I went on a pub crawl towards Aintree racecourse ahead of the Grand National

The Grand National kicks off today and many racegoers will be looking for the best pubs and bars in the area to enjoy a drink.

Walton Vale is only a 15 minute walk to Aintree racecourse and along this road you will find a fascinating selection of venues to enjoy a drink. It is home to many traditional pubs such as The Black Bull and The Windsor, both of which have welcomed customers through their doors for decades.

In recent years an array of quirky and independent bars have opened up on Walton Vale, making it one of the most popular areas in North Liverpool to meet up with family and friends for a drink.

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I visited Walton Vale on the weekend and enjoyed a pub crawl towards Aintree racecourse ahead of the Grand National Festival. I had a drink inside 7 different venues starting from The Windsor and ending at The Queens Arms which sits a stone's throw away from the home of the world's greatest steeplechase.

Every bar was in close proximity to the next and with every place visited leaving a different impression, it made for the perfect pub crawl to suit different tastes.

The Windsor

The first pub I visited was The Windsor. As one of the oldest pubs in the area, it has been a staple venue on the North Liverpool road for decades. It is always a popular place to visit and is often busy at any given time of the day.

With a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, The Windsor was the perfect place to kick-start the pub crawl. There are plenty of seating options throughout and a large beer garden to its rear. It is a great place to meet up with friends and there are many TV’s located around the pub for those wanting to watch sports.

There are a wide range of beers and spirits available here with various options on draft including Madri and Birra Moretti. Lined up behind the eye-catching bar were a large number of drinks with everything from apple flavoured sambuca to banana flavoured spiced rum on display.

Rooney's

Directly opposite the Windsor you will find Rooney's Sports Bar, one of the newest additions to Walton Vale and under new management the bar re-opened last month after a short closure.

This was the second stop on the pub crawl and was a very different experience to the previous pub. Steel tables and vibrant red and white striped seating gives Rooneys a unique American theme and sets it apart from other venues on the road.

There are two floors for customers to enjoy with three large booths downstairs and a couple of tables near the bar, upstairs is a small intimate seating area.

This was one of the quieter bars visited as there were only a small number of us in there. But that didn’t take anything away from the feel of the place, it was fun to pop in for a drink and setting me up for the rest of my day-drinking was the music blasting over the speakers.

The selection of drinks available on draft was one of the main things I noticed when at the bar, not only did they have a selection of beer available but cider, pale ale and Guinness were all available too.

The Vale Bar & Mo’s Bistro

This unassuming bar was the third stop on the pub crawl. It isn't the biggest venue but inside a homely feeling can be felt with warm lighting and cosy décor adding to its intrigue. It was definitely the quirkiest stop out of all the pubs I entered.

Despite its size The Vale Bar had plenty of personality, the walls adorned with eccentric memorabilia from vinyl's to posters and the ceiling draped with various flags. If you are looking for an intimate and welcoming spot this is the perfect place.

If one bar was to get you drunk on the pub crawl it would be this one. I had to this point stuck with only one drink in each venue but temptation soon hit. This bar has an abundance of different alcohol available including 'iconic Scouse drink' Aussie Whites and Vale lager.

This ended up being the only bar I got two drinks in with the large selection of Whitley Neil gins roping me in.

The Vale Bar is a cash only venue but there are cash machines along the road.

The Raven - JD Wetherspoon

I intended to continue my run of independent bars but by the time I left the third pub I was starting to feel hungry and with a cheap and affordable Wetherspoon's across the road it was a no brainer.

With no music playing this was the perfect chance to sit and talk before continuing the pub crawl. It turned out to be a welcome rest between the run of bars.

I didn't want a full meal so I shared 3 small plates with my boyfriend, chicken strips, halloumi fries and chips which came to a reasonable £14.95.

This is a small Wetherspoon's and at times it is difficult to get a seat in here especially if there are big events happening, so food may not always be an option but you can never go wrong with a quick drink here.

There are a lot of places to get a quick bite to eat along Walton Vale with takeaways and small restaurants dotted along the road.

The Cove bar

This was the busiest bar I visited and the reason for its popularity was obvious, for only a small venue there was a lot going on and seats were hard to come by. There were TV's showing sport and it had a clean and modern interior with a floral wall standing out.

This is one of many modern bars breathing life into Walton Vale again and looking at the customers it has definitely succeeded at attracting people from different generations.

Although it was the smallest bar visited it had the best atmosphere of them all. It was booming in here with people in high spirits singing and dancing.

The Cove bar was the most memorable stop of the pub crawl and with the energetic mood inside I can see why it has become one of the most popular places to drink in the area.

The Black Bull

Finishing my run of pubs along Walton Vale was The Black Bull. After enjoying many of the modern bars the area had to offer, it was an interesting shift of atmosphere walking into one of the oldest pubs on the street.

Being the most old-fashioned venue on the pub crawl it naturally had a very traditional feel to it. But it is a characterful pub which has most of the finishes you’d expect from a pub of its kind including a large pool table, patterned carpet and old wooden tables.

No drink on the Vale would have been complete without a visit to The Black Bull. A live singer was on when I visited over the weekend with many customers still enjoying all the pub has to offer.

The Queens Arms

Leaving Walton Vale behind and heading down Longmoor Lane, the last stop of the pub crawl was The Queens Arms which is close to the main entrance of the race course.

This is a spacious pub with no shortage of seating options including an outdoor sitting area. There is a room with pool tables and dart boards which provides the perfect activity to end the pub crawl.

Given its location you can expect this pub to be full of life across the three days of racing. The huge bar sits in the centre of the pub and allows room for a lot of people to be served.

The best thing about pub crawls is they work in both directions. If you are heading out after a day at the races you can make your way down to Walton Vale from the Queens Arms.

I wouldn't hesitate to return to Walton Vale for a night out as it had everything you would expect from more popular drinking areas of Liverpool such as the city centre or Lark Lane. And with a mixture of old and new establishments it strikes the perfect balance for all generations.

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