The Real Ale Trail runs from Spring to Autumn across Wales and the Wirral, allowing participants to visit rural pubs and enjoy some decent beer. And good news for 2019, the trails are expanding into Cheshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and South Devon. So, if you like real ale and fancy a day out, why not catch the trail bus?
This year, The Real Ale Trail will be offering trips around Caernarfon, Wrexham and Shropshire in April; Conwy in May; Snowdonia, Wirral, Flintshire and Cheshire in June; Wyre Forest in July; and South Devon and Vale of Glamorgan in September.
‘Ale Trailers’ can buy an unlimited bus ticket (usually about £15 each), which allows them to visit eight to ten pubs, between 11am and 11pm. The buses run on a circular route, usually arriving every 30 to 45 minutes at each venue, and participants may start and finish at any pub on the route.
The trails vary each time but usually offer 50 real ales to try and some home-cooked food, as well as the chance to enjoy a car-free day out with friends whilst visiting somewhere new. This year’s trips will take in everything from traditional village pubs to local microbreweries and specialist craft bars.
Each trail is different and the routes never stay the same. These ‘moving real ale festivals’ attract people from all over the UK, and are a great way to discover some rural pub gems.
The Real Ale Trail was set up eight years ago to support rural pubs and by extension their community (staff, accommodation providers, food producers, and microbreweries). After the smoking ban, and with the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets, the British pub was coming under threat, and The Real Ale Trail Company’s mission is to reintroduce/introduce participants to some of the best rural pubs.
When: April – September 2019
Where: Across Wales, the Wirral, Cheshire, Shropshire, Worcester and South Devon
£: Tickets cost £15 in advance and £18 on the day
More info: realaletrail.co.uk
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