October 2025. St Albans. One of my favourite campervan stops is St Albans, about £7 overnight on a Sunday with no diggers (not that I’d recognise a digger if one licked me) and a quick train into St Pancras. After a quiet decade there’s also the occasional new GBG entry, and I arranged to meet… Continue reading A RAINY NIGHT IN ST ALBANS
THE FUSSPOT OF FANCOTT
October 2025. Fancott. Toddington. Oooh look ! An actual hamlet, comprising some woods, a stream, a miniature railway, and a pub, your second on the exciting “Pub Crawl from Toddington Services”. A debut Good Beer Guide dining pub, too, looking exactly as you’d expect. I love those figures in the back of the fireplace. Sorry… Continue reading THE FUSSPOT OF FANCOTT
TODDINGTON PUTS THE BANNERS OUT
October 2025. Toddington. A slightly different route from north to south last week, with an ultra-rare visit to bucolic Bedfordshire. Toddington (nice village sign) is your gateway to the mysteries of Central Beds, including the birthplace of my Mum and last home of Bob Monkhouse. And now there’s a modest pub walk from the M1… Continue reading TODDINGTON PUTS THE BANNERS OUT
SHEFFIELD BEER FESTIVAL (NBSS 3.72).
October 2025. Sheffield. I don’t do beer festivals (or tasters, or dimpled mugs) but I also don’t turn down invites from Pub royalty, either, so put principles aside and joined Alfie/Ian/Mr Chelsea on his Sheffield overnighter, starting with a quick half in them Two & Six. As I said this week “when you qualify for… Continue reading SHEFFIELD BEER FESTIVAL (NBSS 3.72).
WATERBEACH OR BRADFORD ? WHICH IS THE CAPITAL OF CURRY ?
October 2025. Waterbeach. Can I get the blog up-to-date before month-end ? Worth a go. While BRAPA reminds me of that glorious Summer of 2022 as he conquers the Scottish isles, I’m condemned to an eternal journey betwixt Sheffield and Waterbeach, wondering which is truly home. I’m alternating the 3 hour trips between train and… Continue reading WATERBEACH OR BRADFORD ? WHICH IS THE CAPITAL OF CURRY ?
A SURPRISE GBG WINNER IN COVENT GARDEN
October 2025. Covent Garden. London. My first London ticking of the new GBG season, always a joy, and as I leave the corner pubs of Bloomsbury it’s time to “Do the culture“. Five minutes from the Lady Ottoline to Sir John Soane’s house, immortalised by Maria McKee on my melancholy melodies post*. Surely it’ll be… Continue reading A SURPRISE GBG WINNER IN COVENT GARDEN
THE GENTLE CHARM OF THE LADY OTTOLINE
October 2025. Bloomsbury. London. A second new GBG London corner pub in two minutes, and for a second time I wonder “How’s this evaded the Beer Guide so long ?“. Only now does my detective work reveal the Lady Ottoline was previously the Kings Arms (see windows), which I suspect the Official GBG Archivist Jim… Continue reading THE GENTLE CHARM OF THE LADY OTTOLINE
“A SYMPHONY IN BROWN”. THE DUKE, BLOOMSBURY, LONDON
October 2025. Bloomsbury. London. Two nights a week down in Waterbeach visiting Dad for free cups of tea and ’60s entertainment; that also gives me a chance to get to grips with London’s new Beer Guide entries. I may not be competitively “doing the GBG” anymore, but there’s a real joy in pubbing the capital… Continue reading “A SYMPHONY IN BROWN”. THE DUKE, BLOOMSBURY, LONDON
HOMEBREW OR BASS ? A MOOT POINT IN MATLOCK
October 2025. Matlock. Your £10.15 day return to Matlock from Sheff gives you an hour and six minutes, which is just enough time to tick your new GBG entry, consider how pretty England is in The Fall*, wonder if there’s a bar in that castle on that hill, leaving all of 28 minutes to add… Continue reading HOMEBREW OR BASS ? A MOOT POINT IN MATLOCK
IS THIS THE REAL LIFE ? IS THIS JUST FANTASY ? THE REMARKABLE HARE, MATLOCK
October 2025. Matlock. Matlock always feels a long way away from Sheffield, tucked away on the edge of the Peak, and it’s true you have to get there via an irritating 12 minute change at Derby (irritating in the sense that 12 minutes isn’t quite long enough to get to the Smithfield for a Bass).… Continue reading IS THIS THE REAL LIFE ? IS THIS JUST FANTASY ? THE REMARKABLE HARE, MATLOCK
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