25th February 2020 A last tick in a GBG county is always highly anticipated. The thrill of getting the pink marker out, of writing off or bigging up an entire county, of knowing you won’t to need to slog down the A421 for a while. Last up is Watchfield, Nicely placed between the twin cultural… Continue reading SELECTIVE DEAFNESS IN WATCHFIELD
THE BEST STEAK BAP IN WANTAGE
25th February 2020 I was going to spend Tuesday cleaning the house, but due to Mrs RM’s work commitments (boo !) on Sunday I’d failed to do the two ticks to complete Oxon, and a nearly finished GBG county so close to home (well, 2 hours) is a scratch that needs to be itched as… Continue reading THE BEST STEAK BAP IN WANTAGE
AN ASSET OF COMMUNITY VALUE
24th February 2020 “Nottingham’s Pub of the Year“declares the Old Green Dragon, along with its predilection for old Guinness adverts. Glory for tiny Oxton, tucked away in the posh bit between Southwell and Nottingham, safely away from mining villages, pumping stations and CenterParcs. Dave will be thrilled to learn that the other, recent GBG, pub… Continue reading AN ASSET OF COMMUNITY VALUE
“ONCE SERVED, PLEASE LEAVE THE BAR”
24th February 2020 You’ll probably notice the slight dip in enthusiasm as I approach the latest micropub. Perhaps they’re just too young to develop a sense of history, too small to possess the pubby intrigue of a Waggon and Horses or Pelican. In a micro, there’s nowhere to hide, and that can be a bit… Continue reading “ONCE SERVED, PLEASE LEAVE THE BAR”
LARWOOD AND VOCE
24th February 2020 LifeAfterFootball has admitted the area of North Notts between Kimberley IKEA and Mansfield’s picturesque Field Mill is a bit of a mystery to him. That’s the joy of being a GBG ticker; you can become quite an expert on lesser-known Midlands by walking around old mining towns suspiciously as schools close, killing… Continue reading LARWOOD AND VOCE
I AM SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD’S QUINOA TOURIST
24th February 2020 Mrs RM is doing exciting things in Sevenoaks, which sounds like an oxymoron, so I’m free to go ticking. Hurrah ! A night in North Notts, normally a highlight of the year, as even the micros seem like they want to be pubs. Sutton is famous for having a railway station (of… Continue reading I AM SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD’S QUINOA TOURIST
SO WHY ISN’T THE PELICAN IN THE GBG THEN ?
Whenever I write about a great pub experience in a place that isn’t in the GBG I always get folk saying “The best pubs aren’t in the GBG, of course” and “The Beer Guide is just for beer tickers” and “You need to seek local knowledge” (whatever local knowledge is). But I’ve always been… Continue reading SO WHY ISN’T THE PELICAN IN THE GBG THEN ?
PUBS ARE GREAT, AREN’T THEY ?
22nd February 2020 I spent ages thinking up a witty title with “Pelican” in it and gave up. So you get what went through my head at 20:26 as we cancelled plans and gave in to the karaoke and cask combination at Devizes’ Pelican. If only it had been just cask. Another Wadworths Market Place… Continue reading PUBS ARE GREAT, AREN’T THEY ?
LEFT TO MY OWN DEVIZES
22nd February 2020 The White Bear was the second and last of my new GBG ticks on this Wiltshire Wander, which is a disappointing tally when I see how BRAPA has been plundering the North. I really fancied a 6X, long a favourite beer despite many commentators on CAMRA Discourse describing it as “twiggy brown… Continue reading LEFT TO MY OWN DEVIZES
DEVIZES GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS
22nd February 2020 Devizes seemed relatively unscathed by the floods cruelly limiting my western ticks, somehow appropriate for a town that’s a virtual arc of pub names. We have a British Lion, a White Bear, a Lamb, another Bear, a Pelican, a Black Swan, a Dolphin, a Black Horse, Fox & Hounds, two Dragons, and… Continue reading DEVIZES GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS
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