Well, I cracked. Despite beer festivals killing pubs and all that, I went to the Great British Beer Festival for the first time. There’s some things you have to do once despite your better judgement; opera, oysters, non-league football in the rain, a Virgin trains, and the GBBF. I gave in partly because I didn’t… Continue reading I GO CRAFT CRAZY AT GBBF ’19
HEART & SOUL
Simon went home to watch Neighbours on his VHS tapes, despite Luke and I telling him that round the corner Slocken was an absolute GBG cert. He said he’ll save it for September. Bet it’s not in now, despite having the best beer in Leeds on my two visits. Perhaps not a pub for the… Continue reading HEART & SOUL
THE PEELER
I made my way from Leeds City Museum to Wapentake via the Temple of Boom, where Matt was headed a few days later for a gig on the same day as Ed Sheeran would bring the city’s transport to a grinding halt. SPOILER : He survives. If anyone has had a drink in the Temple… Continue reading THE PEELER
THE ROSCOE SMOKE ROOM
My Leeds Ibis was the one west of centre, bang next to the HQ of my last NHS role. Ah. such happy memories. Between HEE, DOH, QH and SHA (all actual NHS acronyms) I probably averaged six days a year in Leeds over 20 years, and by the end I’d learnt to tolerate love the… Continue reading THE ROSCOE SMOKE ROOM
BAO BUNS IN LEEDS
Only two weeks behind on the blog now, which feels like a triumph. And I reckon the 15 pubs that Duncan took me round in 24 hours this week might fit into a single blog called “Watering West Scotland“. Next up for me was an event to commemorate the great Richard Coldwell by brewing a… Continue reading BAO BUNS IN LEEDS
LYME REGIS – THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S PUB TICKER
And so my last Dorset GBG ticks for 2019. Sadly it left two still to do, but some pubs believe in observing the Sabbath and Manic Monday. Lyme Regis is beautiful, though I wish folk wouldn’t ruin it by determinedly driving to the beach when there are perfectly good buses and Park & Rides. Anyway,… Continue reading LYME REGIS – THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S PUB TICKER
THE OUTSTRETCHED PALM
Down to Charmouth beach next. As you can imagine, my ability to just sit on the beach is rather limited, about 7 minutes is long enough to bung a stone in the direction of France. But Charcombe has decent hills. And I stretched my beach holiday out to 22 minutes while waiting for the Royal… Continue reading THE OUTSTRETCHED PALM
MORE GIANT DONGLE IN BRIDPORT
“A gallon of Palmers, and a greasy Pad Thai, like a night out in Bridport, come fill me again” You can see where Sheffield United (or was it John Denver) nicked the song from. Actually, no-one much picks Brid for a Sunday night, even in August. There weren’t many takers for the view back along… Continue reading MORE GIANT DONGLE IN BRIDPORT
OYSTER INITIATION IN WEYMOUTH
It may be in the South-East, it may have staged Olympic sailing, and it may be home to approximately 4,527 caravan parks (including us last year) but I tell you, Weymouth is a bit rough. There was blood on the steps of the station on our last visit, there’s more takeaways than in Great Harwood,… Continue reading OYSTER INITIATION IN WEYMOUTH
A HOMAGE TO SWANAGE
In the summer of ’76 a frankly podgy 11 old (un)retiredmartin set off from a flat Waterbeach to less flat Swanage for a week of crabbing and crazy golf (both are legal activities, folks), and a shared room with my sister (legal at 11). Unfortunately all photos from that week were destroyed in a bonfire… Continue reading A HOMAGE TO SWANAGE
