January 2024. Cambridge. I’d arrived in Cambridge at 5pm, and aimed to have left by 6. M um locks the door at 7, to keep out the Waterbeach undesirables. Mum had given me a short shopping list for the Sainsbury’s by the station (bananas and mushrooms), but with 12 minutes spare after two rapid pints… Continue reading MAMMON
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CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
January 2024. Cambridge. Well, I didn’t believe Dan; In fact, I hadn’t seen Draught Bass in Cambridge this century, since a late ’90s Greene King dalliance with exotic guest beers saw it in The Zebra opposite the Cambridge Evening News offices. Dan wasn’t born when the Zebra was killed off. And now here it was,… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
TAKING DOWN THE TREE
January 2024. Waterbeach. I’ve just returned from the weekly 3 day trip down to the parents (mostly OK), where I find myself becoming slightly unhinged by being indoors for more than a couple of hours. Mum and Dad’s house is so brightly decorated it can be seen from an Elon Musk satellite. You’ll be delighted… Continue reading TAKING DOWN THE TREE
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 16 – HERTFORDSHIRE.
Mrs RM and I met, lived and worked in Hertfordshire for over a decade so you’d expect me to have a little affection for the place. Not so, though it’s a county with some very good rural boozers, none of which feature on this list for the simple reason I haven’t been to them for… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 16 – HERTFORDSHIRE.
FIREWORKS
New Year’s Eve 2023. Sheffield. One last post from the old year before we head into (checks notes) 2024, and a brand new Bass outlet for Cambridge. I didn’t really want to join Will in the Bath (as it were), but it gave me a chance to order the last Sang Lung of the year… Continue reading FIREWORKS
NEW YEAR’S EVE
December 31st. Sheffield. I’m not one for New Year’s Eve, celebrating 22 December is enough for me. But I needed to meet up with Will to plan a pub crawl, sorry “curated exploration of beer houses” and our only requirement was that we met up before the silly hours, when pubs became ticket only. I… Continue reading NEW YEAR’S EVE
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 15 – HEREFORDSHIRE.
Let’s attempt Herefordshire again, shall we (the first post went out blank last night, causing riots in Weobley). Lovely county, some decent unspoilt pubs, but a few you probably think of as classics that have changed a fair bit over the decades (Leintwardine, Kington). The first one is still a classic, Ledbury – Prince of… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 15 – HEREFORDSHIRE.
YOU CAN RING MY BELL, RING MY BELL (TO GET ENTRY TO THE SWAN IN DARLASTON)
December 2023. Darlaston. Greater Walsall. I was going to call it a day after Stourbridge because the fourth pub in Darlaston looked a bit tricky. Train back towards Snow Hill, change at the Hawthorns for the metro to Wednesbury, walk to Wednesbury exchange where they subject me to tinny Vivaldi and charge m 10p to… Continue reading YOU CAN RING MY BELL, RING MY BELL (TO GET ENTRY TO THE SWAN IN DARLASTON)
STOURBRIDGE – THE SHORTEST RAIL LINE IN EUROPE
December 2023. Birmingham and Stourbridge. I’d arrived at New Street at 11:30, and arrived back there at 14:15 with two ticks in the bag, but the toughest couple were yet to come. The trick in Brum is not to dawdle in the centre admiring the Edwardian architecture, taking random photos for your blog, but just… Continue reading STOURBRIDGE – THE SHORTEST RAIL LINE IN EUROPE
KING’S NORTON – CURRY NOT CHOCOLATE
December 2023. King’s Heath. Birmingham. The first tick of the day is always the hardest, and from Boldmere I was able to catch a train directly (“dreckly” as they say in the Fens) to the second. But first at Chester Road I had that joy of suburban Brum stations, folk having long, unintelligible conversations about… Continue reading KING’S NORTON – CURRY NOT CHOCOLATE
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