Last Sunday morning I was planning the journey home from the Premier Inn at Southampton Airport. The journey back looked startlingly straight, and not just on foot; the A34 really is a marvellous road. 40 minutes after leaving Southampton we were parked up in Overton, whose new GBG pub has defeated me a fortnight earlier.… Continue reading THE MEDIUM SHIRAZ TRADE IN OVERTON IS BACK
OH WHEN THE SAINTS, GO MARCHING IN
I’ve no idea why you’d want to see the pics from the Saints v City match but since I’m paid by the pound here they are. Some people would have headed to the Old Classics after the two ticks, before heading to the match. I just popped in the Giddy Bridge, packed with 270 City… Continue reading OH WHEN THE SAINTS, GO MARCHING IN
OI !
My second Southampton tick didn’t require a reservation. Deep in the heart of studentville, Beards & Boards is in the heart of Southampton’s bar quarter, near the ancient French & Son. “Craft, Beer, Cider” it says, a GBG cert, especially with the punk welcome. No, UB40 and Green Day aren’t punk. Do I care ?… Continue reading OI !
MY RESERVATION EXPIRES
“A reserved sign, RetiredMartin ! Again !“. Hear me out. A week ago we were battling the closed M27 from Portsmouth to Southampton, which is officially “The Worst Way To Spend Two Hours In Britain“. I was delighted with my destination, a 37th Premier Inn of the year at Southampton Airport. £35, free parking, a… Continue reading MY RESERVATION EXPIRES
POSH POMPEY, ACROSS THE WATER
On Day 4 of the Great Southern Saunter we left Newhaven to regroup in Southampton. One stop on route, to tick the tricky Cormorant on Portchester. I do like a new place to explore with my tick, and Portchester in the posh bit of Pompey ticks that box. At the end of the road leading… Continue reading POSH POMPEY, ACROSS THE WATER
FLYING FISH, NEWHAVEN. A CRACKER.
Back at Newhaven Premier Inn I considered my ticking options. I’d fancied a 90 minutes trip east to visit 3 pubs in Hastings and Bexhill, but Mrs RM reckoned we should do something local. Local ! NOT in the Beer Guide ? What, like the Brewer’s Fayre next door ? Calm down, calm down. There… Continue reading FLYING FISH, NEWHAVEN. A CRACKER.
WEST SUSSEX HAS FALLEN IN EAST GRINSTEAD
On the Friday we collected the campervan, which had been cold and lonely overnight in Horsham, and were given long, immediately forgotten instructions about straps. To celebrate, we popped into East Grinstead on the way back to Newhaven, allowing me to complete West Sussex GBG entries for another year at the Engine Room. I’d been… Continue reading WEST SUSSEX HAS FALLEN IN EAST GRINSTEAD
QUEUEING ! IN PUBS !!!
A week ago I had to leave Mrs RM in the luxurious Newhaven Premier Inn while I did the hard yards ticking West Sussex. You won’t believe the planning that goes into these trips. TWO (2) train changes on the way to Portslade, the Cheadle of the South. You won’t believe how filthy those Southern… Continue reading QUEUEING ! IN PUBS !!!
CAKES AND ALE IN NEWHAVEN
Days 2-3 of the Great Sussex Saunter take us to Newhaven (pop. 12,232). Mrs RM needed somewhere to work from which would have irritatingly inconsistent WiFi coverage so I picked Premier Inn. As cheap as they’ve been for years at the moment (£35) AND the Newhaven one had a Doom Bar pump visible in the… Continue reading CAKES AND ALE IN NEWHAVEN
EAVESDROPPING ON HOUSE HUNTERS IN HOLMBURY ST. MARY
Yes, finally, the report has been cleared by our lawyers and I can bring you unexpurgated details of our trip into Hurtwood Forest and Mrs RM will just have to face the consequences of wearing inappropriate footwear that morning that meant the extent of our walking was a trip to the Royal Oak. We’d parked… Continue reading EAVESDROPPING ON HOUSE HUNTERS IN HOLMBURY ST. MARY