It’s been a bad day for Mrs RM judging by the F and C words* flying about since 4am this morning. Some folk have been noticeably happier today, but that could equally be the birthday cake. To cheer her up we walked a mile in the rain to the Vaults in Newark, a Beer Guide… Continue reading BLUE GRIM REAPERS, BLINDFOLDS AND BEST BITTER
Month: June 2016
TENBURY’S DAY IN THE SUN
A little while ago Pub Curmudgeon conducted a poll on the UK’s best region. Unfortunately, this rather implied that there was room for debate. As the storms descended over the South-east yesterday, the Welsh Marches enjoyed magnificent sunshine and were clearly the best place to be anywhere in the world (I confess I’ve still to… Continue reading TENBURY’S DAY IN THE SUN
SURPRISES IN THE SURREY HILLS
I completed Surrey‘s cohort of Beer Guide entries in Guildford, as is traditional. It’s a place I warm to more each year, though rarely because of the pubs. There’s some unwelcome digging up of the High Street at the moment, but that doesn’t attract from some impressive buildings, and the castle is, like Shrewsbury’s, underrated.… Continue reading SURPRISES IN THE SURREY HILLS
THE FELTHAM HERITAGE TRAIL
No-one believes it, but I can get to Durham quicker (and cheaper mid-week) than West London’s suburbs. Three hours to Sunbury, but of course it’s worth it to see the UK’s fourth greatest city. I felt a bit cheated. Sunbury-on-Thames in the Beer Guide normally means this; A smart dining pub with riverside views and… Continue reading THE FELTHAM HERITAGE TRAIL
A RARE TRIP TO REIGATE
Approaching the end of Surrey‘s Beer Guide entries now, and still no sign of a great wave of craft flooding down from Bermondsey (or up from Brighton). Instead, the new entries are nearly all your typical eateries with lots of handpumps, rather like Oxfordshire in fact. I like the county a lot though. Box Hill apart,… Continue reading A RARE TRIP TO REIGATE
THE MYSTERIOUS PORTLAND BREWING CO.
Mrs RM bought the campervan she’s been eyeing for a year, so plans are being prepared for exciting trips to Anchor, Shropshire and the Belgian coast. Our first trip out was even more exciting, a night in Brownhills Motorhomes in Newark. There’s many worse places to be than Newark on a Saturday night, unless the town… Continue reading THE MYSTERIOUS PORTLAND BREWING CO.
TOP 100 PUBS – THE BELL, ALDWORTH
This is one of the pubs that Mrs RM visited before me in the days when her globetrotting IT Career also allowed her to tick off countries I’ve still to visit. 20 years is a long time to hold a grudge against your wife for not letting you go to Switzerland (she’s been, I STILL… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BELL, ALDWORTH
SLIM PICKINGS IN BICESTER VILLAGE
There’s a lot of great countryside around the Chiltern counties, some attractive towns, but pretty slim pickings for pubgoers. From Watford to Luton to Bicester, there’s very few urban pubs in the Beer Guide at all, let alone characterful classics. We stopped at Bicester for a coffee. It might have been a beer, but nothing… Continue reading SLIM PICKINGS IN BICESTER VILLAGE
GOOD OLD BOY BY THE THAMES
While the CAMRA revitalisation project debates the protection of pubs, I still view increasing the quality of beer in pubs, or not serving it at all, as the fundamental challenge. It’s the not serving it at all bit that many CAMRA members will struggle with. That said, beer quality has been impressive this year, though I do… Continue reading GOOD OLD BOY BY THE THAMES
DRAUGHT BASS AND SCOUSE IN THE VALE OF THE WHITE HORSE
South Oxfordshire is rarely the most rewarding part of the Beer Guide, the new entries seemingly reflecting the dining pub’s occasional flirtation with Locales. It’s not so much the food, which pretty much all pubs rely on, as the feel of the dining pubs that I don’t much enjoy. The triangle between Didcot, Thame and… Continue reading DRAUGHT BASS AND SCOUSE IN THE VALE OF THE WHITE HORSE
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