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Friday, 4 July, 1:26 AM
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The Didsbury Dozen - Manchester
Having lived in Didsbury since I was a wee lad I though it was about time I wrote my guide to the Didsbury Dozen. Didsbury has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Many of the shops are now bars and restaurants, and a few new pubs have appeared or changed their names. Although I have searched high and low I have been unable to find 'the original' Didsbury dozen route so I am going to get as close as possible to it and then give you a few alternatives to it.
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Shortcuts:
Introduction.
List of pubs.
Timing.
Transportation.
Food.
How I do the Dozen.
My idea of the original Dozen.
The Dozen beginning/ending in Withington.
The Dozen including the Four in Hand, The Metropolitan and the Railway.
The address of all the pubs mentioned and a short description.
Here is a list of all the pubs that are currently (as of May 2004) situated in (or very close to) Didsbury. If I could find an official website then it is linked. If I couldn't find an official one then I have found some kind of a review, where possible. I have also included reviews of my own at the bottom of this page.
There are also Three pubs between Didsbury Village and Withington Village that are worth a mention as they may have appeared on the original crawl. If your after a little pub crawn on it's own then you may want to consider this.
The Golden Lion- The Red Lion
The White Lion
Timing
Didsbury has become a very popular place to socialize in the last few years due to the large number of places to eat, bars and pubs. If your going to attempt the Didsbury dozen then can I suggest you don't do it on a Saturday night. The pubs are less likely to let you in when your drunk on a Saturday and you may even have to queue to get into a couple of them! Your best off doing this during the week, and if your going to try and do 12 (the full dozen) then you may want to start around 12 noon to make it even remotely possible.
In all the times I have done the didsbury dozen due to birthdays, leaving parties or other special occassions I have only completed it twice, or maybe three times, I can't really remember but I haven't managed a full pint in all twelve chosen pubs very often.
Transportation
Didsbury village is set on Wilmslow Road and is easy enough to get to.
- Taxi from town - approx £10
- Bus from town to the village (42) - between 80p and £1.55
- Bus from town to near the Barley Corn and Woodstock Tavern (41/43/48) - between 80p and £1.55
- Bus from town to near the Four in hand, Metropolitan and railway (41/43/48) - between 80p and £1.55
- Train to East didsbury (near the gateway and walk from the Didsbury and Old Cock) from town - £1.65
Food
Oh yes, your gonna need food and lots of it if you think your going to make it though the day without giving up/being sick/being taken to hospital. There are loads of pubs that do food in Didsbury which I have mentioned where I described the pubs. What I am going to tell you about here is the takeaways.
- Kansas Fried Chicken (nicknamed Cancerous Fried Pigeon by some) - Its a fried chicken joint, enough said.
- Khandoker - An indian Restaurant based next to the Gateway on Kingsway.
- Khandoker takeaway - A takeaway two door down from the Khandoker that sells all your standard chicken and burgers but you can also find such tasty treats as massala burgers. Burgers with indian sauces on them, you have to try it.
- Stop Inn - Barlowmoor road just near the Nelson - burgers, chips, kebabs.
- Bob's Fish & Chips - 2 minutes walk down School lane (from the main junction in Didsbury).
- Fortress Cantonese - just next door to The Dog and Partridge.
- TopKapi - Burgers, kebabs, middle eastern food. Suggestion - Murphy Westside burger (warning it's hot)
How I do the Dozen
Me and friends have always based our pubcrawl on the one I have listed below:
- The Didsbury
- Ye Olde Cock (the old cock)
- The Famous Crown (formally The Crown)
- The Royal Oak
- The Fletcher Moss (formally The Albert)
- The Nelson
- Fugu (formally Squires and The Clock Tower)
- The Dog and Partridge
- O'Neils
- The Station
- Hogshead (recent development)
- The Slug and Lettuce (formally ViaVita recent development)
You can change a couple things around and still end with the same basic route. If you want to include The Pitcher and Piano or the Pear Tree then you need to take out one or two of the last seven I listed.
If your getting the Train to Didsbury then you may want to include The Gateway at the start of the list. It is a 5 minute walk from The Didbury and Old Cock but its a nice pub and does good food.
The Official Didsbury Dozen
Below is the list of pubs in the correct order of how I think the original didsbury dozen began.
- The Woodstock Tavern
- The Barleycorn
- The Nelson
- Fugu (formally Squires and The Clock Tower)
- The Station
- O'Neils (or what it formarly was before)
- The Dog and Partridge
- The Fletcher Moss (formally The Albert)
- The Royal Oak
- The Famous Crown (formally The Crown)
- Ye Olde Cock (the old cock)
- The Didsbury
The Didsbury Dozen beginning/ending in Withington
Below is the list of pubs which include the popular Didsbury and the three Withington pub.
- The Didsbury
- Ye Olde Cock (the old cock)
- The Famous Crown (formally The Crown)
- The Royal Oak
- The Fletcher Moss (formally The Albert)
- The Nelson
- Fugu (formally Squires and The Clock Tower)
- The Dog and Partridge
- The Station
The Golden Lion- The Red Lion
The White Lion
You could of course reverse this order to start in Withington.
The Didsbury Dozen including the Four in Hand, The Metropolitan and the Railway
- The Didsbury
- Ye Olde Cock (the old cock)
- The Famous Crown (formally The Crown)
- The Royal Oak
- The Fletcher Moss (formally The Albert)
- The Nelson
- Fugu (formally Squires and The Clock Tower)
- The Dog and Partridge
- The Station
- The Four in Hand
- The Metropolitan
- The Railway
You could of course reverse this order.
All of the crawls that I have listed are simply suggestions. None are supposed to be the actual original Didsbury Dozen. I do not even know if there has ever been one list of pubs that began the whole thing.
Location of pubs
Railway
3 Lapwing Lane, M20 2WS
A tiny little pub situated near The Metropolitan and a good 10/15 minutes walk from Didsbury (might be just what you need). It has recently been refurbished. The beer is good but is quite expensive. As far as I am aware this place doesn't do food. It's really just a small Metropolitan.
The Gateway
882 Wilmslow, East Didsbury, M20 5PG
Although this pub is a bit out of the way I think it is a great place to start if you coming from that direction or if your getting the train to Didsbury. The Food is good and not too expensive. There is a large selection of beers and loads of seating. There is also outside seating for sunny days.
Metropolitan
2 Lapwing Lane, M20 2WS
Opposite The Railway. Used to be one of the biggest drug dealers hangouts in manchester. Since the refurb the place is a favourite for the young and wealthy. Large no-smoking area. Good food. Outside bar in summer. Sadly it is priced to keep the old regulars away. Nice for a meal but I wouldn't spend the whole night drinking here.
Woodstock
139 Barlow Moor Road, M20 2DY
Nearly opposite The Barleycorn. One of the oldest pubs in Didsbury. A huge victorian house with a large beer garden. Excellent food
Barleycorn
121 Barlow Moor Road, M20 2PU
Opposite the Woodstock Tavern in West Didsbury. It is a large pub with a cellar that opens up when it is busy. Think I have eaten in there but can't remember the food. Take what you like from that, but remember that the woodstock is always close by.
Nelson
3, Barlow Moor Rd, M20 6TN
A small pub I only visit when on this pub crawl. Full of regulars and you don't often find a seat in here. Quite a good selection of drinks. No food as far as I can remember.
Fugu
700 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DN
This place used to be Squires and more recently The Clock Tower and used to be full of rough types most of the time. It has just been reopened as Fugu, a Japanese restaurant with a smart bar downstairs. I will leave it in the guide for now and may update to avoid this place depending on just how smart and unwelcoming the bar at Fugu turns out to be.
Slug & Lettuce
651 Wilmslow Rd, M20 6QZ
Used to be ViaVita. Now it does great food. Has lots of seating inside and out. The bar is always well staffed and the prices replect the fact that there are a lot of staff. A nice place but not cheap.
Pear Tree
653 Wilmslow Road, M20 6QZ
Quite a small place with a bar that stretches the who length of the pub. Food is ok but nothing special. Beer is ok but nothing special. Gets quite busy at weekends. Nothing special.
Dog & Partridge
667 Wilmslow Road, M20 6RA
This pub looks great from the outside. There is always a list of it's current guest beers on the wall outside. The beer is great, although the place is quite small you should find a seat except at weekends. Never try to go for a quick wee in this place when it is busy. Getting to the toilet can take upwards of 5 minutes.
Piano & Pitcher
1D School Lane, M20 6SA
Really expensive and very trendy. If you fancy a posh night out with some cocktails then go here. If your after a cheap bite to eat and a pint of nice beer then go elsewhere. Nice stairs, there I said something nice about it.
Royal Oak
729 Wilmslow Road, M20 6WF
The Royal Oak sits in the middle of Didsbury Village. It is a very popular place and often has no seating available even though there is little standing space. Really good food here to go with the large selection of quality beers.
The Crown
770 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DR
An old fashioned pub, changed it's name a while back to 'The Famous Crown'. There is a large clock on the front of this pub which is an hour slow for half the year and often doesn't move at all. It's quite an old fashioned pub, low cealings and small toilets. Lots of old style high back seating too. The beer ain't too great here for what your paying. Drink one and move on.
Woodstock Tavern
139 Barlow Moor Road, M20 2DY
The Woodstock Tavern, five minutes from Didsbury Village if your walking. The pub has open fires, large rooms and a mixed group of drinkings. Excellent food but the place is on the pricey side so watch yourself if its your round.
Station Hotel
682 Wilmslow Rd M20 2DN
The Station is a thin building on the end of a row of shops. Small to look at and quite small inside. The place is quite deep so it's always worth looking to the back if your wanting a seat. Good beer and a good atmoshpere if you don't mind being surrounded by +40's. If you put this at the end of your crawl then you are always likely to end up chatting to a old guy about the war. It's called the Station because Didsbury train station was once situated opposite where the row of bars and pubs now sits.
The Didsbury
852 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury
A five minute walk from the village and a ten minute walk from The Gateway at East Didsbury. This place is a little on the expensive side if your planning on drinking there all night. It does amazing food and I often say it is more of a restaurant than a pub. A great beer garden just off the road. Packed in the summer.
The Old Cock
749 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury
A light airy pub. Similar in style to the 'its a scream' pubs. Large conservatory at the back which gets really hot in summer. Pool table, fruit machines galore and a massive bar where you never wait more than 5 minutes to get served. The food here is pretty standard bar food. Cheap and cheerful.
The Fletcher Moss
William Street, Didsbury
This pub is down the back of Didsbury on a street behind the Royal Oak. It has a large conservatory and lots of seating. The food is good and the beer is excellent. Well worth the detour off the route. This place is often busy as it has a large number of weekend regulars, they ofcourse get surved first.
O'Neils
Wilmslow Rd, Centre of Didsbury
The food in O'Neils isn't great but the portions are massive. Theres a pool table here and a massive screen. An Irish bar as you would expect it gets to the point of queueing at the weekends and the bouncers can often be really strict about what your wearing and how drunk you are. Oh and before I forget, no hats allowed.
Hogs Head
Wilmslow Rd, Centre of Didsbury
Cheap and cheerful food. Massive place with a no-smoking area. Large bar with a lot of staff. Quite cheap. Lots of seating. There also always seems to be a good atmosphere inside. Small amount of seating outside. Nice place.
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