I have very little interest in beer, or the process of making it. The only possible purpose of a brewery tour is the chance to get the beer the way intended at the end. But hats off to Banks’s (a.k.a. Marston’s) whose tour I joined along with a small bunch of pubby ne’er-do-wells last Wednesday.… Continue reading BANKS’S – IT’S ALL IN THE PULL
PULLING UP TREES IN WOLVES
With apologies to Eyemouth, Buntingford, Rye and Tonbridge (ah, Tonbridge), you’ll have to wait for your day in the retiredmartin sun. I can’t find your photos on OneDrive. The one from Tonbridge with Mrs RM and Paul Bailey doing karaoke in the Man of Kent is in there, somewhere. But the evidence from Wolverhampton last… Continue reading PULLING UP TREES IN WOLVES
DUNS GEARS UP
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Jim Clark, much loved Scottish racing driver. As someone whose driving history takes in a Fiat Panda (Mrs RM), Ford Pop Plus and Toyota Aygo, you’ll surmise I’m no petrol-head, though I have aspirations towards an electric self-driving car that will allow me to complete… Continue reading DUNS GEARS UP
FLASHING THE GOLD CARD
Mrs RM and I took joint life CAMRA membership 20 odd years ago, even before the Spoons vouchers kicked in, and despite believing that beer festivals are the devil’s work. I don’t really care about the odd 10p discount you get in pubs that trade profit for Beer Guide inclusion, but I’ll take when I’m… Continue reading FLASHING THE GOLD CARD
GOTHENBURGS – NEW GLORIES IN NEWTONGRANGE
Phew. I thought I’d lost my photos of the Dean Tavern in Newtongrange, yet another highlight of my Borders Bonanza (as history will record it). Not that it would matter, as the Pubmeister did a sterling job of capturing its glories last month. Duncan’s piece tells you all you need to know about… Continue reading GOTHENBURGS – NEW GLORIES IN NEWTONGRANGE
DANCING IN THE STREETS OF RAITH
Nearly caught up with Scotland now, but still a few crackers to go. I jumped off the coach from Glenrothes 5 minutes from the centre, only to discover Google Maps was lying and it was more like 25. Still, a chance to explore “Kirkcaldy” beach in the rain, fantastic. Do people come here on holiday… Continue reading DANCING IN THE STREETS OF RAITH
FLITTIN’ THRU’ FIFE
Actually, it’s another post about Glenrothes, but I didn’t want to scare you off. And “Flittin’ thru’ Fife” came to me, as if in a dream, as I walked through the bucolic suburbs on the way to the centre of town. You may be surprised to see that pub No. 2, the central Spoons,… Continue reading FLITTIN’ THRU’ FIFE
WARM DOOM BAR IN A BREWER’S FAYRE IN GLENROTHES
I could just leave it there, really, couldn’t I ? There’s a suspicion that all you need to get in the Beer Guide in Scotland is put real ale on. Certainly if I look at my beer scores over the years, there’s a fair number of “X” s against pubs for low beer quality. On… Continue reading WARM DOOM BAR IN A BREWER’S FAYRE IN GLENROTHES
DUMBFOUNDED BY DUNFERMLINE
It’s unforgivable, I know, but I still get Dumbarton and Dunfermline mixed up. The former is the west coast mecca of real ale that Tandleman writes about, the latter the only thing between you and the east coast joys of Glenrothes, of which more too soon. Anyway, I started at Edinburgh Waverley, where I failed… Continue reading DUMBFOUNDED BY DUNFERMLINE
A ROAR HEARD FROM BUDAPEST TO HAWICK
Scotland doesn’t do average. For every dull dining pub or vinegar tasting experience, there seems to be a classic boozer that would hold its head high in Sedgley or Stockport or Woolwich. Onwards to Hawick. It’s a pretty place, very atmospheric at dusk last Tuesday. And a proper Scottish town, with a Spoons so… Continue reading A ROAR HEARD FROM BUDAPEST TO HAWICK
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