I really didn’t want to write about Reigate. Much better you read BRAPA (here). “I don’t know if rain is particularly acidic in Reigate” wrote Si in 2020, and I’ll leave it there. Mrs RM groaned when she heard we were finishing Surrey in its dullest town (and I’ll defend Redhill, just make me), but… Continue reading SURREY HAS FALLEN
CHOBHAM WITH AN “H”
I always despair at the lack of geographical knowledge of the UK by us Brits. Listen to the BBC coverage of County Cricket and marvel at the BBC Yorkshire correspondent who has never heard of Bewdley, or the Essex correspondent wondering where Aigburth is. And you must NEVER ask a Londoner where The North starts*.… Continue reading CHOBHAM WITH AN “H”
STONEHENGE, SHEERAN, GANTRY SIGN ACROSS THE SWAN
GBG pubs near Stonehenge are a rarity. Of course, such is the traffic on the A303 it’s not actually possible to get to Stonehenge, never mind the treasures beyond (Yeovil) unless you left 3 weeks ago. See “Notes From A Small Island” for more detail. They should knock down these silly stones that serve no… Continue reading STONEHENGE, SHEERAN, GANTRY SIGN ACROSS THE SWAN
A joyous racket – Jam Night at the Southgate Inn, Devizes
Only four Guide pubs in Devizes, and the Vaults was waiting till the day I left to revisit, so it seemed churlish not to revisit the Southgate having (re)ticked the British Lion and White Bear. I’ll be honest, I was spoilt by beer quality in Bath, half an hour away, so if I had to… Continue reading A joyous racket – Jam Night at the Southgate Inn, Devizes
“How do you spell Madrars ?”
I’m still blogging from last weeks Wiltshire Wander, an eternity ago now, so expect to see newspaper headlines about fuel shortages and how fashionable mild ale is. Last Wednesday I left Mrs RM to enjoy the Bear’s WiFi and set out in search of tea and a pint of Wadworth’s. This chap pointed the way;… Continue reading “How do you spell Madrars ?”
CHAISE LONGUE
Four ticks in the bag, we headed back to Devizes for our room for the night. In a week where a Melksham B & B rated “adequate” would cost you £147.22 with Booking.com Genius (that’s me) discount, the Bear seemed a bargain, albeit not quite as cheap as the night we spent in the car… Continue reading CHAISE LONGUE
“I’d live in a shed at the bottom of the garden and I’d never have a headache again” – Trowbridge delivers the goods.
Trowbridge is to Wiltshire what Leigh is to Lancashire, or Haverhill to Essex. But it was a joy, a JOY I tell you, to make a first trip back to the home of Ushers since we subjected our boys to the dodgiest Wetherspoons in the South a decade ago (bargain Curry Club, mind). Even the… Continue reading “I’d live in a shed at the bottom of the garden and I’d never have a headache again” – Trowbridge delivers the goods.
“Please come to the bar to be seated”
I hope you appreciate that pubs can be good despite average beer, or dreary despite exceptional ale. These four ticks in West Wilts were a mix of all that makes pub visiting our national pastime (after whippet racing), but the Lock Inn Cafe tested the patience. Bradford-on-Avon really is the Skipton of the South-West. A… Continue reading “Please come to the bar to be seated”
THE FLOPPY PALMERS PUMP
A short post, because I like to keep the pubs in these pieces separate, just in case I have to praise the Friar’s Tunic and decry the Farrier’s Tackle or something. If you ask a GBG ticker he (it WILL be a he, unless Blackpool Jane joins our club) will tell you there is NOTHING… Continue reading THE FLOPPY PALMERS PUMP
LAST PIEROGI IN MIDFORD
An exciting Wednesday saw a sustained assault on the Beer Guide pubs of West Wiltshire, though how any trip that comes within 3 miles of Bath’s Star and doesn’t pop in for Bass can be considered a success is debatable. I very nearly ventured from Bath to the Hope & Anchor in Midford last month,… Continue reading LAST PIEROGI IN MIDFORD
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