More isolated Northumbria for you now, just up the road in Alwinton. Wikipedia tells me more about Alwinton and its 71 souls than it does about some southern dormitory towns of 71,000, and gives me this lovely photo by Chris of St Michaels and All Angels. At 7pm I couldn’t see anything except a row… Continue reading SUNSET OVER ALWINTON
5 HOURS UP THE A1 FOR A HALF
An unfinished half and that view of the Northumberland National Park, to be fair. 4hr 12 says Bing Maps, which can only mean Mr Bing doesn’t stop for diesel at the Ram Jam services or drive a steady 62mph in their new campervan. You break the journey into segments. An hour to Grantham (ooh, new… Continue reading 5 HOURS UP THE A1 FOR A HALF
AN AK AND AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN EPPING FOREST
Yet another pub that isn’t in the GBG for you, just to show not ALL my trips are to dull tickers venues approved by the CAMRAs (joke, joke, don’t kick me off the GBG21 priority list). James has been back from Sheffield, waiting to go back to Sheffield, for 3 months now. His mates in… Continue reading AN AK AND AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN EPPING FOREST
THE NETHER STOWEY WHINGERS ANGLING CLUB
One last tick in That Somerset, making a late but probably futile bid for my Top 10 counties post, whenever that is. Ah, Never Stowey, handy for the Quantocks and Samuel Taylor Coleridge devotees. Whoever they are. A tidy village of 1,373 with a steep walk to the castle mound. The Long Buckby of the… Continue reading THE NETHER STOWEY WHINGERS ANGLING CLUB
GOOD CHEER IN PORLOCK WEIR
Well, well, the world is full of misery today, isn’t it ? So I’m guessing what you want to read about are the joys of a walk in the wonderful North Somerset countryside, where Stella and blackberry matching is de rigueur, and ending at the pebbled beach at Porlock Weir (the Porth Dinllaen of the… Continue reading GOOD CHEER IN PORLOCK WEIR
BREAKFAST IN BRIDGWATER
First up, I do hope LifeAfterFootball‘s latest post marks a break, rather than a retirement from promoting pubs. Aller looked spooky in the morning. I could have been in the Fens. 20 minutes later I was crossing the M5 towards Bridgwater, which has been disappointingly GBG-lite of late. Matt had a friend near here with… Continue reading BREAKFAST IN BRIDGWATER
PICKLED EGG IN ALLER
Wasn’t that an album by Cream ? I spent the night in the car park of the Old Pound Inn at Aller, another place you’ve never heard of before, and never will again. Tucked away in the Levels, looking to Bridgwater for flat whites and frolics, Aller promises a quiet night. Wiki says “It is… Continue reading PICKLED EGG IN ALLER
AN OTTER
No End of the Road Festival for me this year (sob), so no new weird Canadian Americana (?), no vegan murk, so trip along the Zig Zag road in our new campervan to tick Dorset pubs. Pubs like the Blackmore Vale Inn at Marnhull, better known as “Rollivers” in Tess of the Du’rbervilles, a book… Continue reading AN OTTER
SHRIMP SPOTTING IN A GILLINGHAM GENTS
What click bait today. Shrimps, Badgers, Ferrets AND a Buffalo. BRAPA would have come up with a better title from that lot. “Gillingham” would have got the click from my Kent massif, too. Unfortunately it’s not THAT Gillingham (long overdue a new pub THERE). This is the Gillingham of North Dorset (pop. 11,756), a few… Continue reading SHRIMP SPOTTING IN A GILLINGHAM GENTS
GUESS MY 10 FAVOURITE COUNTIES
Prompted by several “conversations with the Southworths” (Netflix, Thrs 4am) I’ve decided to give you my 10 favourite UK counties. Of course, they’re not real counties, ancient or post ’74. They’re the counties in the Good Beer Guide, all seventy three of them. So you get anomalies like “Loch Lomond and Stirling” as well as… Continue reading GUESS MY 10 FAVOURITE COUNTIES
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