OK, OK, it’s really Hanley, but it’s slotted under a Stoke sub-heading in the GBG and that’s what counts. In 2014 we stayed in the Hanley Premier Inn and I walked to Newcastle-Under-Lyme to save the bus fare, so the mile from Stoke Station was a doddle. Hanley doesn’t have the greatest of reputations, despite… Continue reading ….AND A NIGHT OUT IN STOKE
Month: December 2021
A WESTON POINT WONDER – ONE BEER IS ENOUGH, FOR ALL OF US
On one day I singled-handedly saved pubs in Warrington, Bromborough and Runcorn. Think what I could do to Carluke and Wythenshawe if they had any GBG pubs to save. It seemed like only yesterday since I’d been staring at Runcorn‘s glorious chemical works, but in fact it was August when I stood across the Mersey… Continue reading A WESTON POINT WONDER – ONE BEER IS ENOUGH, FOR ALL OF US
YOUR CUT-OUT-AND-KEEP GUIDE TO BROMBOROUGH
I’ve had a few enquiries asking for confirmation that my birthday (22 December) will definitely be taking place on 22 December this year. Indeed it is, and it’s going to be a cracker after last year’s damp squib. In 2019 I spent my birthday (22/12) in the Wirral, and would have been quite happy to… Continue reading YOUR CUT-OUT-AND-KEEP GUIDE TO BROMBOROUGH
WARRINGTON AWAKES
Having dropped Matt and Emma back in Piccadilly (I actually got lost driving round it at midnight) I stayed over for 3 days of ticking while Mrs RM settled down for 3 days of talking to the French IT people about poetry, a rejected titled for a Billy Bragg concept album. My £25 Travelodge is… Continue reading WARRINGTON AWAKES
TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG
On Sunday night I proved what a big softy I am by not only letting Matt have my ticket to see top popsters Loathe, but also driving him and Emma back across the Snake Pass at 23:00 because the trains from Sheffield end early, it being levelling up and all. With James joining the Loathers… Continue reading TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG
FEELING FESTIVE AT THE STAG’S HEAD
Sheffield has made Time Out’s list of “city breaks you must do before the next variant” or whatever. Clearly this simply reflects my own move a year ago, and if I move again in 2022 you can expect Carluke to make that list. Sheffield scores highly on green space (see below), shuffleboard bars and crumbling… Continue reading FEELING FESTIVE AT THE STAG’S HEAD
BACK TO BELVOIR, BACK TO BATEMANS
Ticking in singles now, with an ultra-rare canalside pub in the Vale of Belvoir, whose main claim to fame is its pronunciation. If the map looks familiar, I was here, a mile from the Dirty Duck back in April, in a campervan by Grantham Canal. AND NO-ONE TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO BE IN… Continue reading BACK TO BELVOIR, BACK TO BATEMANS
A SECURITY ESCORT TO PYMOOR
There’s 390 souls in Fenland’s Pymoor (meaning : “flies over bog”), and last week they (nearly) all took umbrage at me. That post (here) from early 2018 wasn’t even that rude about a small Fenland village, it was just a reflection on a long publess walk, but 4 years after posting it 202 villagers shared… Continue reading A SECURITY ESCORT TO PYMOOR
FOLLOWING THE HAMMERS
I declared my ticking for the day on six (6) after the Lamb. Could have been better, but a man needs to allow space for an ESB in the Parcel Yard, and London will always be there (I hope). And I wanted to see what was in Hackney Wick, home to my End of the… Continue reading FOLLOWING THE HAMMERS
“Going overground (overground), so let the boys all tick and let the boys all pink till tomorrow”
At the Swan I looked at options for further ticks before my gig at Hackney Wick. I’d need to head west from South Acton on the Overground, but there appeared to be a minor snag with the trains; “Are you satisfied with this information ?” asked Google. Well, five cancellations in a row isn’t ideal,… Continue reading “Going overground (overground), so let the boys all tick and let the boys all pink till tomorrow”
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