Of all the places in the UK that seem to function only as Beer Guide headings, Hoyland is probably the greatest. Unless you can tell me any other reason why Hoyland exists. For context, I know people who’ve never been to Sheffield, let alone Barnsley. They probably think Hoyland is in Holland. But this… Continue reading TOP 10 HOYLAND PUBS – TAP & BREW, HOYLAND COMMON
ENTERING THE RHUBARB TRIANGLE
Good news for those of you bored of street art, cheap hotels and mushroom benedict, as the next few posts stick to pubs. Into Outwood, a mysterious land west of Wakefield. Note the village named after Mark E Smith‘s band, and some places you’ve passed a thousand times just off the M1 but never noticed.… Continue reading ENTERING THE RHUBARB TRIANGLE
SPOONS CARPETS, ECCLES
It seems a shame to waste some lovely pictures of Eccles, just because I can’t attach a beer to the post. It’s not as if anyone else blogs about Salford. And I reckon the Milton Hotel deserves some credit. Part of “a select group pf hotels in Europe’s most beautiful locations”, namely Perth, Carlisle, Paisley and… Continue reading SPOONS CARPETS, ECCLES
BRIGHOUSE LACINGS BONANZA
I’ve been boring you with my enthusiasm for Halifax for a while now, and there’ll be more of that to come with three new entries in town again. But my first Calderdale caper came in bucolic Brighouse, walking distance from The Shay (I did it once, it’s hilly). I was only here in January, praising… Continue reading BRIGHOUSE LACINGS BONANZA
PEAK MANCHESTER
So, ebullient in Eccles, pre-emptive in Prestwich, made up in Middleton, A good evening reached its denouement in the world’s greatest city. It’s always good to be back in Manchester, with a couple of hours to wobble aimlessly before the Julien Baker gig at Gorilla. Aimless as I have no new central pubs to visit,… Continue reading PEAK MANCHESTER
THE MIDDLETON WAKES
A big thanks to Rochdale, Oldham and Bury CAMRA for giving me an overdue return to Middleton, home of Lees Brewery, in the new Beer Guide. We used to use the Travelodge just off the A627(M) and walk to Mills Hill Station (A), which is where I start this little jaunt into Tandleland. Just for… Continue reading THE MIDDLETON WAKES
TOTALLY WIRED
“Always jump on a bandwagon” is the best advice I can give any aspiring young pub blogger, and so it is that I find that the Mark E Smith mural I stumbled across looking for a Prestwich pub is big news. The Mark Smith painting has been all over Twitter today, and uncannily, Retired… Continue reading TOTALLY WIRED
TOP 100 PUBS – THE LAMB, ECCLES
Yes, I’m staying in Eccles. That’s how brave I am at 53. The Milton Hotel has a job centre and NHS facility built into it, which could be useful later. Great view for £34, but the WiFi is rubbish, so here’s one from my phone. A wasted £34, since the GBG pub up the road… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE LAMB, ECCLES
WINNERS & LOSERS IN THE NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE
The first Good Beer Guide post-Roger* is with us, and a thing of beauty it remains. Until it’s been battered by being dropped, splattered in Chinese takeaway, and generally mistreated so the pages start falling out somewhere in Ilkeston. Before I start, thanks to all the CAMRA volunteers who do the dirty and unheralded work… Continue reading WINNERS & LOSERS IN THE NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE
BLOOMSBURY x BURY ST.EDMUNDS = CASK ALE LOTTERY WIN
One last post from London, which I’ll admit looked fairly stunning on Wednesday. I’ll bring you my essay on the new Beer Guide tomorrow, but as a taster of the horrors to come, here’s a fact for you; There’s a bar in the new Beer Guide that’s open a maximum of 110 hours. All year. … Continue reading BLOOMSBURY x BURY ST.EDMUNDS = CASK ALE LOTTERY WIN
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