I’m trying to get round all of Cambridgeshire’s 70 Good Beer Guide pubs this year, to see for myself the craft invasion that certain commentators have heralded recently. Already I’ve had terrific beer and cheer in March and St Neots, though finding takers for a Thursday night crawl in Ramsey has proved an effort. Haddenham is… Continue reading HADDENHAM – LOOK SHARP !
Month: January 2017
CADISHEAD CALLING
Enough of pub toilets. For a while. The Good Beer Guide giveth. The Good Beer Guide taketh. This is particularly true of the new GBG pubs in Greater Manchester. So after a rare trip to the hitherto unknown Dukinfield out east last month, an even rarer trip west of the M60 to Cadishead. Why this counts… Continue reading CADISHEAD CALLING
PUB LOO SIGNAGE – AVOIDING BRAPA DISASTERS
PARENTAL ADVISORY – CONTAINS BRAPA HUMOUR This series of posts is a real labour of love. I hope you appreciate the effort and danger involved. The quality of pub toilet signage becomes more important as you get older. Just ask Mrs RM. It’s both a matter of finding them (particularly in Spoons), and then finding… Continue reading PUB LOO SIGNAGE – AVOIDING BRAPA DISASTERS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MILTON KEYNES
There’ll never be a better day to be nice to Milton Keynes, will there ? Early on in this blog I did a short piece summing up the place (here). As I said then; “People who live there defend their town vigorously, which I admire” I used to work with folk who were uprooted from… Continue reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MILTON KEYNES
PUB TOILETS – THE DESIGN EDITION
As I’m sure you’ll understand, I’m taking a few days off the beer before our trip to Dublin on Thursday. Any unusual recommendations for that city welcome (not Chinese takeaways). In the meantime, here’s a few design classics spotted over the last year. The top one is actually a closed public toilet next to the… Continue reading PUB TOILETS – THE DESIGN EDITION
SURVIVING MANCHESTER BEER FEST 17
After last years excitement, Mrs RM was always accompanying me on my trip to Manchester Beer Fest 17 so I didn’t lose any precious CAMRA magazines on the tram this time round. That at least she achieved. We had a sensible start, at least. A Flat White and Eggs Avocado at Leaf on Portland St… Continue reading SURVIVING MANCHESTER BEER FEST 17
SAVED BY PI(E) IN ALTY
A year ago I was staying in Altrincham, an ideal base for the Manchester Beer Fest (good and bad of that to follow). This year, I’ve gone upmarket and given Mrs RM the fast Wi-Fi she deserves in Stockport, an ideal base for trekking back to Alty. Since last year, the refurbished railway station has… Continue reading SAVED BY PI(E) IN ALTY
DODGING CRAFT IN KNUTSFORD
Two nights in Heaton Chapel, and a choice between the Manchester Beer Fest or a trundling train trip to Knutsford in the company of posh school children. We knew we’d made the right choice when young “Monkman” announced that a “Slag” was someone who liked slagging someone off. That’s the education you get for your… Continue reading DODGING CRAFT IN KNUTSFORD
JOHN SMITHS LIVES IN ACKWORTH
I realise most folk reading this are drinking 10.75% Brown DIPAs in soulless halls in Manchester or Cambridge at the moment. I’ve just had a pint of John Smiths in front of a roaring fire, listening to old Yorkshiremen talking guff. I win. We thought we’d found yet another publican doing their own version of… Continue reading JOHN SMITHS LIVES IN ACKWORTH
PUB TOILETS – THE DECORATION EDITION
PARENTAL ADVISORY – CONTAINS “ART” I seem to be taking a lot more photos of pub toilets recently. What you can read into that, I wouldn’t like to say. Perhaps it’s just than loos are often one of the architectural and artistic highlights of a pub visit. As part of my irregular spring cleans of… Continue reading PUB TOILETS – THE DECORATION EDITION
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