August 2023. Prescot. Mrs RM has been accompanying me on trips to get Guide ticks blog material on lesser-known UK tourist sites, with a promise her own blog is about to drop (ugh). She’ll struggle to beat Prescot, where I finished Merseyside GBG23 entries with an emotional pint of Abbot and Katsu chicken in the… Continue reading PRESCOT – “A MERRIER HOUR WAS NEVER WASTED THERE”
WRECSAM WITHOUT A FILM CREW
August 2023. “Greater” Wrexham/Wrecsam. Yes ! A trip to the Hollywood village that is “New” Wrexham. Never mind Ryan Reynolds (who ?) and Rob McElhenny (who ?), the appeal of Wrexham can be best gauged in the recent tour dates for my favourite Canadian songstress of 2023; “Haley why you spend all your time in… Continue reading WRECSAM WITHOUT A FILM CREW
ALBION
August 2023. Chester. Back in Chester to end the night with the obligatory “craft beer” in the suburb and ill-advised Chinese takeaway which I’m still finding the remains of in the campervan a week later. The Shot Tower would make a great micropub. Perhaps it already is, and nobody knows. Elsewhere on the route to… Continue reading ALBION
SOMEHOW I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME (FROM ELLESMERE PORT)
August 2023. Ellesmere Port. I’m homeward bound now, like Paul Simon in nearby Widnes, where “home” is a campervan at Chester racecourse. But first, Ellesmere Port. There really weren’t that many people on the Ellesmere branch of the Wirral line. I pride myself on finding the best in places. Think of my ground-breaking 4 part… Continue reading SOMEHOW I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME (FROM ELLESMERE PORT)
DOCTOR DUNCAN
August 2023. Liverpool. I left Liverpool’s South Parkway (nice art) in a mild quandry. Could I really head straight back to the Wirral without a stop in Liverpool, even with two more ticks to fit in across the Mersey ? No, I couldn’t. Even if it was just a half hour halt for a half… Continue reading DOCTOR DUNCAN
THE CLOSEST GBG PUB TO LENNON’S CHILDHOOD HOME
August 2023. Woolton, Liverpool. The second Merseyside Guide pub takes me across the Mersey, via an exciting 3 minute change at Central. The geography gets a little confused down at the end of the (Northern) line. The Cobden is in Woolton (not Walton), but there’s no Woolton station so it’s a walk from South Parkway… Continue reading THE CLOSEST GBG PUB TO LENNON’S CHILDHOOD HOME
PUBS ARE LIFE IN NEW FERRY
August 2023. Birkenhead. £5.95 buys you a Merseyrail day saver which will take you all the way from Chester to Ellesmere Port. Two contrasting ticks in Merseyside, one either side of the river, starting with New Ferry. It definitely IS New Ferry, though the metro stop is Bebington and the first sign you see is… Continue reading PUBS ARE LIFE IN NEW FERRY
A NIGHT IN THE LITTLE ROODEE
August 2023. Chester. Have some tourist photos before the pub onslaught. With Mrs RM on conference calls with Eindhoven, and not really fancying the glamour of a night in a car park overnighter, I set off for the Little Roodee. Chester’s car park by the race course is an ideal spot for motorhomes and campervans,… Continue reading A NIGHT IN THE LITTLE ROODEE
A DARK HORSE FOR THE NEXT GBG ?
August 2023. Sheffield. After the minor disappointment of “Future Restaurant” I pressed on up Ecclesall Road and found a second pre-emptive tick just up the hill, and to be honest I bet the Dark Horse would be a GBG shu-in (shoo-in ?) in Scunthorpe or Paisley. Actually, a suburb of Scunthorpe or Grimsby would work… Continue reading A DARK HORSE FOR THE NEXT GBG ?
THIS YEAR’S SPOOF WHAT PUB ENTRY REVEALED
August 2023. Sheffield. I was hoping my walk back from Dore to the Blind Monkey would reveal some unknown treasures. It’s always embarrassing when those pesk beer tourists ask you what’s new and exciting in Sheffield and you realise you haven’t actually been to Ecclesall’s pubs yet. Leaving the Prince of Wales, I consulted What… Continue reading THIS YEAR’S SPOOF WHAT PUB ENTRY REVEALED
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