A dull photo to end Northamptonshire for another year, but don’t be fooled. The Crown in West Haddon is yet another gem in the county to stand alongside the mighty Duke’s Arms in Burton Latimer and the Piper in Kettering, which I insist I get to take BRAPA to. Plain, bustling, welcoming village pubs are… Continue reading “YOU CHOOSE”
LONG BUCKBY, M’DUCK
I loved the Badger’s Arms in Long Buckby, and I know BRAPA will too. How can you resist a place run by a Mr Badger (or indeed, Mr. A. Badger). They’ve even opened a railway station half a mile down the road for Si’s visit in in 2027. I covered Buckby three years ago, and… Continue reading LONG BUCKBY, M’DUCK
BRIDGE OVER UNTROUBLED CHARWELTON
Blimey, I’m catching up a bit. In fact, I’m about to put Northamptonshire to bed, the best place for it. Award yourself a half of Doom Bar if you knew where Charwelton is. “Daventry” is close enough. Not quite Clun, but I was able to stand in the middle of the A361 to take this… Continue reading BRIDGE OVER UNTROUBLED CHARWELTON
IN (CHESTERTON) CLUBLAND
Last month I visited 32 pubs (out of 88 in total) that weren’t new GBG ticks, a pathetically unprofessional effort. And here’s one of them, the NCI Club in the tight terraces of north Cambridge (Chesterton, to be precise, which I rarely am), just north of Christ’s Pieces. Quite what a Sports and Social Club… Continue reading IN (CHESTERTON) CLUBLAND
A PINT, A CURRY, “YMCA” – LEICESTER COMPLETE
Part 2 of our 2 part Leicester thriller starts with an amble across town to a small pub at the station. On the way I tried to persuade Charles into the Ale Wagon, but I’m afraid he’s a delicate flower and walked past. Now, a small (I assumed) pub at the station run by a… Continue reading A PINT, A CURRY, “YMCA” – LEICESTER COMPLETE
LEICESTER LICKED IN THE LION
Last time I did a proper crawl in Leicester the city was on an all-time high. A local CAMRA leaflet had brought in tickers in their millions, an ill-advised merger between Leicester Tigers and Hull Tigers had been averted, and the Ale Wagon had started selling craft Prosecco from a help-yourself wall mount. Or perhaps… Continue reading LEICESTER LICKED IN THE LION
WIGGING OUT IN WIGSTON
WiFi gone rubbish again, so this little post comes to you via the Manchester tram from Eccles. Wigston is only a mile west of Oadby, three south of Leicester, and shares those unique characteristics of small Leicestershire towns. Yes, a Spoons and a micropub in a shopping precinct. No Bass here. Or bingo. Charles still… Continue reading WIGGING OUT IN WIGSTON
“TWENTY-SEVEN, OADBY HEAVEN”
Oadby ? Yes, Oadby ? 2 miles south of Leicester, venue for my last big outing in November. A first trip out with Curry Charles since the dhansak and Rochefort 8 in Earls Court in June, an awfully long time ago. June in fact. I had five GBG pubs to complete Leicestershire on Sunday, plus… Continue reading “TWENTY-SEVEN, OADBY HEAVEN”
NOVEMBER ’19 STOCKTAKE + DECEMBER PREVIEW
Are there any songs about November ? I’ve had a great November. 56 new Beer Guide pubs (par); East London,South Yorkshire, Norfolk, Glasgow, Leicestershire and Northants complete, and some wonderful pubs to restore your faith in humanity the GBG. I reported on two trips to the fascinating country of Scotland, the Faroe Islands of the… Continue reading NOVEMBER ’19 STOCKTAKE + DECEMBER PREVIEW
NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW, SHIFNAL
Phew. Five glasses. No-one lost yet on our Shifnal Day Out. Not much sign of Kentish Paul in the photos though; he must have paid the blackmail money. Two to go, starting with one for traditional pub name fans. Jaspers is upmarket (by Shifnal standards) but not unpleasantly so. They can use that strapline if… Continue reading NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW, SHIFNAL
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