September 2026. Manchester. Catching up with Mrs RM in Manchester after our respective trips I really wanted a proper meal, on a plate, with a pint, in a glass, in a pub. Sometimes pub food in Manchester can mean pizza or bao buns or crisps, which is why the Abel Heywood is such a gem.… Continue reading THE SET LUNCH MENU AT THE ABEL HEYWOOD
“Meet me at the Piccadilly Tap”
September 2026. Manchester. Early September is always an odd time for this #PubMan, with the new Good Beer Guide about to drop* (ugh), a recovery period after the annual music festival down in Dorset, and the change in the weather putting elderly parents at increased risk. While I spent 4 days walking between stages either… Continue reading “Meet me at the Piccadilly Tap”
TOP PUB STOPS ON THE M1. THE QUEEN’S HEAD, MARKFIELD, J.22
September 2026. Markfield. Leicestershire. I wasn’t looking forward to the long slog home from Dorset on Monday morning. For a start, the campervan battery had been judged “marginal” by KwikFit, and with Mrs RM A.W.O.L. in Prague I faced using her step-by-step guide to a restart if it had drained again*. It can be chaotic… Continue reading TOP PUB STOPS ON THE M1. THE QUEEN’S HEAD, MARKFIELD, J.22
END OF THE ROAD 2026. SUNDAY – THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
September 2026. End of the Road. Dorset. Four days on Cranborne Chase, 1% of my whole year, and again the time flies by, a “festival marking the passing of time“, as James sagely noted last year. I’m here to discover new music, eat too much, and make withering comments about heritage acts (Pulp, Oasis, Sophis… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. SUNDAY – THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
END OF THE ROAD 2026. SATURDAY – FROM ERUPCIA TO SHENANDOAH
September 2026. End of the Road. Dorset. A dry End of the Road ’26 in every sense. Taking a break from all but the strongest of the craft IPAs, instead hitting the fruit smoothies hard each morning. The winner was, obviously, the Kale, Spinach, Peach and Banana smoothie (NSSS 4), which accompanied me to see… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. SATURDAY – FROM ERUPCIA TO SHENANDOAH
END OF THE ROAD 2026. FRIDAY – MICROTONAL MATH ROCK
September 2026. End of the Road Festival. Dorset. 2025 saw a biblical deluge at End of the Road; this year we had the last heatwave of the year and a campervan turned into a sauna as I returned for my daily snooze mid-afternoon. Still, it gets cold on Cranborne Chase overnight. Mrs RM had packed… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. FRIDAY – MICROTONAL MATH ROCK
END OF THE ROAD 2026. THURSDAY – GETTING OUR GEESE IN A ROW
September 2026. Cranborne Chase. Dorset. Pubs and football and Chinese takeaways are all well and good, but it’s people who really interest me. Take the people Mrs RM and I brought into the world. What explains Matthew’s musical taste compared to mine (or James’s) ? Why’s he wearing a Townes Van Zandt t-shirt in 2026… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. THURSDAY – GETTING OUR GEESE IN A ROW
DUSTON, DONE & DUSTED
September 2026. Duston. Northampton. You left me in the Squirrels in Duston, having volunteered to leave the pub (kitchen closed by 8) in search of food for James, Matt and Emma. And they thought Oates was a hero in 1912. Five steps across the road lies the quaintly named “Duston Village Chippy“, whose stock is… Continue reading DUSTON, DONE & DUSTED
TO THE END OF THE ROAD. VIA DUSTON
September 2026. Sheffield to Northampton. Yes ! I’m alive, just back from four (4) days without internet (unless you stand in a field of sheep in Cranborne Chase). Lots of exciting music reviews from End of the Road ’26 to come, but first, and most excitingly, a night in the western suburbs of Northampton. Calm… Continue reading TO THE END OF THE ROAD. VIA DUSTON
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