Bet you’re rushing for your OED right now to find out what Schleppy means, aren’t you ? Actually, you’re probably looking at your battered Philip Navigator to see where Sheppey is. Just here, north of Sittingbourne (note old and new A249 routes). I was sure I’d written about Sheppey before, but it seems my exciting… Continue reading SCHLEPPY IN SHEPPEY
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.
THE TAYLOR’S TALE – MICROS IN CANTERBURY
I like Canterbury. If it’s good enough for my niece Emily (4th year at Uni and still no trip to Thanet) it’s good enough for me. This was my first visit since 2014, when I stayed in the Premier Inn on opening night for £29. Same room next Saturday is £115.50. Premier Inn have… Continue reading THE TAYLOR’S TALE – MICROS IN CANTERBURY
KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
Next stop, lovely Kent*. No arguments about the quality of this county, anyway ! And you never know quite what you’re going to get in the Beer Guide entries, which is something I like a lot. East of Canterbury, the topography has a similar quality to the Somerset levels, though possibly less celebrated. Mrs… Continue reading KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
Being retired means I can do my duty to Greene King gastro pubs by drinking their IPA at 11.30am on a Wednesday. Yes, we do have pubs, such as the Old Spring , that open that early in the day. And stay open so folk can run their businesses using free internet. So a brisk walk… Continue reading SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
EVENTUALLY, EPSOM EXCELLENCE
It’s always good to end a county on a high. Particularly an unsung one like Surrey. So a nice little trip out on the E10 to the bucolic bit of Epsom, probably labelled as “Stamford Green” next year. By huge coincidence, the Cricketers is next to the cricket green. Which was about to turn… Continue reading EVENTUALLY, EPSOM EXCELLENCE
WHAT’S THE POINT OF SURREY ?
That’s a genuine question, not an invitation to a duel on Woking High Street, or whatever is the epicentre of Surrey culture. I just can’t see it as a proper county. There’s no League teams (the support is all for Chelsea), their cricket team plays in South London, their breweries are tiny, all the… Continue reading WHAT’S THE POINT OF SURREY ?
FRACKED OFF AT LEITH HILL
This may be a short post as I’m waiting for Mrs RM to arrive back at Stansted, her bottle of Elvis Juice chilling in the fridge. The Plough at Coldharbour in the heart of the Surrey Hills was one of those pubs that I was sure I’d been to before. Duncan and Simon will know… Continue reading FRACKED OFF AT LEITH HILL
NO ROOM FOR CHRIS TAVARE ON THE CRANLEIGH WALL OF LEGENDS
Looking back at two days of Surrey photos, it’s fairly clear the new GBG pubs were decent enough, apart from that first one. Even better, most of them were in places I’d never heard of. And Cranleigh claims to be “nearly England’s biggest village“, which makes my ignorance shameful. Pubmeister may correct me, but… Continue reading NO ROOM FOR CHRIS TAVARE ON THE CRANLEIGH WALL OF LEGENDS
WHY DO I NEVER LEARN NOT TO GO FOR THE LOCAL BEER
You’ll notice a theme in this blog; the more I learn, the less I learn. Having been served beer soup with scum in it in the name of localism, I really should have taken the hint and stuck to mega brews. There were enough of those in the Sun in Dunfold, a pub with… Continue reading WHY DO I NEVER LEARN NOT TO GO FOR THE LOCAL BEER
RAISING A GLASS OF HAANDBRYGGERIET “DEATH TO ALL BUT METAL” TO STEPHEN HAWKING
I interrupt my tour of Surrey’s gastro horrors to pay homage to Stephen Hawking, a man bright enough to leave Oxford for Cambridge and its superior pubs as soon as he could. And of course, an inspiration to us all in overcoming the greatest challenges life throws at us. You’ll know Stephen as the man… Continue reading RAISING A GLASS OF HAANDBRYGGERIET “DEATH TO ALL BUT METAL” TO STEPHEN HAWKING
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