retiredmartin

March 2025. Loughborough.

I’d been hoping to catch up with Quinno for a few years, but he’s rarely sober and used to live in a dangerous part of the UK.

But now he’s oop North in Leicester, the new custodian* of the sacred Bass list, it’s time to talk matters Red Triangle and NBSS with him.

Loughborough had a bit of Bass spotting potential, but I also wanted to take a fresh look at a town that’s rarely featured on the tourist map. Well, not since those first Thomas Cook excursions of 1841.

Thos. Cook was promoting temperance 184 years ago, of course, with real ale and pub crawls yet to be invented by CAMRA.

In the absence of a TIC, I dragged Quinno with me to the Charnwood Museum in Queen’s Park.

Actually, he relished the culture, in sharp contrast to official CAMRA tours which view any minute not spent in a cask pub as a minute of life wasted.

That said, we “did” the Charnwood in about the time it takes the average CAMRA member to choose their beer at the bar.

In truth, it’s more a museum for the connoisseur of museum design than the chap obsessed with social history, but blokes will always be fascinated by knickers, World Cup memorabilia,

and Shredded Wheat. Which is Welwyn GC, an even duller town.

The Carillon Tower was closed, or we’d have climbed for a view of the Urals.

Some great street names, with some wag thinking Nitty is funnier than Jitty.

Elsewhere, we’d be mildly thrilled by Saint Mary’s,

and the occasional street corner,

but in truth the best reason to visit might be the street market, with its authentic churros.

But can the pubs deliver on a dull Thursday in March ?

*No-one will ever replace The Wickingman in our affections, obviously