The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is back with another Winter Warmer Wander trail this year.

Running from Friday 14 November until Sunday 28 December, this popular trail features 65 participating pubs across Greater Manchester, including many in the Stockport area.

And the pubs will be offering a range of winter stouts,  porters,  old ales and  barley wines for participants to try.

Several will be stocking Robinsons' classic Old Tom, and others will have Plum Porter and Plum Pudding from the likes of Titanic and JW Lees respectively.

To officially take part, visitors must collect stickers from at least 12 different pubs and drink at least half a pint of a cask winter ale each.

Participants who pick up 24, 36 or all 65 can also pick up some bespoke garments embroidered with the ale trail logo.

They'll also be entered into a draw for a case of 12 bottles of beer.

In any case, all successful entrants will receive cans or bottles including one of Robinsons' Old Tom barley wine.  

Robinsons' award winning barley wine Old Tom will be in stock at several participating pubs (Image supplied)

Among the Stockport borough pubs taking part are the Crown in Heaton Mersey (Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA's pub of the year), the Three Tunnes in Hazel Grove, the Church Inn in Cheadle Hulme, the Royal Oak in Cheadle, and the Duke of York and Blossoms, both in Heaviley.

Several Robinsons pubs in the centre of Stockport are also involved; they are the Bakers Vaults, Red Bull, Arden Arms and the Swan with Two Necks. All of the aforementioned pubs will be offering Old Tom, Robinsons' multi-award winning Barley Wine.

Meanwhile, you'll find Plum Porter at the Red Lion in Cheadle (Titanic), and Plum Pudding at the Pointing Dog in Cheadle Hulme and the Elizabethan in Heaton Moor (JW Lees).

Further still, you'll find qualifying beers from independent micro-breweries in other free houses in and around the town centre, such as the Crown on Heaton Lane, The Magnet on Wellington Road North and the Petersgate Tap.

Independent breweries will also feature in the Calvert's Court in Stockport and The Wilfred Wood in Hazel Grove, as well as at the Norfolk Arms in Marple Bridge. Also in Marple Bridge, the community-owned Northumberland Arms and 2024 CAMRA Greater Manchester Pub of the Year will once again be taking part.

Another community-owned pub involved is the Olde Vic in Edgeley, close to the railway station.  

Local micro pubs on the trail include the Mounting Stone in Bramhall, the Chiverton Tap in Cheadle Hulme, Reddish Ale in Reddish, the Samuel Oldknow in Marple, the Wobbly Stamp in Cheadle, the Beer Shop in Heaton Moor, and the award-winning Heaton Hops in Heaton Chapel.  

Another trail venue, the Steelworks micropub in Bredbury, is organising a free minibus shuttle involving several WWW pubs (and some others) on Saturday 6th December.

Find details on taking part on the relevant CAMRA webpage here.

Organiser Sue Lightfoot said: "Once again, the Winter Warmer Wander provides a bit of a fun challenge to win prizes in the run-up to Christmas. The number of excellent, independently-brewed winter ales to be found in our local pubs is astonishing, and I'm sure you will find something to tickle the taste buds.  

"Not only can you visit familiar haunts, but there is also plenty of opportunity to seek out unfamiliar bars, pubs and taps which you may want to return to in the future. Pubs have been facing a rough few years, so please go out in record-breaking numbers once again and support the pubs involved in the trail."

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