West Yorkshire

January 8th 2000 saw a bright sunny start as we boarded the luxury coach

bound for the Saddleworth Brewery at The Church Inn in Uppermill.

A crowd of 43 hardened Real Ale drinkers had signed up for the day,

which would start with an all too brief stop at the Jacobs Well public house in Honley.

Here we found a variety of excellent beers ranging from Tetley(?)to

an extremely well kept pint of 'Top Totty'.

From there it was a scenic drive across the moors to Uppermill and

the Saddleworth Brewery. As well as the Church Inn, there was also

the Cross Keys, a Lees pub, located a short walk up the hill from the Brewery.

In the background of the photo below, you can just see the path, to the right of the Church.

The stop at the Church Inn was longer that the other stops of the day, to allow

the travellers to fully appreciate the ales on offer. The Church Inn had four of

it's own beers on: Saddleworth More, Hop Smacker, Shaft Bender and Christmas Carol,

whilst the Cross keys was offering GB Mild, Lees Bitter, and the awesome Moonraker.

With such a variety of beers on offer it proved overwhelming for some!

Still, the view from the pub itself was breathtaking!

The return journey saw a stop at Marsden, with two more excellent establishments

to visit. The Riverhead Brewery Tap and The Swan, both offered the now weary

occupants of the coach some much needed refreshment, the former from it's own

brewery, located in the cellar of the former Co-op.

The day was rounded off in fine style with a pint at The Vaults, where a pat on the back

was duely given to the staff who held the fort, whilst the regular Saturday crew were

out on the trip, including Yours Truly.