I’ve been visiting a few of the pubs new to the Beer Guide on a trip to Bristol. I’m more convinced than ever that beer quality is being sacrificed in the name of choice and variety, and that this will have bad consequences for real ale in the long run. Firstly, Bristol is an increasingly… Continue reading QUALITY v QUANTITY IN BRISTOL
Month: August 2015
COV
Coventry is one of those cities, like Stoke, that the rest of the UK seem to miss the merits of. I must visit Cov twice a year, though it’s 15 years since I last saw football there. I’m spending a day there now with Mrs RM, waiting for our boys to exhaust their brains at… Continue reading COV
GOOD BEER GUIDE 2016
My favourite day of the year is the day the new Beer Guide arrives. That may be sad but I really enjoy looking through a new guide to see the annual changes and the trends they reflect. The 2016 Guide arrived today quite a bit earlier than usual. It’s officially launched in mid September and… Continue reading GOOD BEER GUIDE 2016
THE DUKERIES
Yesterday I made an early morning trip to Hazel Grove using a slight variation on one of my many routes (A1/M62 and A14/M1/A50 are least disliked). I don’t use SatNav, but a quick look at Google Maps showed that because of A1 delays a trip from Elkesley to Bolsover, and then through the Peak, would… Continue reading THE DUKERIES
BLUE MOON
To celebrate City’s latest win at Everton, last night I walked to one of Cambridge’s newest pub gems, though by no means a new pub. The Blue Moon is the latest venture by Cambridge real ale legends Terri and Jethro, who also run the famed Cambridge Blue round the corner, and an excellent village pub in nearby… Continue reading BLUE MOON
A LUNCHTIME DRINK
While the main point of retiring was to explore, I’d also been looking forward to a few lunchtime pints in Cambridge pubs, with loads of Dickens loaded on Kindle to finally read. In reality I’ve only spent a half-dozen or so lunchtimes in town, but today I decided to see how our city centre pubs… Continue reading A LUNCHTIME DRINK
BACK TO BOGNOR
Finally managed to get the family camping this summer, a couple of nights near lovely Bognor. I can recommend Ecclesden Farm in Angmering for a cheap, picturesque site. It’s a working farm 10 minutes walk from an excellent pub (Spotted Cow) and 20 from a train connection with the rest of Sussex. I reckon the… Continue reading BACK TO BOGNOR
BRITISH TOURISM BOOM
Judging by how busy many of our coastal resorts have been on recent visits (Hastings stood out), Britain is going through a tourism boom. Whether this is due to pensioners taking more short breaks out of season, better weather (?) or good promotion, one consequence seems to be less budget hotels available at discount prices.… Continue reading BRITISH TOURISM BOOM
DARLO
I’ve just made an overdue overnight trip to Darlington, a Durham market town which I’ve always had unreasonable affection for, largely based on the atmospheric Feethams ground and some excellent pubs. 3 new entries in the Beer Guide, the first changes in some time, and a newish cheap Travelodge made my mind up. To be… Continue reading DARLO
BERLIN IN 80 BEERS
As I left Berlin the local paper was reporting continued rapid growth in tourism to the city, now only behind London and Paris in Europe. An astonishing number of outdoor cafes and beer gardens were certainly thriving this week. This was my second visit; on the first in 2011 I covered the central tourist area… Continue reading BERLIN IN 80 BEERS
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