December 2023. Birmingham and Stourbridge. I’d arrived at New Street at 11:30, and arrived back there at 14:15 with two ticks in the bag, but the toughest couple were yet to come. The trick in Brum is not to dawdle in the centre admiring the Edwardian architecture, taking random photos for your blog, but just… Continue reading STOURBRIDGE – THE SHORTEST RAIL LINE IN EUROPE
Month: January 2024
KING’S NORTON – CURRY NOT CHOCOLATE
December 2023. King’s Heath. Birmingham. The first tick of the day is always the hardest, and from Boldmere I was able to catch a train directly (“dreckly” as they say in the Fens) to the second. But first at Chester Road I had that joy of suburban Brum stations, folk having long, unintelligible conversations about… Continue reading KING’S NORTON – CURRY NOT CHOCOLATE
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 14 – HAMPSHIRE.
“Hampshire ? Just pick half a dozen in Southsea, surely ?“ Not quite. Remember this vast county contains such great pub towns as Basingstoke, Aldershot and Farnborough. Actually, one of those does have a shoe-in (or is it shu-inn ?) Farnborough – Prince of Wales (last visited in 2023) When I was hurtling towards GBG… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 14 – HAMPSHIRE.
BOLDLY INTO BOLDMERE
December 2023. Birmingham. Only four new Guide entries in West Midlands; on a whim I thought I’d do them all in an afternoon before we ticked over into 2024. Four spread-out entries requiring the expert planning skills of a man who’s completed the GBG. Instead, I just hopped on the first train at Sheffield and… Continue reading BOLDLY INTO BOLDMERE
FISHING FOR GRIMSBY PRE-EMPTIVES ROUND FRESHNEY PLACE
December 2023. Grimsby. I actually played “Caribou” in the car on the way down to Waterbeach yesterday. It’s actually not as bad as contemporary reviews of Elton’s stellar run of early ’70s albums suggest, but those titles ! Who puts tracks called “Pinky”, “Grimsby”, “Solar Prestige A Gammon” and “Stinker” on a Number 1 album ?… Continue reading FISHING FOR GRIMSBY PRE-EMPTIVES ROUND FRESHNEY PLACE
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 13 – GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Well, this will upset a few people, notably a ticker in Newmarket. Picking five (5) pubs in Gloucestershire is tough, and not just because I started this post at 23:02 and need to complete it before midnight or Baa Baa turns into a cauliflower. Don’t panic yet, Baa Baa. Really, Bristol needs its own GBG… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 13 – GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Fish
December 2023. Grimsby. Dock Beers doesn’t really feel looks like it belongs in Grimsby, but there it is, tucked away top right, just over the bridge above the Tesco extra. I guess it’s the Grimsby equivalent of Heist or St Mars of the Desert Tap in industrial Sheffield. I’d been before, but wasn’t sure I’d… Continue reading Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Fish
6 pints of Madri and 6 raspberry sambucas for the Grimsby “social after Christmas” lads
December 2023. Grimsby. Part 3 of my Greater Grimsby crawl curated tour of public houses, as I realised I might as well do ALL the GBG pubs while I’m here. I hadn’t been in the Barge for 10 years, but I remembered the best haddock and chips ever there, and a man should not enter… Continue reading 6 pints of Madri and 6 raspberry sambucas for the Grimsby “social after Christmas” lads
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 12 – ESSEX.
“Half a dozen…”reaches Essex, that most consistent of counties, though not one where “must visits” spring as easily to mind as Durham. But here’s five to start you off. Brentwood – Victoria (last visited in 2017) The Gray & Son signage is almost a guarantee of near greatness. I did Proper Pub bingo here; “1.… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 12 – ESSEX.
THE 2023 RETIRED MARTIN AWARDS. PART 2 – THE PUBS
“Nah. Readers want tales of the happy babble of the real ale and the sloshing about of the customers, Martin.” wrote Etu, and he’s right. Here’s a typical pub customer sloshing about while the Bass babbles happily in the Chesterfield Arms. I actually met Etu in 2023 in Cardiff, what a babbly/bubbly chap he is.… Continue reading THE 2023 RETIRED MARTIN AWARDS. PART 2 – THE PUBS
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