June 2024. Waterbeach to Cambridge. “Greater love hath no man than than this, than he would spend a day of his life at Waterbeach feast“. And so it was that Mrs RM joined me at my hometown (village) for a day of fairground fun, cakes and old blokes doing covers of “Wish You Were Here”… Continue reading TO DORKING !

June 2024. Sheffield. Or in Ian Thurman, the Wickingman’s case, Youlgrave to Sheffield Cathedral, a 7 hour (plus compulsory rest stop) walk to raise money to install a toilet in Ian’s micro pub or something. Oh, something even more vital. What a hero. I said I’d meet him at the end of his venture at… Continue reading YOULGRAVE TO FAGAN’S. A LONG AND WORTHY WALK FOR A BASS.

June 2024. Manchester. I think I’ll have ticked more pubs in Matt Curtis’s wonderful guide to Manchester than the actual GBG during June, but that’s OK. The main priority is to beat Blackpool Jane to the prize, which I believe is a tripe barm. I was in Manchester 10 days ago for a gig at… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE ANGEL

June 2024. Manchester. Encroaching on Chris Dyson territory now, with a gig, curry and unexpected new pub in Manchester. The curry comes on the city’s most unprepossessing street, Back Piccadilly a bit off-putting to all but the more adventurous of tourists. But Cafe Marhaba remains the real deal, even more so than the Rice &… Continue reading A MANCUNIAN WELCOME TO THE RAT AND PIGEON

June 2024. Sheffield. It wasn’t my fault. Mrs RM insisted I take her and James, who’d enjoyed us at the shiny new, to a second pub and apparently the Brown Bear wouldn’t do, so the Old Shoe it was. New openings in Sheff have eased off a bit this year (I think), but it’s easy… Continue reading MRS RM SUCCUMBS TO THE 13% IMPERIAL STOUT IN THE OLD SHOE

June 2024. Sheffield. Back in Sheffield from the cold, grim, South, we’re seeing a fresh spurt of regeneration in the centre of town. The main pedestrian shopping street renewed, posh Scandinavian shops, even the Sam Smiths has found a new management couple. But the Big Thing is Cambridge Street Collective, Europe’s BIGGEST purpose built food… Continue reading NEW AND “EXCITING” IN SHEFFIELD

June 2024. Oxted. Surrey. Last leg of “Operation get the in-laws back to Kent“, and a minor detour off the M25 into deep, dark, Surrey, where I was surprised to find they remembered a 2021 visit with me, but then I suppose they visit fewer pubs (it is “fewer”, innit ?) than me. “I remember… Continue reading “Ladies, would you like to see the wine list”. CASUAL SEXISM IN OXTED

June 2024. Gosport to Selborne. A break from pubs, on this blog and IRL (as the Mumz say), so if you’re after pubs you’ll need to come back in, ooh, 6 hours time. Our two-nighter down in Hampshire concluded on Father-in-Law’s 88th birthday with a “no expense spared” breakfast from Gosport Lidl, £5.04 feeds 4,… Continue reading GILBERT WHITE

June 2024. Gosport. My work for this 3 days of in-law entertaining nearly done, it was time for a walk; At last, a decent step count. Blackpool Jane did a very similar trip recently, but she only claimed 19,317 steps, though possibly more meat raffles were clocked up. From Queens you head towards the marina… Continue reading THE POWDER MONKEY (well, one of them, anyway)

June 2024. Gosport. The rubbish buses had scuppered my plans to attack central Gosport’s craft glories (probably not open anyway since it’s a Monday), so I cut my losses and walked the 10 minutes through Newtown to the town’s second GBG perennial. At least, the Queen’s Hotel used to be, as the window revealed on… Continue reading THE QUEENS HOTEL, GOSPORT – OK WITH JOE, OK WITH ME