Nice carpet, Old Hoose. And a gorgeous Scottish seaside town I failed to do justice to in 2018 but made it up to last month. You can park for free overnight along the coast within sight of Bass Rock, which is one of life’s great bargains. I bet North Berwick Council and read this and… Continue reading BACK TO THE AULD HOOSE – NORTH BERWICK DELIVERS
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.
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT SHILLING IN GULLANE
It was all going so well. Then I had to go to golf-mad Gullane, the St Andrews of the South (except it doesn’t have a university or craft beer). A few years ago my dad stayed at one of the hotels here on a golfing trip with mates from the ‘Beach, so he’d probably done… Continue reading STILL LOOKING FOR THAT SHILLING IN GULLANE
NO GOBLIN IN GIFFORD
The mid-June posts continue as we head towards Bass Rock, the fount of eternal youth, possibly. This trip was targeting the Lothians, the posh Tory-voting stretch between Berwick North and the English border. The farming villages (see : East Linton) round here are gorgeous and underrated, and Gifford in the parish of Yester is stunning,… Continue reading NO GOBLIN IN GIFFORD
KELSO INCREASES THE PRICE OF THE SCRATCHINGS BY 10%
So much for a week off The Tick and 25 posts a day to catch up. This report from mid June comes courtesy of the WiFi in the smart Tesco cafe in Fforest-fach. The Welsh love their surplus f’s. Unbelievably, that’s the Shakshuka eggs in Tesco, whose rebranding of their cafés is a thing of… Continue reading KELSO INCREASES THE PRICE OF THE SCRATCHINGS BY 10%
BINGO NIGHT IN HAWICK SPOONS
The blog reaches Scotland for the first of two long trips into the hospitable north of the GBG. Look how green Scotland looks (or it did, before the last two days). A long slog to Hawick, (pronounced Hoik !, apparently) where I curse not doing the Bourtree when I was here in 2018. You should… Continue reading BINGO NIGHT IN HAWICK SPOONS
BLUE MOON MURK INTERLUDE
You left me in Cambridge in mid-June, confirming there was life in The Live & Let Live. I continued on to Mill Road cemetery, the short cut to the Blue Moon (and the garden of the Cambridge Blue if you’re naughty). Not only is Mill Road Cambridge’s beer street, it’s also where I was born… Continue reading BLUE MOON MURK INTERLUDE
TOP 100 PUBS – THE LIVE & LET LIVE, CAMBRIDGE (it lives again !)
Mid June. Back “home” in Waterbeach to make sure my parents are eating enough of that yummy Chinese food from Chung Hwa (yes, yes they are). I’d notice on Twitter that Roxanne de Bastion was playing Blue Moon that night, too good to miss. And a chance to feel nostalgic about Mill Road 18 months… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE LIVE & LET LIVE, CAMBRIDGE (it lives again !)
GWENT HAS FALLEN
I know how much you love these perfectly pinked GBG chapter maps, so here’s Gwent. Quite an easy county to complete. Not much churn in entries, decent transport, and a cheap overnighter in Newport. And some great rural pubs, both basic and upmarket. The Foxhunter in Nant-y-Derry is one of the latter, but that’s OK.… Continue reading GWENT HAS FALLEN
INTO THE VALLEYS – RELIEF IN GLYNNEATH
You’ll have seen from my Last 100 that I have quite a few pubs to do in the Welsh Valleys, one of my favourite parts of the world. In the McDonalds at Glyn-Neath (aka Glynneath) we were treated to early morning prog, something I’ve never warmed to. “There’s always been Ethel” ? What’s that all… Continue reading INTO THE VALLEYS – RELIEF IN GLYNNEATH
TROLLEY SERVICE IN MORRISTON SPOONS
“What did you do while Sheffield burned, Grandad *?” Hey ! Isn’t 42 the answer to life and stuff ? It’s also at least 20 degrees too hot for pubbing so I shall be continuing to write this rubbish to upset Welsh linguists and beer enthusiasts alike. Now, there’s two (2) Spoons in my Last… Continue reading TROLLEY SERVICE IN MORRISTON SPOONS
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