retiredmartin

Just back from 2 days pubbing on the west coast of Scotland with Pubmeister, who has the cleanest house in Paisley (it says on my crib notes). Loads of posts to catch up with starting with the one that isn’t quite the Square & Compasses. But the King’s Arms was still heaving on a sunny… Continue reading BASS MIRRORS PHOTOBOMB MY SELFIE IN LANGTON MATRAVERS

I confess, I read BRAPA last night and thought “what’s the point?” Not the point of BRAPA, the point of pub blogging. But I press on, into August in fact, and bring you what was at the time my nearest new GBG tick. Yes, a mere 3hrs 7, even with the usual delay at the… Continue reading NO (WEST) PARLEY

My penultimate pub in West Wales and the deep joy of a real Borders town. Competing with Kington and Knighton for my Marches affections, and this time emerging victorious, though to be fair I’ve never had a Chinese takeaway from each of them on the same night. I couldn’t remember it, though I’d definitely been… Continue reading ALL GAIN, NO PAIN IN PRESTEIGNE

I was going to skip the next one, the ultimate quick half stop, but that would have deprived Matthew Lawrenson of one of the best fonts of the week. And how can you resist the Fforest in a place called Llanfinhangel-nant-Melan (pronounced Melon). Of course, on both Bing Maps and WhatPub the Fforest has moved… Continue reading STANDING ROOM ONLY IN THE FFOREST INN

You can’t beat a photo of Old Boy(o)s laughing merrily about the English Rugby team.  Or perhaps it was VAR.  I forget. I also forget what the landlady of the Tanners Arms in Defynnog said to me as I stood outside patiently waiting for 5pm opening. “Sorry, can’t open yet, had a bit of a… Continue reading ALL CHANGE AT THE USK & RAILWAY

The next day in Mid Wales turned up a genuine corker on the Brecon Canal. Despite the heavy food trade, and the families in wellies walking the canal (joking, I love to see children in pubs, just not their obnoxious parents), the Royal Oak in tiny Pencelli was a model all-rounder. I’ll overlook the odd… Continue reading TO TALYBONT AND BACK

  As I’ve said many times, Wales mixes up the basic boozer with outside loos, peeling paint and entitled Arsenal fans (OK, only one of those) with the farmhouse style posh gastropub for pashminas from Prestbury. Most English visitors to Brecon in Summer have never been to a Proper Pub where you’re not shown to… Continue reading LESS BASIC BRECON

Just what you want. A Gooner serving beer with a paper pump clip. What do you think when you see a homemade pump clip ? Scarcely less credibly, it’s the return of Archers, who kept The Imbiber going singlehanded a decade or so ago with their monthly release of two dozen new beers named after… Continue reading PAPER LABELS

This week I’m up in Manchester/Paisley/Preston, making sure Matt is settled into his barbering (?) course in the Eternal City (that’s not Preston). So I’m snatching the odd 20 minutes of WiFi to bring you up to date with the glories of Mid Wales. This one comes to you from the Etihad before kick off,… Continue reading £2.30 A PINT