July 2024. Stafford. An hour in Stafford before the Official Curated Pub exploration. Will had arrived early and decided to do an extra pub, which sounds like cheating. I stuck with culture. Stafford only really has the Ancient High House and its pubs, but the former is a corker (and, more importantly, free). The largest… Continue reading THE ANCIENT HIGH HOUSE, STAFFORD
COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. MARY, STAFFORD
July 2024. Stafford. Penkridge is your ideal campervan overnighter. Free parking, Wednesday and Saturday market with artisan deli, a choice of pubs, and a seven minute connection to That Stafford (£5). Stafford is home to the man who’s had more letters published in What’s Brewing than any other CAMRA member, but I’ve found the town… Continue reading COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. MARY, STAFFORD
PENKRIDGE MARKET
July 2024. Penkridge. Yes ! Get yourself down/up/across to Penkridge’s annual music festival NOW and catch Timmy Mallett. Forget your Cyndis and Shanias, Timmy is the “Heritage” (ugh) act that Glastonbury needs in 2025. I was a day too early for Penkridge Fest, arriving from Welshpool to stick the van in another free car park… Continue reading PENKRIDGE MARKET
A WELSHPOOL WANDER, BUT IS THERE WONDER ?
July 2024. Welshpool. A Tuesday night in Powys; another chance to discover if I’ve underestimated Welshpool‘s charms. Sadly, not. I guess my expectations of a town of 6,764 souls are always going to be too high, even though it does stand out on the Philip navigator as a major Welsh town. Campervan settled down for… Continue reading A WELSHPOOL WANDER, BUT IS THERE WONDER ?
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 55 – MID WALES
By coincidence, this blog has now reached Mid-Wales in 2024 AND also in the acclaimed “Half a dozen pubs” series, which will only omit that pub in Guilsfield as it’s too current. Quite a span covered in that Mid Wales (aka Powys) section, but one thing’s for sure, you’re guaranteed hills and thrills and no… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 55 – MID WALES
GUILSFIELD GREATNESS
July 2024. Guilsfield. Welshpool. From Hollywood (Wrexham) I headed south back into England and then Wales again for a night in hilly Welshpool, my respite from weekends in the flatlands of Waterbeach. The 76 or T12 bring you to Guilsfield in 10 minutes. A pleasant village of 1,640, with a picturesque bus station, manicured gardens,… Continue reading GUILSFIELD GREATNESS
MORE BRUNNING AND PRICE WANNABES IN GREATER WREXHAM
July 2024. Erbistock. Wrexham. From posh north Wrexham to posh south Wrexham for our next GBG newbie, but you’d hardly notice the difference. Just beyond lovely St. Hilary’s, at the end of a dead end track, lies Erbistock’s Boat. I often wonder how many renowned pubs I still haven’t been to because they haven’t been… Continue reading MORE BRUNNING AND PRICE WANNABES IN GREATER WREXHAM
HYDES IN POSH WREXHAM
July 2024. Rossett. Wrexham. From trips to Wales past to trips to Wales present, and finally some new Welsh GBG24 ticks. I’d forgot how close that border was, though the route below has a detour through League of Gentleman Hadfield at the moment. A motorway from Sheffield to Stockport through the Snake Pass is surely… Continue reading HYDES IN POSH WREXHAM
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 54 – GWENT
Time for an overdue return to the award winning* “Half a dozen pubs in every GBG chapter“, which we rudely left in Glamorgan a month ago. I’m a big fan of Gwent, partly because it’s so easy to get to Cambridge or Sheffield with whizzy motorway links, cheap chain hotels, and unpronounceable (to non-Welsh) place… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 54 – GWENT
MASTERS OF CASK
June 2024. Sheffield. How was your election evening ? This was the scene in Sheffield at 10pm; Over-analyse that ! A week ago the election coverage was in overdrive in my last pub of the month, as I left the Cow and Calf suddenly incredibly hungry. By a stroke of luck, a Sheffield dining pub… Continue reading MASTERS OF CASK
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