August 2026. Cardiff.
Well, it was a decent display of pyrotechnics at the Charity Shield, but another damp squib of a City performance against the Gooners, and NO, I didn’t stay for the presentation.
But at least I stayed for the final whistle, and still found myself half a mile from the Principality within 15 minutes, which is impressive.
Having met legendary blog commenter (commentator ?) Etu in 2023, I was now meeting fellow Cardiffian Rhys for a quick post-match pub survey. ALL the folk I’ve met through this blogging lark have been really great, though I’ll admit having to pull over on the hard shoulder of the M1 so BRAPA can have a wee tests the patience.
Yes, we did walk 3.5 miles !
3 pubs, a nice mix of smart GBG regular in Pontcanna, promising pre-emptive back-street boozer in studentville, and a classic Brains heritage pub off the Newport Road.
Let’s start with the smart one near Sophia Gardens.
The Cricketers had clearly been targeting the discerning, cask drinking City fans that day,
and plenty of Blue shirts had beaten even my sprint to the garden.
The interior of the Cricketers is a bit “nice dining” for me, but a cool, crisp pint of Jemima’s Pitchfork (VERY GOOD) was close to Cardiff’s best.
“Yes, yes, but what did you and Rhys talk about ?“.
I have no idea, but he’s charming and fascinating company and likes Gwenno and walks fast which is all I need. Rhys took me on a walk across gorgeous Sophia Gardens into the culturally diverse Northern Quarter where we finally found the Tavistock, on a street full of car repair shops.
All pubs are great, in their way (OK, not the Maidenhead Cons Club), but the Tavistock is close to my ideal. Back street corner pub, loads of live music,
a great landlady putting on great local cask (Grey Trees, VERY GOOD) and another Mancunian guest hiding in the back room.
We had a sausage roll here too but I forgot to take a photo. When your pub companion is so interesting you forget to take a photo of a sausage roll you know it was a good session.
A really interesting walk, past a lot of enticing ethnic eateries on the way to Broadway and dangerously close to Splott.
Rhys guessed I wouldn’t have been in the Royal Oak, your last pub before you hit that run of retail parks and then my Zip hotel.
But we had friends who lived virtually opposite on Newport Road, and 30 years ago the Royal Oak was an essential visit.
And it sort of still is, for the bench seating and stained glass and fading memories of what Brain pub once were, though the Bitter was probably on its last legs tonight.
Cheers, Rhys.
retiredmartin 
How strange I was in the Maidenhead Conservative Club on Saturday night to suffer an extremely disappointing Spurs performance and the Old Pecular was sadly turning to vinegar. At least Farnborough played well and got a draw next door 🙂 before.
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A year ago I saw Tottenham win at City under Thomas Frank and told the Spurs supporting landlady in the Sun it was the best I’d seen them play. They were 2nd 2 months later before it went to pot.
Why on earth were you in the Cons Club ? Is the beer supposed to be good these days ?
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I wanted an easy watch for the Spurs game and it had been in the Good Beer Guide for a number of years. Visited the GBG pubs, average, before the Maidenhead game.
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I haven’t visited A Hoppy Place or Lord Grenfell in Maidenhead yet. Very average pubs, scary town at night. Someone should do a thesis on why Maidenhead town centre is so dreadful.
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As unlikely as me entering an ex servicemen’s club but that’s what happened last Saturday morning.
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I’m glad the Tavistock was such a hit, doubly so as I called in afterwards into the original choice, the Claude, to find both casks turned round.
I knew we’d walked a bit, but didn’t imagine 3.5 miles – I cheated and bussed it back. During the bus change in town I possibly got filmed as a guy was live streaming himself getting into bother with the police. Always exciting in the centre after big events.
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Pity, the GKIPA was quite remarkable – as the late David Coleman used to say – and on one of our 36C days too when I last looked in. The aircon was – as you can imagine – very welcome as a bonus.
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Mrs. E and I were only a few hundred metres away at the Halfway, Martin and Rhys, having just got back from looking after a rather compact but exceptionally good-humoured person, while his parents went to a wedding in Broadway, and from a surfeit of Donnington ale on my part. (Any quantity a surfeit for some?)
Yes, I like the Cricketers in its current manifestation and their own badge – presumably VoG – ale is rather good too.
Heck, was it 2023?
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