March 2024. Rochdale. Three unconventional pubs, time for a genuine classic now. The Baum is the first stop on the town’s upcoming beer trail; an actual National Pub of the Year, though perhaps not one mentioned in the same breath as the Kelham Island Tavern or Fat Cat. Mrs RM had been in awe of… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BAUM, TOAD LANE, ROCHDALE
THE BAILLIE STREET BASS BUST-UP
March 2024. Rochdale. It’s so nice to be doing a mini (all halves) pub crawl with positive folk like Mrs RM and Blackpool Jane. Leaving Our Gracie’s we immediately found a gorgeous little alley to take us to our our 3rd pub, Rochdale having made a real effort to promote its heritage. What colours !… Continue reading THE BAILLIE STREET BASS BUST-UP
OUR GRACIE’S – A TAVERN IN THE TOWN
March 2024. Rochdale. Rochdale’s musical heritage includes two (2) Stansfields. Lisa, and Gracie, who lost her “stans” and became Gracie Fields in order not to be confused with our kiss-curled heroine. Bizarrely, it’s Gracie who’s commemorated outside the town hall, possibly because of her ode to Rochdale town pubs. Mrs RM, Blackpool Jane and I… Continue reading OUR GRACIE’S – A TAVERN IN THE TOWN
THE BEWILDERING, BEGUILING, BOMBAY BREW
March 2024. Rochdale. Enough culture; let’s do a pub. Here’s the maps I forgot to give you earlier. We met Blackpool Jane at the station (12 minutes from M’cr Victoria), with that half mile walk through a less than salubrious part of town best known for the two dozen Sam Smiths keg pubs Leon ticked… Continue reading THE BEWILDERING, BEGUILING, BOMBAY BREW
REMARKABLE ROCHDALE TOWN HALL
March 2024. Rochdale. Enough of pubs, let’s return to northern England’s architectural heritage. OK, and some pubs with Blackpool Jane, in “Remarkable Rochdale” (the TIC can have that in exchanged for a rag pudding). I nearly never made it, after a near fatal flesh wound caused by taking Roberta Flack’s classic album out of its… Continue reading REMARKABLE ROCHDALE TOWN HALL
NEEPSEND SOCIAL CLUB HANDPUMP GAIN !
March 2024. Sheffield. Gig night in Sheffield, a trio of shoegaze (ask your Dad) groups at 200 capacity Yellow Arch. Shoegaze is back; Slowdive are headlining End of the Road and those My Bloody Valentine albums I bought in the death throws of vinyl are worth a fortune (well, £20). Sheffield thrives on small venues,… Continue reading NEEPSEND SOCIAL CLUB HANDPUMP GAIN !
NEW IN SHEFFIELD
March 2024. Sheffield. The question I’m most regularly asked, after “Can I have your City v Arsenal ticket ?” is “Can you recommend anything new and shiny in Sheffield ?“. Well, “No” and “Yes, obviously“. The Wickingman aka The Man Who Saved Bass kindly alerted me to the arrival of The Foresters (red marker, middle… Continue reading NEW IN SHEFFIELD
ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK No. 7 – NORTH WESTWARD HO
March 2024. Manchester. I’ve just started marking the pubs I’ve done in the marvellous Matthew Curtis book. Just the ones visited since the book came out, I’m not claiming a tick for a Didsbury boozer (does it have any boozers ?) I popped in 25 years ago. Should I colour them with a pink marker… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK No. 7 – NORTH WESTWARD HO
JETHRO TULL ALBUMS DISSECTED IN THE WELLINGTON
March 2024. Sheffield. There’s two (2) guaranteed indicators that I’m a teeny bit pi**ed in Sheffield. An order for an unnecessary Chinese takeaway from Sang Lung, and an inadvisable pint in the Wellington. Oh dear. Even worse, I convinced myself what I really needed after Bombay mix and a pork pie was the Welly’s £1… Continue reading JETHRO TULL ALBUMS DISSECTED IN THE WELLINGTON
HEAVEN IS A PIE AND A PINT IN THE LEFT HAND BAR OF SHEFFIELD’S FAT CAT
March 2024. Sheffield… Or is it Kelham Island ? The Good Beer Guide sees fit to label the Valley of Beer as a separate entity this year (but not, say, Hillsborough), and who am I to argue with the Good Book. You left me drinking 10% Norwegian Marshmallow Imperial Stout on my return from a… Continue reading HEAVEN IS A PIE AND A PINT IN THE LEFT HAND BAR OF SHEFFIELD’S FAT CAT
