Sorry, Rupert, No classic poetry is safe when I need a blog title. Having reported from the area in Lincolnshire where national treasure Jeffrey Archer was incarcerated in 2001, here’s his current, rather more attractive abode. That’s Rupert Brooke in the courtyard (see here). All proper Cambridgians make the walk out from Newnham to Grantchester… Continue reading STANDS OPEN THE BLUE BALL, AT TEN TO THREE ?
Month: March 2018
CAMBRIDGE – A VIEW FROM THE TOWER
More Cambridge tourism tips, in case Dick and Dave ever get over their Northern fixation. Now the ice age is over, our city is packed with Spanish and Italian schoolchildren, drawn by our famous Mill Road takeaways and free houses. Tourists to Cambridge are all very welcome; particularly the ones old and sensible enough to… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE – A VIEW FROM THE TOWER
KEYKEG GOES POSH
I promised you reports from Peterborough, but I never promised you they would all feature “the epitome of the brewers’ craft“, or whatever the CAMRA splinter group will be called. If Craft can flower in Peterborough it can probably flower anywhere. Except Grimsby. I went looking for Craft in the Wortley Almshouses. Sadly, this… Continue reading KEYKEG GOES POSH
THE LION O’MORFE – A FARMHOUSE CLASSIC ?
I don’t come across that many new unspoilt gems on my travels; if they’re that unchanged they’ve normally been stuck on an Historic Inventory or Grand CAMRA Tour before. The Anchor in Anchor in Salop was my last discovery that would have graced Mr Coe’s list, and the Lion O’Morfe also comes from our… Continue reading THE LION O’MORFE – A FARMHOUSE CLASSIC ?
BARGAIN HUNTING IN ENVILLE-LAND
I always enjoy the trips into the sliver of south Staffs between the Black Country and Bridgnorth. Please don’t bore me with the county history in comments; I know Wolves is really Staffs and the West Midlands is a fictitious construct. Tiny lanes, posh golf courses, the Kinver hills and place names designed especially for… Continue reading BARGAIN HUNTING IN ENVILLE-LAND
THE GREAT CAMRA MAGAZINE CLEAROUT
Only two months till two of our three favourite Americans pay us a visit to drink our beer and mock our craft keg. The welcoming party is ready for them; Mrs RM will be delighted to know I’ve now collected six months worth of CAMRA magazines (and a few specials) into a giant Wilko bag… Continue reading THE GREAT CAMRA MAGAZINE CLEAROUT
JOULE’S GOLD IN CODSALL
I In a couple of weeks I’ll be joining a few folk from the Beer and Pubs Forum in Wolverhampton in a plot to blow up craft breweries. I had a plan to combine that trip with a visit to one of my last Staffs GBG ticks in nearby Codsall. But common sense came late;… Continue reading JOULE’S GOLD IN CODSALL
TURTLES AT THE GATES OF ALDRIDGE
The snow cleared (if it ever existed; I blame Russian mind bots), just in time. One more day in Cambridgeshire and I’d be going crazier than Jose Mourinho. If that irritating Solihull micro ever opens I’ll finish the West Midlands this week. Why is it always Solihull that holds everything up ? But Aldridge Village… Continue reading TURTLES AT THE GATES OF ALDRIDGE
FLAT DOOM BAR IN PETERBOROUGH
What times we live in ! Mrs RM has ditched the plane for the train, so I get to escort her up to Peterborough while her contract in Melrose lasts. I’m very excited. There might even be a pre-emptive tick to alert Simon to before he starts Cambridgeshire, or at the very least some unexpected… Continue reading FLAT DOOM BAR IN PETERBOROUGH
THE LONELINESS OF THE LONE OTTER DRINKER
Oh, look. Oxfordshire has fallen. Yawn. Not a great county, for sights or suds, and to be honest I did the best of it (Stoke Lyne, Lewknor, Hook Norton itself) years ago. The new entries tend towards the gastro these days. Anyway, the moral from the last tick, the Crown in Marcham is…don’t follow the… Continue reading THE LONELINESS OF THE LONE OTTER DRINKER
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