I In a couple of weeks I’ll be joining a few folk from the Beer and Pubs Forum in Wolverhampton in a plot to blow up craft breweries. I had a plan to combine that trip with a visit to one of my last Staffs GBG ticks in nearby Codsall. But common sense came late;… Continue reading JOULE’S GOLD IN CODSALL
TURTLES AT THE GATES OF ALDRIDGE
The snow cleared (if it ever existed; I blame Russian mind bots), just in time. One more day in Cambridgeshire and I’d be going crazier than Jose Mourinho. If that irritating Solihull micro ever opens I’ll finish the West Midlands this week. Why is it always Solihull that holds everything up ? But Aldridge Village… Continue reading TURTLES AT THE GATES OF ALDRIDGE
FLAT DOOM BAR IN PETERBOROUGH
What times we live in ! Mrs RM has ditched the plane for the train, so I get to escort her up to Peterborough while her contract in Melrose lasts. I’m very excited. There might even be a pre-emptive tick to alert Simon to before he starts Cambridgeshire, or at the very least some unexpected… Continue reading FLAT DOOM BAR IN PETERBOROUGH
THE LONELINESS OF THE LONE OTTER DRINKER
Oh, look. Oxfordshire has fallen. Yawn. Not a great county, for sights or suds, and to be honest I did the best of it (Stoke Lyne, Lewknor, Hook Norton itself) years ago. The new entries tend towards the gastro these days. Anyway, the moral from the last tick, the Crown in Marcham is…don’t follow the… Continue reading THE LONELINESS OF THE LONE OTTER DRINKER
WORRIED IN WANTAGE
Well, not quite Wantage, exactly, but Letcombe Regis,which I predict only Tim Thomas and Duncan have ever heard of. It feels daft to say it’s the posh suburb of Wantage, which isn’t exactly Wigan, but that’s how it feels. What Pub tells me the closest pub is the all-conquering Royal Oak, as good a… Continue reading WORRIED IN WANTAGE
THE QUIET LANE TO PEPPARD
Apart from his other obsessions specialist areas of GBG pubs and moths, Duncan “Pubmeister” McKay is a non-league football expert, which may be handy for BRAPA soon. He may remember Peppard FC, a team from a quiet Oxfordshire village which won the Combined Counties League in a 1993/94 season that went well into June,… Continue reading THE QUIET LANE TO PEPPARD
SCHLEPPY IN SHEPPEY
Bet you’re rushing for your OED right now to find out what Schleppy means, aren’t you ? Actually, you’re probably looking at your battered Philip Navigator to see where Sheppey is. Just here, north of Sittingbourne (note old and new A249 routes). I was sure I’d written about Sheppey before, but it seems my exciting… Continue reading SCHLEPPY IN SHEPPEY
THE TAYLOR’S TALE – MICROS IN CANTERBURY
I like Canterbury. If it’s good enough for my niece Emily (4th year at Uni and still no trip to Thanet) it’s good enough for me. This was my first visit since 2014, when I stayed in the Premier Inn on opening night for £29. Same room next Saturday is £115.50. Premier Inn have… Continue reading THE TAYLOR’S TALE – MICROS IN CANTERBURY
KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
Next stop, lovely Kent*. No arguments about the quality of this county, anyway ! And you never know quite what you’re going to get in the Beer Guide entries, which is something I like a lot. East of Canterbury, the topography has a similar quality to the Somerset levels, though possibly less celebrated. Mrs… Continue reading KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
Being retired means I can do my duty to Greene King gastro pubs by drinking their IPA at 11.30am on a Wednesday. Yes, we do have pubs, such as the Old Spring , that open that early in the day. And stay open so folk can run their businesses using free internet. So a brisk walk… Continue reading SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
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