Back up to Manchester for my 3rd night of ticking, and a couple of newbies out in the east (or west, depending which way you’re facing) of Greater Manchester. My base was the easyHotel just off Piccadilly Gardens. A brave choice, but with my Booking.com Genius level rate of £35 (on a match day, too),… Continue reading DUCKING INTO DUKINFIELD
HANLEY – THE CULTURAL & CULINARY ISSUE
You left me in the warm cosiness of the Unicorn, waiting for my Chinese takeaway (which will remain anonymous). This is always the high point of an evening away, the anticipation of the crispy beef, the dilemma of whether to do one last pub visit I’ll instantly regret. But I resist the walk out to… Continue reading HANLEY – THE CULTURAL & CULINARY ISSUE
UNICORNS – ALMOST AS RARE AS DRAUGHT BASS
His look of sympathy was the one you’d give a child asking you if he could have a unicorn for Christmas. Second best, particularly if you’re six years old, but I could have a pint in THE Unicorn, one of the almost permanent Stoke GBG entries. Blimey, it’s even better than I remembered it (admittedly… Continue reading UNICORNS – ALMOST AS RARE AS DRAUGHT BASS
TOP 100 PUBS – THE COACHMAKERS ARMS, HANLEY, STOKE-ON-TRENT
In Stoke with a bed for the night, a Chinese takeaway selected, and my new GBG entry already ticked. But it’s barely evening. Let’s do the Hanley classics. And that’s the problem when you lack discipline as a ticker. You convince yourself that the Albion with its lone Pedi pump must be a pre-emptive chance.… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE COACHMAKERS ARMS, HANLEY, STOKE-ON-TRENT
….AND A NIGHT OUT IN STOKE
OK, OK, it’s really Hanley, but it’s slotted under a Stoke sub-heading in the GBG and that’s what counts. In 2014 we stayed in the Hanley Premier Inn and I walked to Newcastle-Under-Lyme to save the bus fare, so the mile from Stoke Station was a doddle. Hanley doesn’t have the greatest of reputations, despite… Continue reading ….AND A NIGHT OUT IN STOKE
A WESTON POINT WONDER – ONE BEER IS ENOUGH, FOR ALL OF US
On one day I singled-handedly saved pubs in Warrington, Bromborough and Runcorn. Think what I could do to Carluke and Wythenshawe if they had any GBG pubs to save. It seemed like only yesterday since I’d been staring at Runcorn‘s glorious chemical works, but in fact it was August when I stood across the Mersey… Continue reading A WESTON POINT WONDER – ONE BEER IS ENOUGH, FOR ALL OF US
YOUR CUT-OUT-AND-KEEP GUIDE TO BROMBOROUGH
I’ve had a few enquiries asking for confirmation that my birthday (22 December) will definitely be taking place on 22 December this year. Indeed it is, and it’s going to be a cracker after last year’s damp squib. In 2019 I spent my birthday (22/12) in the Wirral, and would have been quite happy to… Continue reading YOUR CUT-OUT-AND-KEEP GUIDE TO BROMBOROUGH
WARRINGTON AWAKES
Having dropped Matt and Emma back in Piccadilly (I actually got lost driving round it at midnight) I stayed over for 3 days of ticking while Mrs RM settled down for 3 days of talking to the French IT people about poetry, a rejected titled for a Billy Bragg concept album. My £25 Travelodge is… Continue reading WARRINGTON AWAKES
TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG
On Sunday night I proved what a big softy I am by not only letting Matt have my ticket to see top popsters Loathe, but also driving him and Emma back across the Snake Pass at 23:00 because the trains from Sheffield end early, it being levelling up and all. With James joining the Loathers… Continue reading TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG
FEELING FESTIVE AT THE STAG’S HEAD
Sheffield has made Time Out’s list of “city breaks you must do before the next variant” or whatever. Clearly this simply reflects my own move a year ago, and if I move again in 2022 you can expect Carluke to make that list. Sheffield scores highly on green space (see below), shuffleboard bars and crumbling… Continue reading FEELING FESTIVE AT THE STAG’S HEAD
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