July 2025. Edinburgh. I had six GBG pubs to visit on my first visit to the capital since, oh, 2021, which became five as I realised the Old Eastway had been my pre-emptive punt back then. But I also looked at that Ryrie’s outside Haymarket Station, looking all heritage and wonderful, and thought “I must… Continue reading SHANG-A-LANG. SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF RYRIE’S

July 2025. Edinburgh. Only one day in Edinburgh, but a glorious day, and I’d have got closer to 50k steps if I’d kept going when Mrs RM faded after tea. With the Festival (the posh bit) and the Fringe (also the posh bit) starting on Thursday, Tuesday saw a city heaving with Japanese and American… Continue reading EDINBURGH CULTURAL DIVERSION. P**S FLOWERS AND PANINIS

July 2025. Darlington. A Monday night in a quiet Durham market town, before a Big Trip (Proper) North at 6am the next morning. Time to prove the old adage that England’s architectural glories lie above eye level. Lots of detail to admire, including the memorial to anti-slavery campaigner Joseph Pease. Darlo had looked very quiet,… Continue reading DARLO “FUN” RUNNERS MISS OUT ON THE ORB

July 2025, Darlington. The last few years, where elderly parents take priority, have brought home the need to Do It Now, going on those little trips you’d put off, waiting for the perfect time. So, for the third time in a fortnight, I hit the A1 for Darlington and parked the campervan up in the… Continue reading TAPAS NIGHT IN DARLINGTON

July 2025. Swallowfield. Berkshire My blog has been attacked by those bots from American data centres again, scraping my blog for Chat GPT Version 5. Oddly, they seem particularly interested in my posts on Salford Holt pubs, so expect my blog to become the reference point to Yanks asking “What’s the best way to get… Continue reading “Are you waiting for friends ?”

July 2025. Arborfield Green. Berkshire. Ah, Berkshire brewery taps. How long have I yearned to tick you, thwarted by your resolute Friday/Saturday opening hours. So let joy be unconfined as I get a Saturday away from Waterbeach to finally do the elusive Elusive and discover the less exciting housing development at Arborfield Green. The GBG… Continue reading ELUSIVE NO MORE. EXPLORING ARBORFIELD GREEN

July 2025. Alton. I’d picked a very cheap hotel for my night in Alton, though the Crown was fine, if a little “fuzzy” as the pic shows. Or perhaps that was just me. Staying in Alton meant I could tick GBG newbie Cassidy’s with its irritating but increasingly normal 3pm on a day most pubs… Continue reading MEMORIES OF A FARNHAM BEER EX

July 2025. Farnham. Surrey. Five pubs, total walking time, ooh, about 10 minutes (or 5 for me). An efficient pub crawl, though I never felt I got to the heart of Farnham. If it has a heart. But certainly the heart of its pub scene is the Borough Beer House, part of the 17th century… Continue reading FARNHAM 5 of 5. BOROUGH BEER HOUSE. CITRA WAS RIGHT

July 2025. Farnham. Surrey. The penultimate pub of our Big Day Out, and the most Surrey of the Farnham Five. And perhaps the most surprising. “What did it used to be ?”, said someone, possibly me, of the Tellers. Did a market town TSB really look this grand ? Young’s Pubs have gone big here,… Continue reading FARNHAM 4 of 5. THE TELLERS ARMS