Last time I visited Durham was during their 2014 annual brass band festival, where I saw the astonishing Jo Hamilton preview new material to the accompaniment of bats in Durham Cathedral, seen here from Crossgate on Thursday night. I was there to see Durham punks Martha launch their 2nd LP in the rather different setting of the… Continue reading MOVE TO DURHAM & NEVER LEAVE*
Month: July 2016
CASTLE EDEN
Congratulations to Michael, seemingly a permanent resident of Crewe’s excellent Hops, for working out it was Peterlee. I think he has some local knowledge. I wouldn’t have guessed Peterlee from those photos, though obviously the Welcom(ing) Homes was a giveaway. I used to have a prurient interest in the town, second only to Jaywick on the… Continue reading CASTLE EDEN
GUESS THE TOWN
The photo above is a clue to a former brewery. The beer is a clue to the town’s lone Beer Guide entry. The welcoming homes below are a couple of miles from some of Britain’s best beaches. Good luck
HARVEYS IN HAILSHAM
The next leg of my mission to finish the southern Beer Guide counties took in Hailsham and Lewes. You can see Lewes lying like a box of toys under a great amphitheatre of chalk hills … on the whole it is set down better than any town I have seen in England. — William Morris (1834-1896)… Continue reading HARVEYS IN HAILSHAM
RED TOPS IN THE WEALD OF KENT
Erlangen Nick finally manages to leave behind Germany’s finest basic pub next week and visit wonderful Thanet. I might pop down and see Tabor him over a half of weak beer in Ramsgate. I’m not sure that the nearby Weald of Kent would be quite to his taste, beer wise. Fairly staid beer selections, or… Continue reading RED TOPS IN THE WEALD OF KENT
SHEFFIELD – SAVING THE BEST TO LAST
First things first. Sheffield is a wonderful city, even without the pubs. I once walked from Meadowhall to the Rivelin Valley while Mrs RM attempted to find something shiny to buy; you won’t get a better long urban walk anywhere, except possibly along the Water of Leith. I’d be happy to live in Crookes**, but you… Continue reading SHEFFIELD – SAVING THE BEST TO LAST
SUBURBAN CHESTERFIELD
Unlike Ilkeston, Chesterfield does have a decently placed railway station. The new Guide pubs, Chesterfield Ale House apart, are on the edge of town though. In fact, they’re now listed under the suburbs of Brampton and Whittington Moor, the sort of movement which tends to confuse GBG completists like me. That’s my big issue for the Revitalisation… Continue reading SUBURBAN CHESTERFIELD
BELPER STICKS TO THE KNITTING
On to Belper, where I was devastated to have just missed the knitting festival, as a tree’s right to wear clothes is one of my main concerns. I found out from the cheerful barista in Costa that every week in Belper has some sort of weird activity most weeks these days. It’s almost as if… Continue reading BELPER STICKS TO THE KNITTING
ON ILKESTON’S MORES, M’DUCK
The mining towns of east Derbyshire have had a hard time, but the reclaimed countryside makes great walking, and a relatively high demand for real ale helps maintain some excellent pubs. Ilkeston, despite it’s proximity to the M1, has always felt particularly cut-off from the world, and being the largest town in Britain without a… Continue reading ON ILKESTON’S MORES, M’DUCK
DENGIE’S NOT DINGY
We’re taking our campervan for some short breaks in Britain’s top destinations – Newark, Bury St Edmunds and the Dengie peninsula. Mrs RM did a robust business case before spending our children’s inheritance on what’s effectively a portable Travelodge, but even at assumed post-Brexit discount rates of more than 50% p.a. we need to use… Continue reading DENGIE’S NOT DINGY
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