retiredmartin

Not many people blog about Peterston-super-Ely, which is why I give it a special post, leaving it with #SuperEly on the internet until the End Times (2024, just before the Southworths visit) and confuse folk looking for a Fenland cathedral town.

The only people who’ve heard of this village of 874 are us Beer Guide tickers who’ve seen it in the Glamorgan chapter these last few years, a first challenge outside Cardiff central.

It’s a garden suburb, whatever that means, attracting Neil Kinnock and Craig Bellamy to live, and Gavin & Stacey to film here. That latter fact has left a legacy of cult tourism in the village evidenced by the high tech map at the bridge over the Ely;

Truly, a cartographical great.

Wiki has lots to say about St Peter’s itself, but “The west tower with its corbelled battlements and gargoyles is 15th century. The chancel was mostly rebuilt in 1890-91 by Kempson & Fowler” will entertain only the most devoted of my readers.

I enjoyed the garage with its classic BP and Shell dispensers,

and a second village pub looked pleasingly plain. 9am opening on Wednesdays for the Gavin & Stacey tourists, apparently.

The Guide entry is a roadside diner; my drone shot shows the children’s playground to the rear,

but it’s the lunchtime menu (why do all Welsh diners have curries ?) which tells you the Sportsman’s target market, as I beat a steady stream of gentlefolk to the door.

Worryingly, the door stays shut till 12:05 to scare me.

I’m handed a copy of the menu as soon as I take a seat, say “Oh, just a half of HPA please“, before seeing “Welsh faggots” and relenting. If they’d been “English faggots” I’d have rejected them.

The landlady chats Covid, UB40 sing “Red Red Wine“, a local tradesman rejects his lager which the barmaid declares “Gross !” in agreement. Does lager go off ? Who knew ?

The HPA isn’t off, it’s an OK NBSS 2.5 that confirms all my problems with Wye Valley.

But the light lunch is a hearty NFMPMSS 3.5, and leaves a pleasing grey mess on the plate that the incoming gentlefolk no doubt admire greatly.

I pay by card, leave a cash tip, and leave to the strains of Duran Duran singing “Ordinary World“, which is generally the best one.