A village pub hailed a "plane spotters’ paradise" has won a top award from real ale society CAMRA. The Railway Inn in Mobberley near Knutsford sits right at the end of Manchester Airport's runway 2 and has become a popular spot for aviation fans to watch the planes fly overhead.
But the pub is also a real hit with families thanks to its huge outdoor play area and wealth of garden seating. The pub even has a crown bowling green right next to the venue.
The Cheshire pub's owners are now celebrating winning the CAMRA “Spring Pub of the Season” award. Mystery CAMRA members paid visits to the pub to sample its pints which are supplied from local breweries Dunham Massey, Mobberley and Wincle.
Read more : The "fantastic" farm shop near Manchester Airport with huge play areas
And they were impressed not only with the standard of the ales, but the dedication of the family who run the business that swung the award in the pub’s favour. The Davies family own The Railway as a Freehouse and the pub has been run by landlords Tony and Lynda for 25 years.
The pub has been in their family since 1937, when Tony’s great aunt became the licensee.
While the pub is a plane spotters’ hangout, it also sits right opposite Mobberley railway station, which means drinkers organise real ale trails to the spot. Also the unique pub has its own crown bowling green with nine teams who play at the venue.
Foodies have taken a shine to the home fare on the menu all of which is cooked by landlady Lynda Davies. Lynda told CheshireLive : “The most popular is probably my home-made battered cod, which is delivered by a local fishmonger, and also the steak and kidney pies.”
The Davies family are now hoping that the award will increase business. Lynda added: “There aren't many pubs that actually accommodate families.
"We're quite lucky that when the weather's nice, people can sit outside. We get a lot of visitors because we've got about 20 tables outside.
"We've got a very big play area for the kids. So we tend to target families as our main business.”
George Symes, from Cheshire CAMRA, said: "The local group of volunteers from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, make awards to outstanding pubs in the East Cheshire area and the Railway is a particularly deserving recipient of a certificate as Spring Pub of the Season 2022.
"Good food is served and there is a choice of four hand-pumped cask ales from independent Cheshire brewers. On our recent visit, the Big Tree Bitter from local Dunham Massey Brewery was on particularly fine form."
The pub sits in the village of Mobberley which is known for it's wealth of great pubs including the award-winning The Church Inn which has been named Pub of the Year at national awards for three years running.
How to get there
The Railway Inn is on Station Road in Mobberley with the postcode for satnav WA16 6LA.
Mobberley Train Station is right across the road, with trains from Manchester Piccadilly via Altrincham every hour which take 42 minutes.
Food is served at the pub 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm Monday to Friday, 12pm to 9.30pm on Saturdays and 12pm to 7pm on Sundays.
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