Only seventeen (7 Teen), GBG entries in the mysterious Argyll & the Isles section of the Guide, which must include ALL the cask pubs (surely), so picking half a dozen must be a doddle, no ? I love those Instagram reels where American students are asked to name 3 countries outside America and start with… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY NO.60 – ARGYLL AND THE ISLES

August 2024. Larmer Tree Gardens. Cranborne Chase. This was my 12th End of the Road festival (and probably Mrs RM’s last, but that’s for later), four days out of my life in a field in Wiltshire, that’s (loads calculator function on PC) nearly 1% of my life !!! Actually, while Larmer Tree Gardens are in… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2024 – DAY 1

Over the border (unless you live in Paisley) for the next thrilling series of top pubs from every GBG chapter, and Scotland is where the Guide counties get even more odd. I’m sure this one used to be under “G” for Grampians once, but I guess it is a bit dominated by the granite city,… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 59 – ABERDEEN AND GRAMPIAN

The month started (traumatically) in a campervan in a car park in Ely and ended (traumatically)* in a campervan in a field near Salisbury and in-between took in a dozen trips up and down the A1 to tackle Dad’s care needs. Bing Maps will only allow me to plot points A to Z, so take… Continue reading AUGUST ’24 STOCKTAKE AND SEPTEMBER PREVIEW

Sounds like a King Crimson track, doesn’t it ? August 2024. Salisbury. We’re just back from our annual venture into Cranborne Chase for weird music in posh gardens and NO WI-FI. A near five hours slog due south from Sheffield, with time for a lone Wiltshire Guide tick (my first and last of the GBG… Continue reading ANIMAL FINIALS IN ODSTOCK

August 2024. Sheffield. There’s been an “entertaining” debate on CAMRA’s Discourse about deciding which pubs deserve to be in the GBG, and a call for “objective” assessment of beer quality by visiting “experts”. Let’s see what three “experts” made of a back street Sheffield pub on Tuesday. You’ll remember the “New” Red Deer from last… Continue reading THE PROBLEM WITH SCORING PUBS

August 2024. Cambridge. No, not Mrs RM, and not just an opportunity to stick a reference to another obscure early 80s Gary Numan hit. Gary Numan was, famously, a machine without any DNA. As we leave the Maypole a reminder that DNA was actually invented in Cambridge in 1953. Here is the ACTUAL DNA being… Continue reading SHE’S GOT CLAWS

August 2024. Cambridge. “Did you want to stop for something to eat ?” ask Mrs RM. “No” I say. This is, as men will know, the wrong answer, as the question is actually “Where are we stopping, I want to sit down NOW“. The question is posed as we head into the heart of Cambridge… Continue reading INTERRUPTING A BUMBLE DATE IN THE MAYPOLE

August 2024. Cambridge. The most tiring thing about visits to the parents is the sitting around all day, not using my legs. With Mum settled on Bank Holiday Monday we nipped out to Cambridge so Mrs RM could get some new Instagram material. So here’s a few posts on my much maligned home town, for… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE OFF THE WELL WORN TRACK