I was hoping to whizz through our night in Douglas, but I seem to have taken too many photos, and I’d hate to deny you candid snaps like this one from the Rosemount.
A bit of an epic crawl through the back streets of the capital awaited, once Duncan had skillfully found a free parking place along the Promenade and we’d dumped bags in the Glenfaba Guest House.
Glenfaba turned out to be one of the few places on the Isle not to offer a handpump. Duncan set off on a mission to make sure all the real ale premises (aka potential future GBG entries) were ticked, and that included plenty of modest hotel bars like the nearby Welbeck that would be firmly keg in Blackpool or Bournemouth.
Martin (2) retrieved his dossier of maps and GBG listings, while I dug out my 2007 “Guide to Avoiding Hen Parties on Man“. My preparations were to prove in vain.
We caught up in the Welbeck, and demonstrated how three determined Pub Men can share a half pint of Okells (decent) between them in front of bewildered octogenarians staring at each other over sherry.
Next stop was the Rosemount, not in the Guide but highly recommended by a certain Manx CAMRA legend we were catching up with.
Grief, this was brilliant. Unless you were a beer bore. I quite enjoyed the Steam, drinking well, if deceptively below its 5% (ABV 3.5). Again, superbly kept cool beer.
Multi-roomed, bustling, welcoming, sweary, fun. Like the North Riding without the beer range, or a Sam Smiths before the swearing ban (joke).
Scary descent to the loos, with their gloriously old-fashioned signs.
It was standing room only, so I headed for the boisterous pool room,
where Irish Sea Dave seemed surprised to find us. It didn’t take him long to catch up.
Some weird stuff going on behind us, no doubt, but I was too engrossed in cricket chat to take notes.
Anyway, the Rosemount is the sort of pub you might take for granted in Stockport or Runcorn, but not if you live in Cambridge.
And the Gemmill goal photo is always a sign of a Proper Pub.
retiredmartin 
Bonington would be proud!
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Chris ?!
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Go on then, I’ll make the obvious comment: Standing room, only, in the loo (dubious legality, I would have thought, unless shared thrones in the Ladies?), so you headed to the pool room for….?
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Very good Clive, very good indeed.
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Archie Gemmills goal is possibly best ever in Scotland World Cup history?
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You’d have clobbered him, I mean, skilfully slid in to dispossess him. Worth watching those games highlights 40 years on, particularly Peru.
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A great free kick!
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Have you read Football in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galleano? Wonderful book, a small part of which is devoted to that goal.
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No, but just ordering it now. Thanks for tip.
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I’ve not but I’ll get it on my holiday reading list. Kenny Burns. Archie Gemmill and (before my time) bertie Auld all very popular at at Andrews
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“Calm down russ”
Hah! That only happens when my good wife is gone for more than a day. 🙂
(although, looking at that photo more closely, I’d say that photo is an advert for the “Hold on Tights” saying in the upper right. 🙂
“My preparations were to prove in vain.”
We know. 🙂
“and demonstrated how three determined Pub Men can share a half pint of Okells (decent) between them”
My view of the world has been irrevocably changed forever. 😦
“Ladies to the left…”
But, but… we all know ladies are always right! 😉
“Pub life”
Boisterous indeed. Everyone seems to be in motion!
“Douglas is blue”
As are you. 🙂
“It didn’t take him long to catch up.”
Wait, what’s with the United poster after saying they’re glued to blue?
“And the Gemmill goal photo is always a sign of a Proper Pub.”
I’ve just watched the six second replay on YouTube. Well done!
Cheers
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The games room seemed to change allegiance quicker than I do ! Every local gets their own corner.
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You won’t believe this but I am also staying at the Glenfaba.
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I don’t believe it. At least they’ve had a week to clear up Duncan’s mess.
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Owner of Glenfaba is a big real ale man.
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Not sure why we shared that half in the Welbeck? I know it wasn’t and presumably won’t be in GBG but we didn’t do that for our other requirements.
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We were taking no prisoners !
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Latest news (relevant to sam Smiths reference) – All Sam Smith’s products to increase in price by around 50% on Friday to offset the £28k fine + costs they received for misleading (not informing actually) Pensions watchdog!
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Seems fair to me. But free cheese cubes and black pudding and Sky Sports, yeah ?
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The only thing you get for free in a Sam’s pub is the 5% surplus (that’s deficit to the punter) their managers are performance managed on.
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But isn’t £28,000 small change to Humphrey ?
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Yes, but he will hate parting with it. I think the fine is appx. £20k to the company and £8k to Humphrey, plus costs.
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