Get yourself down on a sunny day and Mobberley is a lovely place to walk around, with loads of farms, greenery, little country cottages and pretty much all the stuff you used to see on Last of the Summer Wine.
I would suggest that you bring some comfy shoes with you – preferably some Air Max 95 or something else with an air bubble because there is a fair bit of walking involved.
Okay so we’re going to start off at the railway station – assuming that you’ve travelled here from town. It doesn’t take long on the manky train, perhaps one tin of Stella’s worth of time. Luckily for anyone who is lazy, the first stop is right next to the platform…
Railway Inn
If you could envision in your mind’s eye the most English pub imaginable – the Railway Inn would be it. I don’t want that to sound negative because it is in fact a very good compliment and the Railway is indeed a very good pub. It’s the kind of place where you’d find Peggy Mitchell behind the bar, pulling ice cold pints and grabbing a couple of packets of Seabrook for you to rip open and share at your table. It’s a proper countryside pub so there’ll more than likely be the odd dog sitting in front of the log fire and there’s a shit load of horse brass all over the walls. I must admit to not having chance to eat here yet but they offer quite an impressive menu of all the classics including pies, hot pot and of course – a lovely bit of gammon.
Railway Inn, 2 Station Rd, Knutsford WA16 6LA
www.railwayinnpub.com/
Once you’ve sunk a couple of pints in the brilliant beer garden of the Railway it’s time to take a walk towards the centre of Mobberley. There’s a couple of roads you can take, but if we do this properly and make our route a circle, head down Station Road and down Hobcroft Lane.
The walk is lovely, although you should probably be careful of any rogue geese that are knocking about – those fuckers can bite. Down Hobcroft Lane there’s a brilliant abandoned house which is good to have a look around, it’s all boarded up but you can still get around the back and into the little adjoining outhouse/barn thing. Just be careful and don’t break anything.
The Mobberley Brewhouse
At the end of Hobcroft Lane take a right onto Church Lane and you’ll soon find yourself at the brilliant Mobberley Brewhouse, a fully-fledged beer brewery where it’s pretty easy to organise a piss up. The tap room is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and so you’d be a bit of an idiot if you didn’t nip in and give some of their tasty ales a try. They’re the sort of beers that all those cyclists enjoy – IPA’s, Session Ales and Porters which I don’t really know enough about to start explaining to you here. I did have one that was really nice and went down a treat though – I think it was called SideKick which is a ‘New World Pale’ whatever that means.
The Mobberley Brewhouse – Brewery, Tap & Shop, Church Ln, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7RA
mobberleybrewhouse.co.uk/
Church Inn
This place is a proper mega pub with enough bells and whistles to satisfy anyone from the big city. There’s a massive selection of gin, wine and booze as well as a lovely beer garden out back which looks like something out of an Alan Titchmarsh wet dream. Inside an it’s all rustic, dark and cosy – with some proper period features and big comfy sofas. The food here is also a winner, with a massive menu of seasonal (and local) dishes available every day. Their roast beef dinners are legendary and their cheese board is usually full of proper Cheshire zingers – perfect alongside some pickle, shit loads of crackers and a massive flagon of gin.
The Church Inn, Church Ln, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7RD
churchinnmobberley.co.uk
Mobberley CC
As you walk down the windy Church Lane you might be lucky enough to catch a bit of cricket at the cricket club, and so there’s no better excuse to have a seat in the sun and enjoy a few bevvies while blokes in white jumpers rub balls on their crotch. There’s a cracking little bar inside the club house where you can get yourself a few gins and it’s mega cheap too. I can’t guarantee that the cricket will be any good, or that you won’t get a corky banged straight into your mush, but there’s nothing more English than having a drink and watching the cricket in the sun.
Mobberley CC, Church Ln, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7RD
01565 873845
Carry on down Church Lane and you’ll get to the Mobberley Victory Memorial Club which I’ve never been in because I’m scared and I think you need to be a member anyway. If you don’t – someone tell me because I would like to go in and give it the once over. They’ve got a few snooker tables, a bowling green and I can imagine – a cracking little bar with some cheeky house doubles on offer.
If you fancy a proper big walk (and have loads of time to spare) you can take a left here and head on down Hall Lane where you will find the excellent Bird in Hand, as well as The Frozen Mop which I’ve not been to but have heard is a great little country boozer too.
Anyway, take a right and head further into Mobberley proper and you’ll come to a weird sort of ‘pub square’ where you’ll find the Bull’s Head and the Roebuck.
Bull’s Head
This place can get proper busy when the sun is out – mostly due to the huge beer garden out front, where you’ll find yourself drinking some weird local gin and tucking into some of their excellent pub grub. Like most boozers you find in the countryside, the Bull’s Head has pretty much everything you could ever desire all under one roof – the food is excellent, they’ve always got a load of drinks on the pour and everyone is nice and friendly and happy to have a chat. There’s not much else to say – except perhaps to give their Fish and Chips a try – my mate says that they always go on about it and it’s very, very good.
The Bulls Head, Mill Ln, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7HX
thebullsheadpub.co.uk
Roebuck
Directly opposite the Bull’s Head, the Roebuck offers a slightly more refined experience in terms of pub related activity, as well as what looks like a rather splendid hotel experience with some rooms upstairs. As you’d expect there’s a big beer garden, and inside is lovely and cosy and well decked out. This is also a great place for anyone who enjoys a sip of cider, and they also serve up that brilliant new Inedit Damm beer from Spain which I highly recommend to anyone. Finally, their menu has everything you could ever desire including a spectacular Roebuck Bistro Board which is packed full of tasty morsels and is perfect for sharing outside.
The Roebuck, Mill Ln, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7HX
roebuckinnmobberley.co.uk/
By this point in our trek we were pretty sozzled and it was dangerously close to the arrival of our train. From here it’s a bit of a walk to the train station through the village of Mobberley proper and back up Broadoak Lane. If you miss the train though, don’t worry – just get yourself back in the Railway and have a few more until the next one arrives.
