April 2025. Bolton. To save reader Spinko guessing, here’s our Bolton itinerary; A joint effort with Blackpool Jane drawn from the essential Matthew Curtis Manchester Guide and those curious “locals tip”. I’d done them all before years ago; Jane was a Bolton debutant. Would it end like this; We all made a bit of a… Continue reading CHASING LAST ORDERS AT BOLTON’S ONE FOR THE ROAD
Author: retiredmartin
Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.
BOLTON MUSEUM – CURATED PUBBY HIGHLIGHTS
April 2024. Bolton. A Friday night in Greater Manchester’s most underrated town (after Leigh), requested by ace pub ticket and curry Queen Blackpool Jane. Which reminds me, I must catch up with Curry Charles. First time in Bolton since pre-COVID, and nothing new since then. But it’s always good to revisit and re-evaluate any town,… Continue reading BOLTON MUSEUM – CURATED PUBBY HIGHLIGHTS
TOP 100 PUBS – COLLIERS ARMS, ASPULL, WIGAN
April 2025. Aspull. Greater Manchester. Right, a night out in Bolton, with elite company. #LiveAsYouDream I even got a brand new GBG tick in the mysterious lands betwixt Wigan and Bolton, aka Pie Country. Over 30 years I must have driven through Aspull a dozen times, and never noticed the Colliers Arms. But how could… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – COLLIERS ARMS, ASPULL, WIGAN
DISAPPEARING PUB LUNCHES IN SHEFFIELD
April 2025. Sheffield. Since returning from Moldova 4 weeks ago I’ve published 65 blog posts, most of those from Wolverhampton. Mrs RM is still working on her first one, she’s Kate Bush to my Mark E Smith. Hers is going to be great, but she needs me to GTFO the house so she can discuss… Continue reading DISAPPEARING PUB LUNCHES IN SHEFFIELD
IN PRAISE OF BREW YORK
April 2025. Otley. Otley felt a lot smaller than I remembered, a modest market town of 13,668 souls dominated by a bus station and courtyard cobbled shopping centre. But it’s certainly well-pubbed, five in the GBG. I thought Savage Crangle was a great name for a pub, recalling that Rorty Crankle up the road in… Continue reading IN PRAISE OF BREW YORK
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
April 2025. Otley. Thank you to reader Pauline, who knows her Yorkshire, for gently pointing out that the Otley pub crawl is actually in Leeds, and all the pubs on it are student bars called Pop ! and Flares and The Duncan. I thought you’d like to see Pauline’s hubby modelling an early GBG back… Continue reading CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
TOP 100 PUBS – THE OLD COCK, OTLEY
April 2025. Otley. The chap at Curious Hop, my actual new GBG tick, had opened up, shut up again, and left that “Back in 5 mins” sign up while I stood at the door. Would it still say “Back in 5 mins” in 5 mins time ? Would he ever come back ? I should… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE OLD COCK, OTLEY
MISSING THE BUS FROM MENSTON TO OTLEY
April 2025. Menston to Otley. OK, the set-up post for the big trip to Otley, and a question “Why Menston ?“. I’d only decided to take the train to Leeds roughly 45 seconds before it departed Sheffield. I think you’re supposed to buy your ticket earlier, but I like to be sure I’m getting a… Continue reading MISSING THE BUS FROM MENSTON TO OTLEY
22 MINUTES BETWEEN TRAINS IN LEEDS
April 2025. Leeds. While BRAPA brings up the two-thirds mark in the GBG, my own progress towards a second completion is rather more sedate. Here’s a good example why, as I spend a 4 pint afternoon in West Yorkshire and come away with a solitary tick. You see, once you complete the Guide, you lose… Continue reading 22 MINUTES BETWEEN TRAINS IN LEEDS
TOO MUCH MUSTARD ON THE PORK PIE IN THE WONKY LABRADOR
April 2025. Sheffield. Spending an hour, an actual hour, in the Rising Sun did allow me to scour Untappd and What Pub for nearby pre-emptive ticks. That’s both a blessing and a curse of the internet, encouraging that extra exploratory pint half schooner. A couple of years ago in the Boak and Bailey recommended Union… Continue reading TOO MUCH MUSTARD ON THE PORK PIE IN THE WONKY LABRADOR
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