Sunbury-on-Thames is one of those places that both irritate and uplift the GBG ticker with an annual new entry seemingly plucked from nowhere. The Admiral Hawke would be my sixth (6th) Guide entry in a decade, and the best, but it very nearly never happened. Look at the route I’d devised for Mrs RM taxis;… Continue reading THE SUN SHINES ON THE RIGHTEOUS DOOM BAR DRINKER IN SUNBURY-ON-THAMES
Month: March 2022
FEBRUARY ’22 STOCKTAKE + MARCH PREVIEW
Welcome to the contractually obligated highlights package for February, a month in which I completed the GBG pubs for London, Oxon, Merseyside, West Midlands, Cheshire, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, East Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and North Yorkshire. Eleven (11) counties in a month, a record. That’s great, though in actuality it only knocked forty-four (44)… Continue reading FEBRUARY ’22 STOCKTAKE + MARCH PREVIEW
HERSHAM BOY (& GIRL)
Sunday means Surrey, and Mrs RM joined me on a trio of tricky ticks in that quaint corner of that mysterious county between London and the M25. We start an hour round the M25 in Hersham, the Leighton Buzzard(s) of the South, named after the Sham 69 classic. I genuinely had no idea Jimmy Pursey… Continue reading HERSHAM BOY (& GIRL)
IN SEARCH OF STEVENAGE’S “PROPER PUB”. AND GREENE KING MILD.
Back at Stevenage at 10pm*, and Mrs RM’s request for some munchies (do adults say “munchies” ?) from Tesco meant I could justify nipping in to the Old Town for a last pint of Saturday night. I consulted the GBG app; the Guide entries are the red markers. Oh. Never mind, Mrs RM had told… Continue reading IN SEARCH OF STEVENAGE’S “PROPER PUB”. AND GREENE KING MILD.
AN NBSS 3.5 PINT IN 3.5 MINUTES AT LONDON BRIDGE
I caught the first train back from Bexleyheath into London Bridge, contemplating a leisurely reacquaintance with Borough’s beauties; the Royal Oak, the Rake, the King’s Arms. Now I’ve completed London’s GBG entries I can actually enjoy the place again. But as the train approached Lewisham I felt oddly guilty about leaving Mrs RM alone for… Continue reading AN NBSS 3.5 PINT IN 3.5 MINUTES AT LONDON BRIDGE
TO BEXLEYHEATH !
If Stevenage needs an advertising slogan, they could do better than “Mrs RM preferred you to an evening in Bexleyheath“. “Last tick in Greater London, you’ll never sing that !” counters The Bex. An expensive tick, but relatively quick from Stevenage with the bonus of a stop in London Bridge on the return. Which pub… Continue reading TO BEXLEYHEATH !
AND A NIGHT OUT IN STEVENAGE
No, I’ve no idea what happened to Jason Shackell after 2012, but he was the Ian Clarkson of his time, a “generational talent” as everyone is now described. Jason was born in Stevenage, but then so was my lad James, and he’s done OK. Jason left for Norwich at 17, a brave decision, so probably… Continue reading AND A NIGHT OUT IN STEVENAGE
J. STANFORTH PORK PIES, SKIPTON
When I ask Twitter for pub suggestions, as I did for Skipton, they tend to come in 3 forms, all equally valid; 1.Visit ALL the pubs. They’re all great. 2. The Good Beer Guide pubs are the best, that’s why we chose them. 3. Here’s some new micropubs we discovered yesterday. They won’t be open,… Continue reading J. STANFORTH PORK PIES, SKIPTON
SKIPTON SOUND BAR
Having spent £18.60 on my return ticket to Skipton (not having booked advance tickets 3 years ago like BRAPA and Tom Irvin would) I wanted some value from my fare. So I walked from the Slater’s Arms into Skipton via the canal, passing 327 pretend walkers who were actually only going as far as the… Continue reading SKIPTON SOUND BAR
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