June 2024. Stockport. Back to tourist pics, mainly because I didn’t take any notes, as we meet up for our regular “Manchester Beer Book tick and a curry” with Blackpool Jane. “Why not Stockport ?” asks Jane. Well, why not; some dodgy characters, to be sure, but also some great pubs, and I hadn’t been… Continue reading UNDERBANKS

June 2024. Huddersfield. Half an hour ’till the train back to Sheffield, and a paltry two station stops on the Huddopoly board. Still, all the excuse I’ll need for a return visit. Anywhere that labels itself “magnificent” deserves your time. The keg Albert apparently has a magnificent interior, but it was the County that provided… Continue reading HUDDOPOLY STOP No. 3 – THE COUNTY BEERHOUSE

June 2024. Huddersfield. My three hours in Hudders (as no-one except BRAPA calls it) was fair whizzing along, and I suddenly realised a 3rd pint without food was a very bad idea, and while I knew the estimable Grove had a good snack menu, Biltong and Pipers wasn’t as sensible as a proper meal in… Continue reading IS IT POSSIBLE TO WALK PAST AN UNVISITED SPOONS ?

June 2024. Huddersfield. A short break from pubs as I check out the tourist attractions in (possibly) our premier textile town. Sadly, they’re not marked on the Huddopoly flyer, so I have to follow my nose from St George’s Square, skipping the Vulcan (top) and its fake Bass sign, to a low-key market place, and… Continue reading CULTURAL HUDDERSFIELD

June 2024. Huddersfield. Arriving at Huddersfield station with no fixed plan is a bad idea, right ? But at least with £11 advance rail tickets limiting me to 3 hours, and a requirement for some “culture” it couldn’t get too messy, surely ? Stood in St George’s Square I stared at the statue of Harold,… Continue reading HUDDOPOLY STOP No.2 – THE KING’S HEAD

June 2024. Huddersfield. Between those weekends in Waterbeach, midweek trips to tick the Balkans, and the odd day the cruel Mrs RM makes me stay in Sheffield on laundry/garden (ugh) duties, there’s not much time to actually do new GBG entries. Which doesn’t bother me too much, I have completed once, but I’d like to… Continue reading HUDDOPOLY STOP No. 1 – THE HEAD OF STEAM

June 2024. Sheffield. It’s 5 years ago we lost Richard Coldwell, a mainstay of many a pub crawl in the early years of this blog. Richard wasn’t a great fan of Burton’s beers, but would have had intelligent things to say about the Thornbridge “saving” of the Burton Unions this year. You’ll know I couldn’t… Continue reading JAIPUR FROM THE UNIONS

June 2024. Citta Alta. Bergamo. Last set of Italian holiday snaps before, you’ll be delighted to hear, it’s back to pubs and curry in Sheffield, Cambridge, Stockport and Grenoside, which is about as good a run as you could hope for having left the cappuccino and croissants of Bergamo. I wasn’t quite as keen as… Continue reading UP THE HILL WE GO TO BERGAMO

June 2024. Bergamo. From San Marino we took the bus back to Rimini (fortified by the New Radicals “You Get What You Give”), the fast train to Milan (fortified by Tiramisu wafers), and then the slow local train to Bergamo, an hour spent worrying I should have exchanged my 6 euro on-line ticket for a… Continue reading “No real ale, it’s too hot” says Bergamo.