Closing in on completing Wiltshire now, as part of my unique “complete the Beer Guide doing the easy counties first” method. For some reason, I always think B-o-A, as tickers call it, is in more glamorous Somerset or Bathshire. But the muddy canal is very Wilts, though the view across the Avon isn’t. I’d walked… Continue reading NEVER MIND THE B*****S, IT’S BRADFORD-ON-AVON
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SALISBURY – MORE THAN A MUMMIFIED HAND
Just for the Prof, who quite likes the place. And so do I. Last stop for me before Larmer Gardens and my annual alt.music fest, Salisbury is a good mix of pubs, stunning Georgian buildings, a church unencumbered by scaffolding, Ushers signage you can see while avoiding Trowbridge, and a lovelier underpass than any in… Continue reading SALISBURY – MORE THAN A MUMMIFIED HAND
TALKING TO STRANGERS OVER ROCHEFORT 8 IN EARL’S COURT
Onward. From Hammersmith to Earl’s Court. Via lost cats, weird stuff, and crumbling tube stations, to more beer and curry. Charles and I would have walked the mile from the Dove, of course. But the steps down to the tube do you good. I think. 20 years ago Earl’s Court would have been full of… Continue reading TALKING TO STRANGERS OVER ROCHEFORT 8 IN EARL’S COURT
Whoa, whoa, for the wings of a Dove
Today’s cover stars are Barb and Richard from Chicago, where pizza was invented in 1492 and it’s even scarier than on “The Wire”. Barb and Dick, and Dave and Joan, were finishing their latest attempt to save UK cask by drinking it. Mrs RM and I, along with special guest Curry Charles, met them at… Continue reading Whoa, whoa, for the wings of a Dove
IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, AND ALL CANNINGS FEELS FINE
I loved the next pub. Classic setting in the shadow of Ashley Alton Barnes White Horse, 20 minutes bus ride from Devizes, tucked away in a village comprised entirely of thatched cottages, in a little lane actually called Pub Lane. Yes really. In a place like this the village pub goes one of two ways.… Continue reading IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, AND ALL CANNINGS FEELS FINE
SUSPECT DEVIZES
Next stop, Wiltshire, and a rare new Wadworth’s pub in the Guide. Sure the Three Crowns was probably a GBG cert back in ’83, but sadly Duncan dropped his memory stick in the Bass jug in Pontfaen so we shall never know. Half an hour was enough to remind myself why Devizes gets the same… Continue reading SUSPECT DEVIZES
ESCAPING MAIDENHEAD INTACT
People talk about Damacene conversions. Like Saul of Tarsus, and Pete Allen ditching Carling for Bass, and Chukka joining the Greens next week. A real Damascene conversion will be me seeing the light and telling you “Maidenhead is magic” . It’s not. It’s a dump that exists only to make Slough look good, which it… Continue reading ESCAPING MAIDENHEAD INTACT
DOOM BAR RULES IN BANBURY
At times on this site I feel like the nation’s only advocate for Doom Bar, a bit like the only person pleased with the sacking of Gary Monk. But despite two rave reviews for our No. 1 beer last year (Sawbridgeworth and Winchester, fact fans), it’s normally a dull old thing, even in GBG pubs.… Continue reading DOOM BAR RULES IN BANBURY
ON THE ALE IN TIVIDALE
Another night in the exciting suburbs of Dudley, another chance to discover the hidden charms of pre-emptive Black Country pubs. Not this one, sadly. Or this one. And what looked like a Rowley Regis Guide cert with its giraffe and guardsmen theme turns out to be a children’s play area with Carling. No, the possible… Continue reading ON THE ALE IN TIVIDALE
WELSHPOOL WAKES UP. FINALLY.
Mid Wales is a nightmare for the pub ticker. Expensive B&Bs, sheep crossing events at Llangurig that last longer than a Tom Jones gig, and opening hours that make micropubs seem like Wetherspoons. Not too bad in Welshpool, where the Pheasant promises all day opening from 1pm to allow the owners to watch Bargain Hunt… Continue reading WELSHPOOL WAKES UP. FINALLY.
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