I used to dread trips into the Chilterns to see my Grandparents as a child. If only I’d been able to visit the pubs along the Grand Union as an 11-year old for pre-emptive ticks, I’m sure I’d have had more fun than the trips to Ashridge Monument or Dunstable Co-op for Golden Nuggets. Peter Allen’s… Continue reading THE GRAND UNION CANAL – THE AYLESBURY ARM
BRENTWOOD – THE ONLY WAY IS BASS
I’d been looking forward to Brentwood for a while, my visit probably not as big a boost to their embryonic tourism industry as TOWIE. I did once watch TOWIE while on holiday under the misapprehension that it was real. To be honest the big appeal of the ‘Wood was the chance to tick off a tricky pub… Continue reading BRENTWOOD – THE ONLY WAY IS BASS
TOP 10 HOYLAND PUBS – THE FURNACE
“There’s nowt such thing as bad beer, it’s just they that keep it that spoil it” – Brad, The Furnace Let that sink in. Some parts of the UK are unexpectedly good for pubs; Mansfield, Nuneaton, Peckham, Newtown. To that list I belatedly add Hoyland. The clutch of villages below Barnsley is a geographical minefield… Continue reading TOP 10 HOYLAND PUBS – THE FURNACE
BIER HUIS, OSSETT
The geographical incompetence of folk never ceases to amaze me. We told some people in Cambridge we’d be going to Ossett‘s top off-licence, and none of them could place it accurately on the map. Some of them even thought it was east of Wakefield ! From Dewsbury, you can navigate there via the Water Tower… Continue reading BIER HUIS, OSSETT
MRS RM’s GUIDE TO INDY MAN
Last year I had a great night at Indy Man, drinking much too quickly propped up against the speaker in room 3, and finishing with an evening of Krautrock at Gorilla. This year Mrs RM wanted to come, presumably because her FaceFriend mates had been raving about the Victorian baths featured on “Restoration“, and thought… Continue reading MRS RM’s GUIDE TO INDY MAN
THE PAINTERS ARMS, LUTON
Not only does Luton have a one-pump pub in the Beer Guide, it has a pretty wonderful entry in the latest CAMRA book of Pub Heritage too. You have to pass through some challenging street art to get there via the station. On this occasion, the modern reality actually looks better than the paintings. The Painters… Continue reading THE PAINTERS ARMS, LUTON
THE BRIDGE TO ABERGAVENNY
The last leg of the Gwent trip took in Abergavenny, yet another Welsh town that seems to have escaped the Beeching savagery (correct me Mudge/Tom). Gwent/Monmouthshire is always an attractive county for me. 3 hours in the car and then decent train links from bargain motels. If only the Chinese takeaways were better. Obviously the only… Continue reading THE BRIDGE TO ABERGAVENNY
AUTUMN IN CWMBRAN
My newish Rough Guide to Wales is proving it’s usual middle-class self. Lots of nonsense about misericords and 13th Century battlements, nothing about where to see spitting in Ebbw Vale pubs or buy a Chinese takeaway at midnight, which is my definition of Rough. No mention at all of Cwmbran, an authentic Welsh New Town at… Continue reading AUTUMN IN CWMBRAN
THE CARDIFF 6 PUB HALF MARATHON
PARENTAL ADVISORY – CONTAINS BORIS The train from Newport to Cardiff takes 13 minutes, and matches the Potters Bar to Kings Cross journey for culture shock. Unlike Newport, Cardiff never sleeps. This was my first visit since City’s unfathomable capitulation at Ninian Park the City Stadium three years ago. The city centre was so much fun… Continue reading THE CARDIFF 6 PUB HALF MARATHON
NEWPORT REINTRODUCES SUNDAY CLOSING
I will get back to cheery posts very soon, but I’m trying to keep this blog roughly chronological, so sorry Newport. My relationship with the City (really ?) has always been up and down, despite the array of budget hotels that draw me back again and again. In 2010 I took my Dad to watch… Continue reading NEWPORT REINTRODUCES SUNDAY CLOSING
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