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
ON SKINNINGROVE BEACH
April 2026. Skinningrove. North Yorkshire. It wasn’t until the last few years of Beer Guide completion that I really got to appreciate the Scottish coastline, but I always assumed 30 years of ticking meant I knew most of our seaside villages. But apparently not. A night in the campervan in a car park in Loftus… Continue reading ON SKINNINGROVE BEACH
THEAKSTON IN THE ROYAL GEORGE, STAITHES
April 2026. Staithes. North Yorkshire. I took this picture of Staithes High Street on a dreich day in 2017, when we oddly walked past the Royal George, oblivious to its GBG pre-emptive potential. And this one last Thursday. You get a better picture of the cobbles in the first one, so I’ll keep that in.… Continue reading THEAKSTON IN THE ROYAL GEORGE, STAITHES
STUNNING STAITHES
April 2026. Staithes. North Yorkshire. One of the best stretches of coastline anywhere, I reckon. From Scarborough all the way round to the edge of Middlesbrough, with Whitby the big tourist draw and Staithes and Robin Hoods Bay the day trips. Not much has changed since our last Staithes stagger in 2017, they still haven’t… Continue reading STUNNING STAITHES
EYE OF THE TIGER
April 2026. Easington. North Yorkshire. Mrs RM declined my offer of a night in a a campervan in a Cleveland car park, her loss. Two hours later I’m at the coast, “I can see the seaside !“, and planning blog titles for the Tiger in tiny Easington (pop. 400). I’m expecting it to be full… Continue reading EYE OF THE TIGER
A BUS TO THE BROADFIELD
April 2026. Sheffield. Something very heavy on the brain seemed to lift after Dad’s house sale completed, though we’ll still be popping down to Waterbeach to see him, no longer needing to sleep in an empty Sunnyside. Mrs RM presses on with her blog, inbetween planning Spring trips to Armenia (there may only be enough… Continue reading A BUS TO THE BROADFIELD
THE BASS ROOM IN THE CROWN
April 2026. Stockport. Back at Stockport Travelodge (£37.99, wouldn’t buy a pie, pint and programme at the Emirates) after the game I decided I wasn’t paying a fiver for WiFi, and the only watchable thing on the telly was “The Story of the Bee Gees“. Did you know they’re named after a famous UK band… Continue reading THE BASS ROOM IN THE CROWN
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