I stayed in Burnley over the weekend and enjoyed some decent walking in the stretch of pretty villages just north of the M65, with Pendle Hill and Bowland as a backdrop. This is where the Burnley Express ends and Lancashire Life starts, judging by the cars parked next to Ye Olde Sparrowhawk in Wheatley Lane. Lovely… Continue reading BURNLEY – MY PROSECCO HELL
FINISHING WEST YORKSHIRE ON RISHWORTH MOOR
My last pub in the West Yorkshire chapter of this years Beer Guide was in Rishworth. It must have the best views of any pub in the county, obviously apart from the Steam Packet in Knottingley. Just like Scott following Amundsen, Simon Everitt got here first on his way to finishing the county. Mind, I… Continue reading FINISHING WEST YORKSHIRE ON RISHWORTH MOOR
THE DELIGHTS OF DARWEN
I always thought of Darwen as a lesser Accrington, along a similar “A” Road winding down to civilisation (Bolton and Bury respectively). Like Much Wenlock, it’s a place you have to want to go to a lot, rather than one you pass through. At least Accrington has the Oswaldthistle Mills for old folk to go… Continue reading THE DELIGHTS OF DARWEN
THE WELLINGTON – BEDFORD’S BASS SHRINE
Simon Everitt may be the only other person to have visited all of the Beer Guide entries for Bedfordshire, and that’s more due to the alphabet than the county’s limited appeal. I’ve decided to give it another chance, having visited most of the Guide pubs a decade or more ago, and started in the county… Continue reading THE WELLINGTON – BEDFORD’S BASS SHRINE
MUCH WENLOCK
I owe Much Wenlock an apology. On a couple of previous visits I hadn’t seen the attraction, but it impressed this week, and revealed a classic pub. South Shropshire is one of my favourite parts of the UK, both the countryside of the Long Mynd and the unchanging towns of Bridgnorth, Clun and Ironbridge. Completing… Continue reading MUCH WENLOCK
WEDNESBURY – GREAT SCRATCHINGS
I completed the current year’s Beer Guide entries in Wednesbury, possibly the least-well known of the Black Country towns, though with the same beautiful accent to the fore. This is the evidence of completion. Note that Simon Everitt uses yellow Stabilo Boss markers, which is just as well as I bought up the global stock of… Continue reading WEDNESBURY – GREAT SCRATCHINGS
TOP 100 PUBS – THE RED LION, MARKET DRAYTON
I mentioned yesterday how quiet Market Drayton’s pubs were, the Spoons apart. To be fair, it’s quite well pubbed for a small market town with a Spoons and a Fayre & Square, though WhatPub records its share of recent casualties. On Tuesday night, Joules brewery tap was as busy as the Spoons, as it had been on… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE RED LION, MARKET DRAYTON
MARKET DRAYTON – A JOULE, AND A SALOPIAN STAR
Not quite sure why, but I’ve like a little kid waiting for a delivery from Steve Earl Football Programmes, anticipating my big overnighter in Market Drayton with my Auditor friend Charles (not his real name, of course). I think it’s the remoteness of the place (a whole ten crow miles from Stoke) and its relative… Continue reading MARKET DRAYTON – A JOULE, AND A SALOPIAN STAR
LULWORTH CASTLE
A last post from Dorset before an overnighter in Market Drayton, and a pub of the year contender in the Castle near Lulworth Cove. A group of us reached this after a four hour circular walk that took in several miles of farm sewerage, numerous wrong turns, knee deep mud, a loo stop at Chaldon… Continue reading LULWORTH CASTLE
FROM POOLE TO PURBECK
In the year City won the League Cup with this goal, I spent my last summer holiday before secondary school in Swanage, buying football related tat and playing mini-golf. The pubs made no impression on me then, sorry to say. In 40 years nothing much has changed. This quintessential English seaside town has seemingly resisted the… Continue reading FROM POOLE TO PURBECK
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