We failed the Didsbury Dozen, so that you can complete it

As we moved into our final year house, it suddenly dawned on us we’d never completed one of Manchester’s most famous pub crawls: The Didsbury Dozen. Technically we still haven’t completed it, but more on that later. If you haven’t tried it already, consider this both a warning and guide on how you can expect things to go.

One Tuesday, we readied ourselves for 12 pubs in some of South Manchester’s more appealing boozers. To make things a little more interesting, we found every free pint we could online and forced every drinker into two different lagers, ciders, ales, and stouts throughout the night.

Spirits were riding high as we each collected a free Moretti in The Didsbury, thanks to an online promo. However, this didn’t last long following a lengthy wait for some pub grub at the neighbouring Ye Olde Cock Inn. After an already delayed start, this set us on a path for failure. But we powered on.

It was then time to hit the main drag of East Didsbury. First up was The Famous Crown with another free pint of Moretti, which gave everyone’s bank balance some seriously false hopes about the rest of the night. It got a bit touch and go at one point as one of us had an apparent allergic reaction to a pint of cider. Sneezing fit over, we tried to make up for lost time.

The Royal Oak and another stout was next up. Whilst we had a great atmosphere in the Man City regulars pub for the England vs. Scotland game, the Guinness was sadly under-par.

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Making a beeline off the high street, it was a trip to the only pub on the crawl we’d ventured into before. A bit like Friendship’s older brother, The Fletcher Moss has a great atmosphere and even better beer garden. Sadly, it was time for an ale which was well received by absolutely no one. We quickly moved on to The Nelson to wash out the taste with a refreshing Strongbow.

With yet another cider-related allergic reaction, we moved onto what was arguably the most disappointing pub of the night, The Dog and Partridge.

Coming in at a whopping £5.70 for an Asahi, I was able to drag out my favourite line, “I’ve had cheaper pints in London”. Some free cheese and biscuits on offer were a small consolation for the dairy lovers amongst us.

In contrast, The Dockyard was a pleasant surprise with my first ever Snakebite going down a treat. We didn’t stay for long as time was quickly slipping away, but the large TV screens and cheaper prices were a winner.

We arrived at The Station in time for last orders which really made our time keeping errors sink in. The amount of Guinness signage outside meant only one option. A great pint whilst we discussed the entirely impossible logistics of getting to West Didsbury at 11.30pm to finish the last couple of pubs.

We instead accepted defeat, cut our losses, and made the most of a well needed cocktail in Southside. I’m sure we’ll venture into West Didsbury one night soon to complete the last three stops and give ourselves some closure. If you attempt the dozen at some point (you should), take our advice; start early, drink quickly, prepare the bank account, and don’t have a cider allergy.

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