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
INSIDE SHEFFIELD’S FUSTIEST SPOONS
September 2026. Sheffield. With the new Good Beer Guide about to drop (ugh), and a big trip this weekend I didn’t want to go chasing lone GBG 26 entries these last few days. But as you’ll know my brain doesn’t respond well to being denied daily stimulation, or my legs exercise, so I trotted down… Continue reading INSIDE SHEFFIELD’S FUSTIEST SPOONS
THE SET LUNCH MENU AT THE ABEL HEYWOOD
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
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