October 2025. Leicester. 36 hours in Leicester, and with lunchtime approaching (though we’d barely finished breakfast) it’s time to explore the castle. Leicester looked quite lively with shoppers that late October Thursday, but tourist trade is light, and we are virtually the only folk in Castle Park, apart from that giant heron (or whatever it… Continue reading LEICESTER CASTLE
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.
LOOK UP !
October 2025. Leicester. 36 hours in Leicester, and a busy morning for Mrs RM if she’s going to tick her deers, the tourist highlights she’s got from ChatGPT blogs. Starting with Curveside Bistro’s Turkish breakfast, and the fonts of the Good Earth Cafe, the Art Nouveau stylings of the Turkey Cafe, and then into a… Continue reading LOOK UP !
INEVITABLY, THE ALE WAGON
October 2025. Leicester. Having paid for a night’s accommodation in the centre of Leicester that Wednesday (£60 at the well-equipped* Ramada Encore) I wasn’t going to bed at 6, even if Mrs RM was. A bit of night-time street art ? Nah, let’s do a pub. News of my visit had seen “incomer” Quinno go… Continue reading INEVITABLY, THE ALE WAGON
BACK ON THE DESI TRAIL. THE BLUE PETER, LEICESTER
October 2025. Leicester. 36 hours in Leicester; time to complete the GBG entries for the county and provide Mrs RM with enough material for her own blogpost to boost tourist trade, provisionally titled “Oh, go on, it can’t be worse than Maidenhead“. We’d petered out a bit after completing the art trail along the Soar… Continue reading BACK ON THE DESI TRAIL. THE BLUE PETER, LEICESTER
SOARING – LEICESTER STREET ART
October 2025. Leicester. A large gap (well, 3 hours) between pubs now as Mrs RM does a deep dive into her map of Leicester tourist deers (above), which I ignore and instead take photos of painted Cliff Richard albums, and colourful globes in Victoria Park, which I know are more interesting than the car park… Continue reading SOARING – LEICESTER STREET ART
HIGH TABLES, LOW TABLES. THE CLARENDON, LEICESTER
October 2025. Leicester. 36 hours in Leicester, loads to tick on Mrs RM’s “deer map“, let’s get my last Leicestershire tick (there WAS only one newbie, incredibly) and an early lunch at the Clarendon. In truth, a lot of Leicester seemed to open at four, while the Ale Wagon was actually “closing soon” with its… Continue reading HIGH TABLES, LOW TABLES. THE CLARENDON, LEICESTER
36 HOURS IN LEICESTER.
October 2025. Leicester. The last trip of the month, as we become Leicester’s tourists. Just under the hour from Sheffield, just under £25 off-peak return, and budget hotels right next to the Ale Wagon (of which more later). 36 hours, rather than a day trip, gives you a leisurely night on the cask curry, and… Continue reading 36 HOURS IN LEICESTER.
A JUG OF PRIDE IN BOROUGH’S TRINITY
October 2025. Borough. Trinity Four Guide London pubs on Monday raised hopes of a rare “ten pub week”, the sort of thing BRAPA knocks out in his sleep on his way to GBG immortality. I almost skipped the Trinity in favour of an old classic to end the night, but it was only 10 minutes… Continue reading A JUG OF PRIDE IN BOROUGH’S TRINITY
LINING THEM UP IN ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
October 2025. Elephant & Castle. London. You left me on Hungerford Bridge after leaving the Old Shades, admiring the view. The view changes rapidly as you leave the culture of South Bank and the sunset over Waterloo Station to head the mile to Elephant & Castle, a pub graveyard of late. It could only be… Continue reading LINING THEM UP IN ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
THE OLD SHADES, SW1
October 2025. Whitehall. London. While I sat in the Admiralty I scribbled down a few notes, mainly about queuing tourists and naff modern pop, but also “another week another two (2) London pubs two minutes apart“. Should have been 30 seconds to the Old Shades, but something in the space/time dimension where WC2 becomes SW1… Continue reading THE OLD SHADES, SW1
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