Completing the Guide isn’t for everyone. Anyone (like me) with an innate fear of cute Cornish seaside towns full of MumsNetters complaining about hills will struggle, and I really had to choose my moment to tick the west coast of Cornwall; Simon can tell you all about the dodgy Cornish buses, I was more concerned… Continue reading P-P-P-PORT ISAAC – TICK MARTIN ARRIVES
A SONIC BOOM OVER FINNYGOOK BEACH
A mega post as I enter Cornwall in mid-July for the first of ten (10) ticks on the way to GBG glory. The Scillies apart, Cornwall isn’t as tricky as Devon to complete; fewer Guide entries, fewer high edges, less chance of a pub run by an octogenarian being unexpectedly shut on Thursday*. And it… Continue reading A SONIC BOOM OVER FINNYGOOK BEACH
SO CLOSE TO CORNWALL, I HAD TO HAVE A DOOM BAR IN PLYMOUTH
It’s not fair. Simon goes to Plymouth in June and it’s like the last days of Sodom and Gomorrah (has it ended ?); students snogging (close your eyes, Colin), vomit in the Barbican, 8 pint Towers of Beer (almost a gallon, folks) on every corner. I go a month later and the most exciting thing… Continue reading SO CLOSE TO CORNWALL, I HAD TO HAVE A DOOM BAR IN PLYMOUTH
MOUNT BATTEN
Still in an endless July; we spent the night camped in a Park & Ride car park in Plymouth. Don’t let anyone tell you pub ticking isn’t glamorous. In many ways the Plymouth halt was a disaster; no stop for Bass at the Dolphin and no Chinese takeaway. But just across from the Barbican lies… Continue reading MOUNT BATTEN
“A LETTER TO THE BREWERIES”
Coming into 2022 I knew I’d need a slice of luck as well as Mrs RM’s peerless driving to complete the Guide. If I’m honest, I expected a fair number of GBG pubs wouldn’t survive last winter, and no doubt tough times lie ahead, but it’s worth noticing that this year has only seen half… Continue reading “A LETTER TO THE BREWERIES”
Newton and Noss, naughty and nice
The dash to completion of the Guide was exhilarating, but the real joy of the chase has been seeing the best of the UK in summer, including posh Devon places like Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo on the Yealm estuary I didn’t know existed (despite me staring at the names annually in the GBG and… Continue reading Newton and Noss, naughty and nice
MORE BASS CLICKBAIT FROM THE AVON INN
I’m home in Sheffield today, almost forgot what it looks like, and would have brought you one of those beer smellier descriptions of the Sam Smiths Stingo (which I always confuse with Spingo) I bought from Dram Shop last night, but Mrs RM drank it in 8 minutes (one minute per ABV) while I wasn’t… Continue reading MORE BASS CLICKBAIT FROM THE AVON INN
KICKING OFF IN THE QUANTOCKS
As we headed into June this year I still needed two hundred and sixty-five (265) pubs to complete the Good Beer Guide, and a dozen islands. So summer was always going to be a bit manic, as leaving completion to the autumn is fraught with potential risks; war, pestilence, strikes, covid resurgence, pubs shut to… Continue reading KICKING OFF IN THE QUANTOCKS
SATURDAY NIGHT AT RYE HOLIDAY PARK
The in-laws came down to visit us at Rye Harbour in July; this time they didn’t stay for fourteen (14) nights. Rye looked pretty stunning, and a seal performed for us in the estuary separating sandy Camber from pebbly Rye. What does seal taste like ? The local pub was growing on us, particularly the… Continue reading SATURDAY NIGHT AT RYE HOLIDAY PARK
A SCOOP IN STEEP, AND HAMPSHIRE FALLS
And so to the last Hampshire tick, one I actually failed to do in GBG21, which tells you how destructive Omicron was to tickers’ dreams. In early July I actually wondered if the Harrow in Steep might be my FINAL triumphant Guide tick, but you know how that ends. I’d have gone past the Harrow,… Continue reading A SCOOP IN STEEP, AND HAMPSHIRE FALLS
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