July 2023. Cromer. What ! ANOTHER Top 100 pub ! I cannot tell a lie. 2023 has been a golden year for pubs (and beer), but no-one expected a Norfolk pub in the Top 100, especially one not in overrated Norwich. Having completed the county ticks I thought I’d better see what the fuss about… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE RED LION, CROMER
DOOMED IN CROMER
July 2023. Cromer. Although I’m (definitely) not completing GBG this year the sight of incomplete counties still distresses me as much as it did a decade ago, particularly when there’s just one (1) left to do. In Norfolk, that loner was the White Horse. I did my weekly Facebook check on opening hours and saw… Continue reading DOOMED IN CROMER
“There used to be a library there”
July 2023. Milton. Cambridgeshire. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to get Dad round All The Pubs In Cambridgeshire or anything, but he’s certainly been to more more this year than he had the last 70, even if it is only keeping the local pineapple juice industry alive. Tuesday saw us dot around… Continue reading “There used to be a library there”
THE WISDOM OF GEORGE W., THE WONDERS OF THE GRAPES, SLINGSBY.
July 2023. Slingsby. North Yorkshire. After our bull scare, a rare new GBG tick in the lovely Howardian Hills. Slingsby’s Grapes is almost the local for the Howard family themselves. It’s hard to see where the Sunday night custom for the Grapes comes from. 665 souls, says Wiki, and the most deserted High Street of… Continue reading THE WISDOM OF GEORGE W., THE WONDERS OF THE GRAPES, SLINGSBY.
A NIGHT IN CASTLE HOWARD
July 2023. Castle Howard, near York. A Sunday of thunderstorms never arrived, and Mrs RM wanted a walk as she targets “10k a day”. She should take up pub ticking on foot; plenty of steps there. By a stroke of luck, my next nearest unticked GBG23 pub (90 minutes away !) is on the doorstep… Continue reading A NIGHT IN CASTLE HOWARD
ALL THE BREWERY TAPS IN SHEFFIELD ON TRAM – ST. MARS OF THE DESERT
July 2023. Attercliffe. Sheffield. I have a little section called “Notes” on my phone and for 2 years there’s been a note saying “St Mars of the Desert”. If Pastore is the trendy centre of Greater Waterbeach’s brewery centre, St Mars is the heart of hip Sheffield. Or something. During lockdown I had a fair… Continue reading ALL THE BREWERY TAPS IN SHEFFIELD ON TRAM – ST. MARS OF THE DESERT
LET THE TRAIN TAKE THE STRAIN
July 2023. Caverswall. Stoke-on-Trent. Last Friday I took six trains in my highly staggered Sheffield-Crewe return, and five (5) of them were virtually full. OK, one in three trains seemed to have been cancelled, and “We are sorry to announce…” becomes a bit wearing after a while, but the demand is certainly there. I’ll have… Continue reading LET THE TRAIN TAKE THE STRAIN
JOHNY, REMEMBERS ME
July 2023. Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Where were we ? Oh yes, Burslem market place. Johny of Johny’s micropub fame, remembering my earlier enquiry, had just messaged me saying he’d open up an hour earlier than planned. What a great chap. But what’s his pub like ? Well, a small pub, really. Cricket on the TV (“England… Continue reading JOHNY, REMEMBERS ME
TOP 100 PUBS – THE BULLS HEAD, BURSLEM
July 2023. Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Nice aerial shot of central Burslem for you, with our two GBG pubs in the bottom left. Used to be Guide pubs all over town. During lockdown I noted “Burslem is awash with small pubs now, called Ale House, Otter’s Tears, Hog Noggins, Johny’s Micro and Chilz“. Now, I’m not sure some… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BULLS HEAD, BURSLEM
THE BEAUTY OF BURSLEM
July 2023. Burslem, the Potteries. One of the conditions of my exciting sponsorship deal (come on Pipers, sort it out) is that I promote towns that normal folk never visit. Oddly, if I mention Stoke-on-Trent to Mum and Dad they’d go “Oooh, we used to love Stoke“, but of course they mean the genteel bit… Continue reading THE BEAUTY OF BURSLEM
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