Briercliffe / Burnley Road (Haggate, Briercliffe and Harle Syke)
Nestling at the top end of Burnley between the town proper and Nelson is a decent pub
crawl. Down Burnley Road and then Briercliffe Road, which passes through Haggate, Briercliffe and Harle Syke before
it connects up with Colne Road at Duke Bar, you will find several pubs which offer between them a variety of real ale.
Fortunately I was recently able to visit four in the company of our local researcher, Becko, on a Friday night before a
home game in August 2002, thus rectifying a glaring omission in this guide.
You are a long way from Turf Moor up here, so this is not really an option before the match.
But if you're up for the weekend, the area is definitely worth a visit. The walk from town's a bit much,
but you can catch a bus up or, for not much brass, get a cab. I'd start with the Hare and Hounds
up the hill and then work my way down, stopping at the Sun opposite, then the
Commercial further down the hill and then the Craven Heifer after that.
From there you could carry on, but I know little. Apparently the Black Bull on the corner of Marsden Road
sells beer, but I've never had a chance to call in, while further down near the hospital you'll find beer-free pubs
such as the Baltic Fleet. Carry on to the end of Briercliffe Road, and you're on Colne Road heading towards the town centre.
Click here for a map of Burnley centring on the area covered by this crawl.
Hare and Hounds
Corner of Halifax Road and Todmorden Road
This is reckoned to be a bit of a food pub. It sits in a nice spot at the top of the hill.
Inside there's a lounge and a room with a pool table. Of two hand pumps one was in use on my visit.
Unfortunately only Tetley's was available, and it wasn't a great pint.
The Hare and Hounds, 1 Halifax Road, Burnley BB10 3QH.
Tel 01282 423268.
Click here for a map.
Sun
Corner of Burnley Road and Nelson Road, opposite the Hare and Hounds.
Across the road is this small pub, with a small, dark bar. It was busy on my visit. They had available
Greene King IPA and Boddington's. Greene King IPA is
pretty rare for these parts, but as I get enough of it, I had a pint of Boddington's, which was perfectly decent.
On that basis, it was worth calling in .
The Sun, 1 Burnley Road, Burnley BB10 2JJ.
Tel 01282 428785.
Click here for a map.
The Commercial
Briercliffe Road
This is a big pub, although it was pretty empty on my Friday night visit.
It's a rare local outlet for Hydes brewery, being one of two
pubs this fine Manchester institution has in the town.
(The other is the Grey Mare on Gannow Lane.) They only have on Hydes bitter, a
traditional, properly bitter pint. It's on electric pump, as you will sometimes find in Hyde's pubs, but it's real
enough. Unfortunately it was just on the turn when I called in, drinkable but veering towards the vinegary.
My local researcher rates this pub highly, however, and has had some good pints in here. It's also cheap.
The pub consists of one large room, and there is some nice tiling.
The Commercial, 446 Briercliffe Rd, Burnley BB10 2HA.
Tel 01282 428823.
Click here for a map.
Becko's Burnley boozer of the month, July 2002
Craven Heifer
Briercliffe Road
Now this place was a real surprise, and a pleasant one. I had been told the best I could get was
Tetley's, but they had Timothy Taylor's Landlord on when
I called in, and it was good. The pub was crowded on a Friday night. It's a short walk down from the Commercial.
The Craven Heifer, 376 Briercliffe Road, Burnley BB10 2HA.
Tel 01282 424292.
Click here for a map.
