March 2024. Birmingham. Congratulations to any of you who realised that this morning’s post on GBG entries wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. I can now admit that THIS was an April Fool’s Joke; Apologies to anyone who was still looking for The Dolphin. Back to March pubs before the monthly stocktake (Spoiler : A disaster… Continue reading ANOTHER UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE LURE OF BIRMINGHAM’S WELLINGTON
A MAD DASH FROM LANDYWOOD
March 2024. Landywood. Cannock. Well, Great Wyrley in the GBG, actually. I wasn’t going to stop and tick the Swan on the way back from triumph in Cannock, but the challenge of doing the 34 minute return walk, beer and loo trip and catching the half hourly train to New St was too tempting. No… Continue reading A MAD DASH FROM LANDYWOOD
CAMRA REVEALS PLAN TO SLIM DOWN GOOD BEER GUIDE
April brings baby lambs, the return of county cricket and the CAMRA AGM’s annual attempt to revitalise and make itself relevant to the under-70s. Back to Dundee again this year, chosen mainly for its collection of great pubs to rival Sheffield in 2023. The motions at Dundee include several aimed at making the Beer Guide… Continue reading CAMRA REVEALS PLAN TO SLIM DOWN GOOD BEER GUIDE
ARCADE GAMES
March 2024. Cannock. Well, I’d certainly done Cannock justice by the time I arrived at my second new GBG entry/fourth tick, and I’d finally found you some proper art. Or is it porn ? The Arcade is 5 minutes from the station, and I found I could neck a half in 2 minutes and catch… Continue reading ARCADE GAMES
M AND B MILD IN THE CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN
March 2024. Cannock. Well, I was going to get good value out of my train fare(s) to Cannock, that’s for sure, even if I wasn’t “doing the culture” of cemeteries and Shadow tributes. But then pubs are culture, aren’t they ? Bar Sport had just opened and I thought about popping in for the most… Continue reading M AND B MILD IN THE CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN
USING UP THE LAST OF THE 2023 SPOONS VOUCHERS IN CANNOCK
March 2024. Cannock. One new GBG pub in Cannock ticked, the Arcade didn’t open till 5, a very uncivilised time. That meant 90 minutes finding something interesting to say about a town notably coy about its treasures. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Cannock; a lively town with a bowling green in the… Continue reading USING UP THE LAST OF THE 2023 SPOONS VOUCHERS IN CANNOCK
A PROPER JOB IN CANNOCK
March 2024. Cannock. Big drama on CAMRA Discourse this morning as I’m accused of disrespecting Harlow, just imagine ME slagging off any of our UK towns. But I notice last time in Cannock I did compare it to Harlow, so I’ve got my work out bigging up Stafford’s most unsung town now. They’ve made a… Continue reading A PROPER JOB IN CANNOCK
CHASED OFF TO CANNOCK
March 2024. Cannock. 3 days in Waterbeach with my parents (they’re fine, helped Mum in the garden for 5 minutes, took Dad to Quy Mill for coffee and cake), and I come home to this; Eight (cans) of Brew Dog non-alcoholic filth consumed in two nights while Mrs RM painted the stairs. Has she no… Continue reading CHASED OFF TO CANNOCK
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY No. 51- SOUTH YORKSHIRE Part 2. SHEFFIELD
I left “Half a dozen pubs…” in a bit of limbo, giving you a blog’s worth of South Yorkshire WITHOUT Sheffield, and then forgot about it, or thought it was too difficult my new home to less than a dozen. But at some point I need to move on to West Yorkshire, and Gwent, and… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY No. 51- SOUTH YORKSHIRE Part 2. SHEFFIELD
TOP 100 PUBS – THE BRUNSWICK, DERBY
March 2024. Derby. On the homeward leg from the Black Country now, three great heritage pubs and some even better company, and I had the free entertainment of a zealous inspector telling two bemused girls they shouldn’t be using the Transport for Wales. “It might only be 5 or 10p difference but rules are rules;… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BRUNSWICK, DERBY
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