Well, I can wait no longer for BeerMat to claim the scoop. Here’s the evidence that Coalville has one of the world’s great basic pubs. And it may be on that silly National Heritage Inventory, but you’ve never heard of it (prove me wrong). I very nearly didn’t make it to meet BeerMat there at… Continue reading TOP 10 BASIC PUBS – THE STAMFORD & WARRINGTON HOTEL, COALVILLE
COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
Life After Football (BeerMat to his Mum) is desperate to post about his trip to Coalville last week, where we met to discuss at length Birmingham City’s triumphs* and put the world of pubs to right. But he’s waiting to see what I write first. The world of pub blogging is as competitive as a… Continue reading COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
THE ARCHITECTS OF CASK’S DEMISE
I know you’re desperate for news of Mrs RM‘s latest venture to keep me in the style to which I’m accustomed. She’s alternating between Northampton and Cambridge Councils, doing something involving IT, whatever that is. The Cambridge version of her job takes place at Castle Hill, the highest point in town (i.e. about the height… Continue reading THE ARCHITECTS OF CASK’S DEMISE
PUBMEN DO WOLVES. AGAIN
It’s a good job Stafford’s top #PubMan doesn’t sue me for using his picture on this blog, as he’s becoming almost as much a fixture as a dodgy pint of Otter. You’ll remember that Paul joined my Black Country Auditors Amble at the Great Western, a visit that divided opinion. But where next ? We’d… Continue reading PUBMEN DO WOLVES. AGAIN
OTTERS AND WOMBATS ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS
People do odd things in summer. Families of Guardian readers leave their Sussex homes and camp in the Somerset levels, singing jolly songs as they cycle past pumping stations, endless bungalow and drains. Sounds very much like March. I lasted an hour; an hour punctuated by having to say “Good morning !” at least 17… Continue reading OTTERS AND WOMBATS ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS
WESTON WRAP-UP
The problem with arriving back in town at 10.40pm is that you immediately look at options for an inadvisable last beer. The station bar, Off the Rails, had an Old Boy singing trad Irish songs, there’s a Bass pub in the Beer Guide, and some other “interesting options“. But, on the basis it had WiFi… Continue reading WESTON WRAP-UP
TINY REBEL CITRA MILKSHAKE IPA IN THE VICTORIA
You never want to end an evening on a sour note. Having completed Bristol, and therefore Gloucestershire, I scoured What Pub for pre-emptive potential. Sadly, places called “Clifton Sausage”, “Amoeba” and “Illusions Magic Bar” (honestly)offered little potential, so I did a revisit of the Victoria. Yes, sometimes I go back to the same place… Continue reading TINY REBEL CITRA MILKSHAKE IPA IN THE VICTORIA
DRIZZLE IN BRIZZLE; A LANSDOWN HOROSCOPE
It had all been going so well since “Drainpour Friday“, as legend now calls it. A week of good beer in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Somerset, with barely a dip below NBSS 3. And so to Gloucestershire’s final tick, the Lansdown in Clifton. Staying in Weston gives you a £7.10 off-peak return to Bristol (“outrage”… Continue reading DRIZZLE IN BRIZZLE; A LANSDOWN HOROSCOPE
WESTON-SUPER-BASS
Ah, Weston-super-Mare. The English seaside, Jeffrey Archer, and Draught Bass. If you can’t make a decent blog out of that you’re not trying hard enough. Weston also has those all-important cheap guest houses that draw retiredmartin here as a base for exploration, rather like near neighbour Newport.* I picked the Welbeck (room only), because it’s… Continue reading WESTON-SUPER-BASS
AXBRIDGE – SAY CHEESE
I’ve only time for a quick post while I explore Luton’s competing attractions while waiting for a flight from Katowice that’s 3 hours late (thanks Ryanair). Here’s the Hatters Highlight. In contrast to Dunstable Guided Busway, Axbridge is an authentic bit of honeypot Somerset, home to King John’s Hunting Lodge and the chintzy Lamb. A… Continue reading AXBRIDGE – SAY CHEESE
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