer featuring the Admiral variety, and presented as an enjoyable clean-tasting hoppy beer (NBSS 3). We went outside and sat in the sunshine after we'd eaten to await the arrival of the rest of the boys who were coming on a later bus, and soon our numbers had swelled from 5 to 9. Once again, a visit to the Flying Horse had not disappointed.

Flying Horse Hotel, Rochdale

It was a short walk across the pedestrianised area to the next pub. The previous time I had been to the Medicine Tap I had not been particularly impressed. It was a cold, dreary day just before Christmas 2019 when I'd had a day off work and went to a few random places that I'd not previously visited. This was back in the day when they sold their own Mighty Medicine beers which I found to be underwhelming at best. Which was a shame, because this is another spectacular building, formerly Rochdale's main post office. Designed by Sir Charles Wilkinson, it opened in 1927 and continued in use until 2016, before opening as the Medicine Tap in 2018. There is apparently an underground tunnel from here which leads to the Town Hall. The interior features wood panelling, a finely detailed plaster ceiling, and an attractive long bar with tiled frontage, and the old safe has been restored and is apparently now in the gents. A large plaque on the wall details the building's history. 

On the bar there were several hand pumps, and most of the beer drinkers went for Boxer from Bowland Brewery. Despite the spectacular interior, we decided to sit out in the increasingly warm September sunshine where we could watch the world go by. The Boxer was in good form (NBSS 3), but when it was time for a refill I broke rank with the others (and also my earlier decision to drink local Lancashire beers!) and decided try a beer I'd not seen before and from a brewery whose beers I'd never tried or seen before. This was from the Liberation Brewery, who are based far away on Jersey, in the Channel Islands where they have around 60 pubs. In 2015 they took over West Country brewers' Butcombe which gave them a route into the UK market. The beer in question was Herm Gold, a 4.2% finely balanced light ale with an underlying sweet maltiness, and was a refreshing hit on such a warm day (NBSS 3). Based on today's visit, I'm glad to say I couldn't fault the Medicine Tap: the beer was good, and the service from the two friendly girls who were working on the bar was spot on.

The spectacular Medicine Tap

Pre-match build-up at the Medicine Tap

We had time to visit one more place before heading up to Spotland for the first league match between Town and Rochdale for over 20 years, and so it was to another old favourite that we took a 10 minute walk. This is situated on the historic Toad Lane where, frustrated with the prevailing retail practices of the time, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society opened their first shop in 1844, selling pure, unadulterated food and other provisions, with honest weights and measures, which led in turn to the growth of the Co-operative movement. Today the little shop is a museum, whilst next door our next pub, The Baum, is situated. Always a busy pub, like the Flying Horse it is run by the Lancashire Hospitality Cooperation group, but its style and look is very different. Small, discreet areas with wood-panelled screens and old signs harking back to older times in Rochdale. The beer choice is up to date though, and I went for a pint of Cloudwater, which I think was the 4% Enduring Efforts pale, although I may be wrong! It was another decent, well-balanced ale (NBSS 3). There is a pleasant outdoor drinking area here where we enjoyed our drinks whilst planning our journey to Spotland.

The Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale

Some decided to walk the mile and a half to the Crown Oil Arena, as Spotland is known these day, whilst due to the heat a few of us got a taxi there. We were in the ground quickly enough, and had a good side view of the pitch. The game got going, with Halifax starting the stronger of the two teams, and with just over 20 minutes gone, they took a deserved lead with a well-taken goal by Rob Harker. Town continued to press and should have scored again before half time. Rochdale came back into the game more in the second half, but Town stood firm, and came away with a deserved 1-0 victory. It had been a most enjoyable game, watched by a crowd of just below 3,500, with a good following of 722 (although it looked more) from Town.

Action from the Crown Oil Arena, Rochdale

Back into the town centre, near to where we'd started out this morning, and a visit to the D'Ale House, which makes no secret of the fact it supports Rochdale AFC, and has a house beer called D'Ale  Ale (brewed by Pictish) on the bar. But the warm welcome that I have experienced here on my previous visits was still evident as the small bar was invaded by several groups of happy Town fans. I decided to pass on the D'Ale Ale and instead went for a pint of Filly Close, a 3.9% blonde ale from Reedley Hallows, whose beers I have rarely tried despite them having been brewed nearby in Burnley since 2012. It was another decent, pleasant pint (NBSS 3), continuing the pattern from before the match. We had been discussing whether to go for the last faster bus back to Halifax (which left at 6.30), or get the bus via Todmorden (which meant we could leave later in the evening but the journey would take ages). In the end, taking into account time, bladder considerations, and relative cost, we decided to go back via an Uber. So, decision made, we left the D'Ale House once we'd drunk up and went in search of another couple of pints.

We drew a blank at Hogarths, where there was no real ale on offer, and before I knew it a couple of the lads had gone straight in to the nearby Wetherspoons, so we had no real option but to follow them in. Now regular readers will know I normally give Spoons a swerve as I don't like putting any of my money their way due to the proclamations of their over-tanned, bouffant-haired chairman Tim Martin, amongst other things, but to be fair, the beer I had here at the Regal Moon was well up to the standard we'd had all day. The pub, which at one time was I believe the biggest Spoons in the country, is situated in a former cinema, has a fantastic art deco frontage, and is tastefully and sympathetically decorated throughout. Tonight it was doing a roaring trade both inside and out, where some of us repaired with our drinks having decided on this warm evening that it was too stuffy to remain inside. I have to say my pint of Phoenix Arizona was in good condition and very drinkable (NBSS 3).

And finally, we wandered on to the Pint Pot, not far from Wetherspoons, where I had been once before. This little micro pub on Baillie Street was quiet when the nine of us walked in and the lad behind the bar seemed pleased to see some more customers. There were a number of beers on both cask and keg, and I spotted Long White Cloud from Tempest, a 5.4% IPA featuring Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops from New Zealand, on keg. It proved to be a most welcome and refreshing hit on which to conclude the day's activities in Rochdale. 

And for once the football in the middle had not taken the edge off an excellent day out!

Follow me on twitter: @realalemusic