I can’t quite believe it, but I’ve checked The Spreadsheet and it appears I did no pubs at all on New Year’s Day. This is what it feels like, when pubs cry etc. etc. But on the Sunday Mrs RM joined me on a trip South to see assorted parents, friends and hangers-on to kick-start… Continue reading KICKING OFF IN KNEBWORTH
NEW YEAR’S EVE IN RICHMOND
One last tick in 2021, on a rather quiet New Year’s Eve in Richmond, the Bewdley of the North. It seemed only a few months since I was last here, and indeed it was, as Richmond provides its annual new GBG pub. Unlike Mrs RM, they hadn’t taken the deccies down yet. Last few times… Continue reading NEW YEAR’S EVE IN RICHMOND
HIPSTERS IN HOLYROOD
On to the last new tick of our Edinburgh quarter, with a game Mrs RM edging above 25,000 steps. Great effort. The Bellfield Brewery Tap takes us east of Holyrood, taunting us with historic boozers before dumping us in a small industrial estate surrounded by flats for Parliament staffers. One for the brewery tap purist,… Continue reading HIPSTERS IN HOLYROOD
SHISH HAPPENS
Yes, shish happens. A flat tyre from nowhere, but thankfully I have a skilled team to deal with life’s little crises. And no, that’s not the main reason I married her (though her 1991 “Motoring Madams” certification was high on the list). I wouldn’t ever drive round Edinburgh, particularly with the Leith Walk being dug… Continue reading SHISH HAPPENS
MRS RM’s MICRO MOVES IN LEITH
You join me in Leith on the day before Hogmanay (cancelled) as we’re 3/4 of the way through my Beer Guide tick, and up to 90% of Mrs RM’s walking limit (and 132% of my bladder limit, to be fair). Leith looks best from the air, and Si may choose to approach by his private… Continue reading MRS RM’s MICRO MOVES IN LEITH
TAKING OUR SUNSHINE TO LEITH
The third pub of our quartet of new Edinburgh ticks took us to Leith, which you’ll know from the Proclaimers song “Throw the R away” (“r” is real ale scoring less than NBSS 2). The seaside suburb is a scintillating mix of seagulls, sand and sewage works. A mix of high rise, high church, and… Continue reading TAKING OUR SUNSHINE TO LEITH
TEUCHTERS
“Teuchters” is Gaelic for “Tickers”, of course, but you knew that. I neglected to give you the map for the Medium-sized Scottish Tickathon, so here it is now; About 8.4 miles, or “not that far” if you’re trying to convince Mrs RM she can walk to Leith and back (she did 30,000 steps that day,… Continue reading TEUCHTERS
PRINCES STREET
On the penultimate day of 2021, with the tickers clock ticking, Mrs RM and I headed to Edinburgh on the 11:17 from Durham, after a quick walk round the majestic cathedral and the dullest High Street in the country. No, it really is; Mrs RM fought hard to defend it, even finding a little Christmas… Continue reading PRINCES STREET
NOT A SPENNYMOOR, SEVERAL PENNIES LESS
“What ! You didn’t WALK to Spennymoor ?” I hear you say. “It’s only six miles, you wimp“. In honesty, Mrs RM was a bit exhausted and I didn’t want to abandon her too long. And the bus (No.6, Sapphire), electric sockets and irritating juvenile behaviour free, had me outside the Little Tap in 20… Continue reading NOT A SPENNYMOOR, SEVERAL PENNIES LESS
OLD DURHAM TOWN
Looking at my review of 2021 it’s full of personal highlights but lacks completely new discoveries, due to the unattractiveness of overseas travel. But I always reckon that the more you visit a place, the more you learn*. And so with Durham, on perhaps a tenth visit over the last 20 years, and whose Queen’s… Continue reading OLD DURHAM TOWN
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