As noted many times before, the Beer Guide leads you to places the average Englishman has never heard of and will never visit, waiting instead for a Virtual Reality headset that allows them to explore Goole and Maidenhead from their living room. They’ll miss out on the delights of Dronfield, a resolutely traditional bit of Derbyshire despite… Continue reading DRONFIELD – THE GLOSSOP OF THE EAST
MELBOURNE 1 v DONINGTON 1
South Derbyshire isn’t much fun in the rain, unless you’re watching thousands of old blokes with Sabbath T-Shirts drowning in the mud. The countryside around the mudbath, airport and racetrack is unexpectedly hilly and attractive, though obviously with special appeal for fans of power stations. Last year’s rare visit to Castle Donington found the micropub… Continue reading MELBOURNE 1 v DONINGTON 1
BUT IS IT A PUB ?
I was delighted to read recently that the good landlords of Melsonby and Aigburth had randomly changed their opening hours to deny fellow GBG-completists Simon and Duncan the chance to finish North Yorkshire and Merseyside recently. They can see what a finished county looks like above; Lincolnshire looks splendid in pink. The Hare & Hounds… Continue reading BUT IS IT A PUB ?
FROM WEST BERKSHIRE TO LA SCALA
Another London Sunday night gig, another attempt to find nice things to say about N1. Having just completed the capital’s Beer Guide quota for 2017 (not all in one night), and with no obvious pre-emptives, I had a rare evening not dictated by The Book. So I rambled aimlessly for an hour or two round… Continue reading FROM WEST BERKSHIRE TO LA SCALA
LEEK – BASS, BUCKETS, BALTI
Interesting series of Twits* about Leek last night, kicked off by this, "Got my 27,000th beer tick last Thursday" announced the rather excited & proud punter in a Leek pub who didn't appear to have any friends — Martin (@6TownsMart) March 26, 2017 reminding me to write up our mini-trip to “The Queen of the Moorlands“,… Continue reading LEEK – BASS, BUCKETS, BALTI
FIRST-RATE FOLKESTONE
I’m not claiming it’s sunnier than Manchester, but everytime I got to Folkestone I get unseasonably warm weather. Two years ago I had this view from the The Leas, but on Tuesday Bello Gelato had decided to be shut on the hottest day of the year so far. That was a shame, as this is the… Continue reading FIRST-RATE FOLKESTONE
IN DEFENCE OF SHEPS
There’s no case I won’t take on. Except the case for Maidenhead (until a resident comes on here and challenges me to discover its hidden allure). All of our other towns have their merits, even Ashford. And nearly all pubs have some appeal, although an Ember Inn in Maidenhead (is there such a creature ?)… Continue reading IN DEFENCE OF SHEPS
ANOTHER DOVER MICRO, ANOTHER WINNER
Alan’s reflections on his honeymoon yesterday made me laugh (sorry Alan), until I realised my own wedding night was spent in a pub on the edge of Dunstable, and followed by a tour of Southsea’s finest hostelries. It all went downhill when we got to Brittany… The other excursion from Folkestone is, of course, to… Continue reading ANOTHER DOVER MICRO, ANOTHER WINNER
TAKE THE FIRST TRAIN TO ASHFORD
My post-box is full of letters from readers asking why I never visit Ashford. The truth is that there hasn’t been a new Beer Guide pub there since The Reformation*. The answer people really expect is that Ashford is matched only by Maidenhead for its ability to create a void in the soul. At one stage they… Continue reading TAKE THE FIRST TRAIN TO ASHFORD
THE ROYSTON WETHERSPOONS RIOTS
I’ve quite a lot of travels to write up at the moment; I might have to sub-contract it out to Simon as he’s clearly got more blogging stamina than me. But I’ve put posts on Dronfield, Leek, Oswestry and Folkestone on the back-burner to bring you a report on a riotous lunchtime in Royston. Let Mrs RM be my… Continue reading THE ROYSTON WETHERSPOONS RIOTS
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