November 2024 – Little Eaton. Derbyshire. NOT to be confused with Long Eaton, though you probably will, with disastrous consequences. Little Eaton is your first village north of Derby, and I could have walked it, except I knew that I’d then end up in the re-opened Sam Smiths (ANOTHER one !) at Darley Abbey 3… Continue reading SHINY, SHINY, DERBYS BEHIND ME
IT’LL BE ALRIGHT WHEN IT SETTLES. BASS IN DERBY PART I.
November 2024. Derby. Arriving back in Sheffield from 3 weeks in Waterbeach the only thing I wanted to do on Saturday was get out. Yes, yes, six GBG ticks is fun, but only one was needed to complete Derbyshire and, joy of joys, it’s a brewery tap in an industrial estate. Half an hour on… Continue reading IT’LL BE ALRIGHT WHEN IT SETTLES. BASS IN DERBY PART I.
IN SEARCH OF BEAVERTOWN, BUT SETTLING FOR ORVAL
October 2024. Tottenham. Sheffield. One of many things I’m grateful to Dad for is the real life education he gave me as a shy young lad. 4am trips into east London in a van packed with flowers, tomato picking in steamy greenhouses to earn pocket money, and visits to exotic football grounds in Luton, Leicester… Continue reading IN SEARCH OF BEAVERTOWN, BUT SETTLING FOR ORVAL
WINNING THE BEST TEAM NAME AT SUN QUIZ NIGHT
October 2024. Waterbeach. “Shall we get Chinese ?’ says Mum in Addenbrookes car park. Mum had her priorities right, 10 minutes after an honourable discharge after two tough weeks in hospital. The second thing she did was phone Mrs RM’s parents to thank them for the giant chair with remote control they rescued from their… Continue reading WINNING THE BEST TEAM NAME AT SUN QUIZ NIGHT
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 67 – KINGDOM OF FIFE
Well, my spreadsheet says just “Fife“, but the GBG is insistent on the Kingdom, and the GBG is definitive when it comes to county names. It only took three trips up the A1 and over the Firth of Forth to tick Fife, a county most folks will only know from St Andrews and the chippy… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 67 – KINGDOM OF FIFE
OCTOBER ’24 STOCKTAKE + NOVEMBER PREVIEW
Any month that starts (in Lincoln) with Paul Mudge, Sheffield Hatter and the Southworths, and ends with Lizzy McAlpine singing “Soccer Practice” can’t all be bad, but in-between came three weeks of elderly parent traumas which saw Mrs RM and I confined to Waterbeach (again). Not all bad, but a house about 10 degrees too… Continue reading OCTOBER ’24 STOCKTAKE + NOVEMBER PREVIEW
“And the circle, it goes round and round”. LIZZY McALPINE AT BIRMINGHAM O2.
October 2024. Birmingham. October 28th had been the highlighted date in my calendar all year, the day I finally get to see my hero(ine) after two (2) failed attempts due to parental disasters and a tour cancellation. It had looked very likely Monday would see another disaster with Mum still recovering in Addenbrookes, but Mrs… Continue reading “And the circle, it goes round and round”. LIZZY McALPINE AT BIRMINGHAM O2.
WELCOME BACK TO THE WOODMAN
October 2024. Birmingham. It wasn’t my actual reason for being in Brum on Monday night, but I’d been wanting a return to the Woodman ever since a legendary pub trip on World Cup Semi-Final Day 2018, and not just because of the promise of a new Bass outlet. Actual Bass, not just a Wrexham industrial… Continue reading WELCOME BACK TO THE WOODMAN
Now THAT’S how to do a cheese and onion cob !
October 2024. Leicester. And this is the problem/joy of having completed the Guide. Before completion, you break a journey in Leicester, have a rushed weakest half in the new GBG tick, run back to the next train, plan how you’re going to do all four (4) West Midlands newbies before your gig when none (0)… Continue reading Now THAT’S how to do a cheese and onion cob !
LEICESTER – FILBERTS AND OTHER NUTS
October 2024. Leicester. Leicester looked splendid, if a little quiet before the Diwali and Christmas rushes. Odd to get a completely new pub in the Guide, particularly one as central as the Castle, tucked away in a rather underappreciated part of a rather underappreciated city. Honestly, pubs apart, Leicester is far more interesting than, say,… Continue reading LEICESTER – FILBERTS AND OTHER NUTS
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