April 2026. Skipton. Last week we went to Skipton again. Three (3) reasons; a re-opened GBG new entry to tick, a blog post series idea to explore, and a pork pie to audit. In 2022 I had declared Stanforths the best pork pie in England, but a recent change of ownership (if not name) had… Continue reading THE SKIPTON PORK PIE AUDIT
APRIL ’26 STOCKTAKE + MAY PREVIEW
One of the most exciting travel months for a while, with a Big Day Out in Tutbury the highlight, as we finally, finally, complete the sale of the family house. Sixty (60) different pubs in a month, that’s nearly two a day, surely ? A few old classics in that list. Sunnyside looked a picture… Continue reading APRIL ’26 STOCKTAKE + MAY PREVIEW
SALFORD BRIDGE
April 2026. Salford. Greater Manchester’s pubs complete, I headed back to Wigan Wallgate, ignoring the lure of the Bass in the Swan & Railway, and joining a group of bewildered young women on a train heading to Todmorden via Victoria. “Where’s Todmorden ?“ “Never heard of it !“ “Somewhere near Blackburn ?“ What do they… Continue reading SALFORD BRIDGE
THE LONG ROAD TO WIGAN PIER
April 2026. Wigan. My final Greater Manchester GBG26 newbie is a good couple of miles west of town, and which man doesn’t want a 45 minute slog through industrial wasteland and retail parks to an industrial estate brewery tap. Despite being in one of the world’s great pub towns, I decided on moderation, and had… Continue reading THE LONG ROAD TO WIGAN PIER
SOMETHING BREWING IN WIGAN
April 2026. Wigan. Another weekend, another trip to Manchester, but this time for a rare Saturday gig. Not that the lack of football means Piccadilly is any quieter, Platform 14 showcasing the nation’s favourite train beers. Perhaps. A change from a train at Platform 14, toward Blackpool rather than Liverpool, though you wouldn’t notice the… Continue reading SOMETHING BREWING IN WIGAN
GUISBOROUGH – AN OLD PRIORY AND A NEW INDUSTRIAL ESTATE TICK
April 2026. Guisborough. North Yorkshire. This next “pub” had been irritating me for a year or more with its Friday and Saturday 3pm-7pm hours, but you take the rough with the smooth as a GBG ticker, and Guisborough is a nice little saunter in the sun. The priory grounds are free to wander, and picnic,… Continue reading GUISBOROUGH – AN OLD PRIORY AND A NEW INDUSTRIAL ESTATE TICK
SLOW TOURISM IN SKELTON-IN-CLEVELAND
April 2026. Skelton-in-Cleveland. North Yorkshire. By noon last Friday I’d clocked up 16k of steps, almost enough to wipe out a third Thursday night’s crispy beef calories, and I still had 3 hours to waste away before my straggler of a GBG “pub” opened. So let’s explore Skelton (pop. 6,535, similar to Waterbeach), one of… Continue reading SLOW TOURISM IN SKELTON-IN-CLEVELAND
THE SEASIDE NEAR TEESSIDE
April 2026. Saltburn-by-the-Sea. I visited the Cleveland coast in last weekend’s heatwave, or at least that’s what it felt like with the radiant heat stronger than the air temperature. My irritating 3pm GBG opener (go on, guess what it is) meant half a day to kill by the seaside, admiring Saltburn’s floral displays, the odd… Continue reading THE SEASIDE NEAR TEESSIDE
LOFTUS – THE CHEEK OF IT !
April 2026. Loftus. North Yorkshire. As an old Cleveland mining town with a population about the size of Waterbeach, Loftus didn’t promise much more than a couple of cheery micropubs, and the run of boarded up shops and chippies where the A174 meets the old station road is grim. But walk east up the hill… Continue reading LOFTUS – THE CHEEK OF IT !
MAD ALICE’S BAR
April 2026. Loftus. North Yorkshire. I’d picked unsung Loftus for my campervan overnighter as it was free, a short bus ride to Staithes, and had a new GBG entry to tick. Sadly that was shut on Thursday, but next door Mad Alice’s was just opening, and I wasn’t going anywhere else. I outed myself as… Continue reading MAD ALICE’S BAR
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