A reminder of what the Aberdeen & Grampian section of the Beer Guide looks like. Two to do towards the Tayside border next. Look at WhatPub and you’ll see there’s not a huge difference between the GBG and WhatPub. Hopefully that means Scottish pubs only put on real ale if they’ve the right cellar,… Continue reading A TIMEWARP IN JOHNSHAVEN
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.
SIX DEGREES NORTH
Just for clarification on that last post; I didn’t have the deep fried Mars bar. But a deep fried Turkish Delight would have been tempting. It was ten seconds walk from Stonehaven Pub 1 to Pub 2, the “perennial CAMRA award winner“. Fifteen with the stop for the duff photo of the Shorehead. Well, the… Continue reading SIX DEGREES NORTH
A CROQUE MONSIEUR IN STONEHAVEN
Greetings from lovely Darlington where I’ve just returned after meeting Duncan completely accidentally in Newcastle. Spooky. The Dalesman Hotel in Darlo (keg Magnet) is £30 en-suite (on-sute as my Mum would say), very clean but with weak WiFi. So it’s more short posts from Aberdeen. First stop on the Great Grampians Tickathon was Stonehaven, a… Continue reading A CROQUE MONSIEUR IN STONEHAVEN
SHOULD YOU GO TO ABERDEEN….
… don’t forget the cliches. The Granite city, grey buildings glistening in the rain, pints costing a fiver due to oil riches, a place full of craft keg fanatics with a BrewDog on every corner, a last stop before the ferry to the beer paradise that is Lerwick, etc etc. Possibly. It felt very quiet… Continue reading SHOULD YOU GO TO ABERDEEN….
A RUDE AWAKENING IN PERTH
In case you’re wondering where I’m up to, it’s now 21:15 on Monday the 4th, and the Departures Board at Euston Station is telling us the Aberdeen Sleeper is “Delayed“. From my vantage point at Leon, I’d been eyeing up the Signal Box, a new Fullers bar next to the other chain diners on the… Continue reading A RUDE AWAKENING IN PERTH
MRS RM’S EUSTON TIP
Off to Aberdeen with Mrs RM, where I will slave away visiting pubs while she solves the University’s IT problems or something. We’d booked the sleeper from Euston. “Shall we go up early. Have a beer in the Tap ?” she said. Now, as a mansplaining man, it never pays to be too enthusiastic about… Continue reading MRS RM’S EUSTON TIP
A JEWEL IN THE JEWELLERY QUARTER
Only one more post then it’s the big trip to Aberdeen, which is more than a succession of Brew Dogs. The Jewellers Arms has generous opening hours, but being a few minutes from Burning Soul, which doesn’t, I’d been saving it up. I didn’t have high expectations, having had my share of disappointments with Black… Continue reading A JEWEL IN THE JEWELLERY QUARTER
BRUMMIN’
The train from Stechford to Brum drops you in the centre of “New” New Street Station, an unfortunate place to be dropped. For the third time in a row I failed to find the exit, wandering aimlessly past Leon’s and Five Guys and Prets before emerging blinking in Chinatown. So the half hour I’d allowed… Continue reading BRUMMIN’
A STECHFORD STRETCH
Where is Stechford ? A mile east of famed boxing Brum boxing arena St. Andrews, apparently. And just below Ward End, home of the Midland’s most idiosyncratic Spoons. And what’s happened to the “t” in Stetchford ? After all, there’s a “t” in snitch (top). I blame the Villa. Stechford is the nearest station to… Continue reading A STECHFORD STRETCH
MORE CHESHIRE GASTRO PUB “FUN”
Yes, enough of the “better-than-expected” trendy café bars; it’s back to what makes Cheshire famous. Ancient gastropubs for retired gentlefolk in the middle of nowhere (well, far enough away from Crewe for comfort, anyway). Before the Cheshire mafia start their abuse, Cheshire is an attractive county and if I was legally compelled to take my… Continue reading MORE CHESHIRE GASTRO PUB “FUN”
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