retiredmartin

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 a video game event at the Ricoh.  This has allowed me to visit a single new entry to the Guide, an Ember inn that wouldn’t get near the guide in Cambridge or Manchester.

Cov has a stunning central area, if you ignore the 1960s shopping centre.  The Cathedral is my favourite outside of Lincoln, and the Transport and Herbert museums are superb.  The social history section in the Herbert has some great ’50s and ’60s footage of the redevelopment of the town, which was really seen as a great leap forward.

Although dominated by the chains, Cov does have some wonderful unspoilt multi-roomed pubs, which is why it often gets my vote for beer and curry nights in the Midlands. The Town Wall Tavern and the Broomfield are essential stops, and not just because of their Bass.

I can even forgive it the Ikea.