A Friday night pub crawl in the Stockport rain has few cultural equals, even without the frisson of excitement that comes with a venture into the wild suburbs. Another night in Stockport, another new hotel too, with the southern Premier Inn scoring highly on cheery staff, less well on Wi-Fi, and providing a view of more underrated Stocky… Continue reading A STOCKPORT STAGGER – SKINNY LATTE VERSION
Month: March 2017
ABBOTS BROMLEY – BACK ON THE BASS
My pub heroes of 2016 were Stockport CAMRA, for making a pub with one real ale their Pub of the Year. This year may well be the turn of Rochdale, Oldham and Bury CAMRA, for getting Draught Bass into two of their GBG pubs. Drink it up, Rochdale. The downside of the Beer Guide route… Continue reading ABBOTS BROMLEY – BACK ON THE BASS
NEW MILLS, HANDY FOR THE HILLS
New Mills seems to have a particularly poor reputation among people who’ve never been there, rather like Oldham in fact. A work colleague who stayed in one of those posh B&Bs in neighbouring Hayfield, Smarmfields I think it was called, claimed never to have heard of the town. Clearly, I’m a big fan. We stayed… Continue reading NEW MILLS, HANDY FOR THE HILLS
ON THE KEG IN CAMBRIDGE
On the sunniest day of the year so far I managed to coax Mrs RM out for a walk. Only down to Waterbeach station and round the main drag of Cambridge at lunchtime, but it’s a start. Cambridge station is looking rather different these days, a vast development of flats, hotels and bike shops transforming one… Continue reading ON THE KEG IN CAMBRIDGE
THOUGHTS ON FESTS
There’s been a few reports of disillusion with Beer Festivals recently (e.g. here ). I’m not a fan, but each to their own, and as Pub Curmudgeon noted, they’re increasingly a social event. @NHS_Martin @tandleman @SirQuinno Yes, festivals have become a "special event", also great opportunity for networking — Pub Curmudgeon 🍻 (@oldmudgie) March 13,… Continue reading THOUGHTS ON FESTS
PIE & DEMI ROUSSOS NIGHT IN FERNHILL HEATH
You may have noticed the absence of a curry on Stourport Curry night, caused by a catch-up with a colleague in a neighbouring village without an Indian restaurant. That’s how backward parts of Worcestershire are, folks. Even worse, Fernhill Heath is in a bit of a Good Beer Guide desert (not quite the same as… Continue reading PIE & DEMI ROUSSOS NIGHT IN FERNHILL HEATH
MERRY HILL – APTLY NAMED
What greater joy can there be on a Spring day in England than traipsing round an out-of-town shopping centre in Dudley looking for a Wetherspoons. Several, I’d say. I can safely vouch that Merry Hill is a joy best left to people who need things, or like arguing with their wife over meeting places. Which tends… Continue reading MERRY HILL – APTLY NAMED
THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE – PART 72
I’d been considering a night in Halesowen, but Stourbridge beckons in a couple of weeks, and you can have too much Black Country fun. The appeal of the former rests on a couple of famed free houses, and a couple of social clubs, one of which (Somers) was always an exhibition of Black Country bitters. Like all… Continue reading THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE – PART 72
ROBINSONS IN STOURPORT
Another Midlands catch-up with my old work colleague Charles last night. I finally found a decent guesthouse in Stourport, the Victoria having that delightful combination of cheery welcome, clean bedlinen and cold milk. A gem. Stourport is no Bewdley, and pubwise no Kidderminster either. But the two Beer Guide pubs it does have are corkers,… Continue reading ROBINSONS IN STOURPORT
RAMSGATE ON THE EDGE
Our campervan wasn’t nicked or covered in pro-micropub graffiti when we returned to Ramsgate, so I’ve no doubt we’ll be back regularly at our free spot on the Esplanade during the year. Views like these are rare from our windows in Waterbeach. On Saturday we did the clifftop walked into town, and Mrs RM was amazed by… Continue reading RAMSGATE ON THE EDGE
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