March 2025. Ripon. You can’t complain about £2.40 for 24 hours of parking in a Yorkshire cathedral city; I make that nearly 10p an hour. Having eaten our ChatGPT approved Booths Spanish picnic we must have fallen asleep early, as I completely missed the hornblower calling last orders at 9pm in the market square. But… Continue reading YOUR RIPON DAY TRIP GUIDE
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TOP 100 PUBS – THE ONE EYED RAT, RIPON
March 2025. Ripon. It’s not every pub that gets in my prized Top 100, you know. In truth, parked up in Ripon there wasn’t much enthusiasm for a “curated exploration of local taverns”, or whatever we’re suppose to call pub crawls in 202. And GBG regular the Royal Oak had that “meh” Tim Taylor look… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE ONE EYED RAT, RIPON
RIPON’S PORTLY PIG. A POINTLESS OR PRE-EMPTIVE PINT ?
March 2025. Ripon. First time in Ripon in at least a decade, I thought, till I remembered it was only we stopped here in July to avoid a hold-up on the sweltering A1 and be mildly disappointed on a return to the Water Rat. Now it was the lure of some nearby bloggable National Trust… Continue reading RIPON’S PORTLY PIG. A POINTLESS OR PRE-EMPTIVE PINT ?
Ticking St. Nicholas, West Tanfield (NCSS 3.5)
March 2025. West Tanfield. Mrs RM was feeling uncomfortable about being the only cask drinker in town, and wanted to get off, but I like to bring my readers a bit of culture wherever I go, and the view from the bridge over the River Ure revealed a large church for 636 souls, and an… Continue reading Ticking St. Nicholas, West Tanfield (NCSS 3.5)
TOO MUCH TODGER TALK IN WEST TANFIELD
March 2025. West Tanfield. North Yorkshire. An overnighter in North Yorkshire, a county with a plenty of newish GBG entries, nearly all without train stations (or hotels under a ton). So the campervan is out for this rare exploration into Hambletonshire, between Ripon and Masham and not exactly a hotbed of great pubs of late.… Continue reading TOO MUCH TODGER TALK IN WEST TANFIELD
BREAKFAST IN GARFORTH
March 2025. Garforth. Leeds. The sun comes out, time for an actual trip, in the campervan, to some tourist sites. But first, Garforth. An unsung Leeds suburb, the Haverhill of the North. We resisted the breakfast sausage in favour of brunch in Spoons. Had the Briggate ever graced the Guide ? Presumably not, as this… Continue reading BREAKFAST IN GARFORTH
“Are ya one of them beer tickers?”
March 2025. Sheffield. Back home from foreign fields, a man’s thoughts must inevitably turn to foamy beer in cosy English pubs. Let’s take a hike over the iron bridge to a Kelham gem, except the iron bridge doesn’t go anywhere and the Harlequin is more Wicker than Kelham. I’ve always liked the place, but it… Continue reading “Are ya one of them beer tickers?”
MARCH ’25 STOCKTAKE + APRIL PREVIEW
Quite a low-key month compared to the dramas of January and February, but it did include Mrs RM’s trip to Moldova (twice postponed due to family traumas) so not entirely dull. (Only) thirty-six different pubs, as I can’t count really count the ten in Iasi and Chisinau as “pubs”. Some classics in that 36, including… Continue reading MARCH ’25 STOCKTAKE + APRIL PREVIEW
1976 GBG PUB DESCRIPTIONS
A little bonus post before I go from Moldova to middle England. A look back at that golden summer of ’76 when a dodgy Retired Martin was forced to play outdoor sports at Milton Primary School in 33 degrees, and the new Good Beer Guide was at its peak. I had a read through this… Continue reading 1976 GBG PUB DESCRIPTIONS
SURVIVING BUCHAREST NORTH
March 2025. Bucharest. Not a bad sleep on the 13 hour overnighter from Chisinau, but Bucharest North brings you back to reality, reminiscent of Kings Cross 30 years ago. Our flight is at 3.30, we’ve got 5 hours to get explore the city by metro, but no one will sell us the Tourist Card for… Continue reading SURVIVING BUCHAREST NORTH
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