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 Hart, 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
STREET DRINKING AND SUB-£5 PINTS IN LONDON
September 2026. Limehouse. East London. A gorgeous hour* in east London, even if the new pub in Stepney deserted me. “Walking round London is one of the greatest things on earth. And it’s free” I wrote when I was last here eight years ago, when the Clement Atlee was called Craft Beer Co (which confused… Continue reading STREET DRINKING AND SUB-£5 PINTS IN LONDON
ALE(X) in STEPNEY
September 2026. Stepney. East London. A long trip down south for a dear friend’s funeral and some hospital trips at the in-laws, broken up with a night just shy of the Dartford Tunnel. Can you really say you’ve lived if you’ve never been to Lakeside Thurrock shopping centre ? It’s half an hour walk to… Continue reading ALE(X) in STEPNEY
REASONS TO VISIT DEWSBURY No. 2 – NEHARI AT DESI NASHTA
September 2026. Dewsbury. It’s worth coming to Dewsbury just for the Refreshment Rooms, of course, but just as instructive to wander round a former mill town of 61,035 souls on a weekday, wonder how long the artwork has been on display, and see barely another soul in a town of commanding architecture. Halifax looked a… Continue reading REASONS TO VISIT DEWSBURY No. 2 – NEHARI AT DESI NASHTA
TOP 100 PUBS – WEST RIDING REFRESHMENT ROOMS, DEWSBURY STATION
September 2026. Dewsbury. A Top 100 pub, but also a Top 5 “hour spent in the pub”, except it was probably only 37 minutes. Yes, it’s Dewbury, the land that time forgot, tucked away in that triangle formed by the M62 and the M1, outshone by the honeypots of Liversedge, Ossett and a mysterous place… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – WEST RIDING REFRESHMENT ROOMS, DEWSBURY STATION
ALL ROADS LEAD TO MIRFIELD
September 2026. Mirfield. Your thoughts and prayers requested as I face three (3) nights of post-surgical support at the in-laws in Kent, with zero new GBG entries to entertain me in Tonbridge. Even shorter posts than usual to follow. I’m sure I’ll be looking at some creative rail trips to tick those new Guide pubs,… Continue reading ALL ROADS LEAD TO MIRFIELD
retiredmartin 