September 2026. Barnsley. If put on the spot and asked to pick ONE (1) Barnsley pub, it would have been the Old No.7, Acorn’s flagship and the best place to drink the revived Barnsley Bitter. Not any more. Sold to Valiant in 2023, it still feels a cask pub, but today there’s a Tap Takeover… Continue reading ALL CHANGE AT BARNSLEY’S OLD No.7
MORE CULTURAL BARNSLEY !
September 2026. Barnsley. Back home from Kent, a man’s mind turns to exploration. In search of “recommended” pubs, I head to Greater Barnsley, which has all the life and vitality Huntingdon lacks. “Kooth” ? I’d just about caught up with “rad” and “sick” and the kidz invent another new word. There’s loads of youth about… Continue reading MORE CULTURAL BARNSLEY !
WHAT HAPPENED TO HUNTINGDON’S PUBS ?
September 2026. Huntingdon. It hardly mattered as I was about to drive Mrs RM home from Huntingdon station, but the stagnation of the pub scene (ugh) in what you’d assume to be an affluent Cambridgeshire market town is quite something. First appearances can be deceptive. Entry into town over the Great Ouse takes you past… Continue reading WHAT HAPPENED TO HUNTINGDON’S PUBS ?
IN SEARCH OF CROMWELL
September 2026. Huntingdon. I drove back from the in-laws to Waterbeach for a family funeral* on Wednesday morning, leaving Mrs RM to look after her father and then catch up on the train. Rather than hang about in Cambridge for 3 hours when I couldn’t drink anyway, I suggested Mrs RM just head up the… Continue reading IN SEARCH OF CROMWELL
A DECENT PINT OF MASTERBREW AT THE IN-LAWS’ LOCAL
September 2026. Southborough. Kent. Southborough lies betwixt Royal Tunbridge Wells and the more earthy Tonbridge, home to one of the UK’s top beer bloggers. The views into the Weald of Kent from my in-laws house are indeed bucolic, but Southborough itself is a one street, traffic scarred town, rescued only by the rambling common and… Continue reading A DECENT PINT OF MASTERBREW AT THE IN-LAWS’ LOCAL
MORE UNMISSABLE SIGHTS IN HEADCORN
September 2026. Headcorn. Kent. Only an hour in Headcorn, strategically tucked between Ashford, Maidstone, and Mrs RM (and Shane MacGowan’s) birthplace in Pembury. An hour is enough to visit the White Horse, walk the length of both sides of the High Street, and diligently bring your readers views of the Church Walk around St Peter… Continue reading MORE UNMISSABLE SIGHTS IN HEADCORN
TAKE THE STRAIGHT LINE TO HEADCORN
September 2026. Headcorn. Kent. We settled my father-in-law at the Queen Vic Hospital, the most notable thing about East Grinstead, in a room decorated with this painting of a cricket ground with the shortest boundary in Kent. Just as I always tell you that young people are great, and CAMRA does a marvellous job (but… Continue reading TAKE THE STRAIGHT LINE TO HEADCORN
AVOIDING THE MANCHESTER DERBY IN THE PANTILES
September 2026. Royal Tunbridge Wells. You can’t stay at the in-laws in (virtual) pub desert Southborough and not pop in to Tunbridge Wells, and I spent an hour on Sunday evening avoiding folk wanting to tell me Phil Foden had been sent off in the Manchester derby. The Pantiles seemed a tranquil place to avoid… Continue reading AVOIDING THE MANCHESTER DERBY IN THE PANTILES
“Do you still sell Courage ?” THE WHITE HART, GODSTONE
September 2026. Godstone. Surrey. Three nights in Royal Tunbridge Wells looking after the in-laws, with only a tiny bit of exploration. A rare visit to mysterious Tandridge district; north of Gatwick, south of the Croydon suburbs, west of Churchill’s home and the National Trust parkland. Oh, and very close to Titsey. 5,949 commuters souls, clustered… Continue reading “Do you still sell Courage ?” THE WHITE HART, GODSTONE
CHAT GPT KEEPS ME OUT OF THE CRIME STATISTICS IN LAKESIDE THURROCK
September 2026. Lakeside Thurrock. One of the few selling points for the Ibis in Thurrock, apart from being handing for Dartford Bridge, was proximity to Lakeside shopping centre and its attendant railway station with half-hourly trips to the East End. Just as well, as it’s about as well-pubbed as Carluke. I hadn’t quite clocked that… Continue reading CHAT GPT KEEPS ME OUT OF THE CRIME STATISTICS IN LAKESIDE THURROCK
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