My regular catch-up with ex-colleagues over curry moved from Kinver to Wolverhampton, and again proved that Auditors are human beings. Wolverhampton is a tricky place to tie down. One the one hand it has The Great Western and a great Art Gallery, on the other it has less great architecture and pubs than you might… Continue reading WOLVERHAMPTON – GREY PAES, BRIGHTER DAYS
LAUNCESTON – ‘SPOONS NEEDED
I finally timed my Falmouth return well enough to justify a lunch stop at Launceston, a place clearly well below Okehampton and even Bodmin on the tourist trail, but highly praised by a family friend who was born there. The best thing about it is the view above, which you get from the weird multi-storey car park. You can… Continue reading LAUNCESTON – ‘SPOONS NEEDED
VARIETY IN PENRYN
I spent an afternoon in Penryn with my sister. It almost links up with big brother Falmouth now, but has its own distinct atmosphere. While Falmouth is increasingly an odd mix of upmarket retirement housing and modern bars, Penryn still retains a quieter feel more reminiscent of a pleasant Isle of Man coastal town. There are… Continue reading VARIETY IN PENRYN
SOUTH ZEAL – DEVON’S VALLEY OF BEER
I’ve now driven the A30 enough times en route to Falmouth to start to be able to chunk it into manageable bites, and its a pleasant journey apart from Bodmin’s roadworks. If I run out of things to write I’ll tell you about the beer desert that is Launceston. Just before Okehampton is a glorious range… Continue reading SOUTH ZEAL – DEVON’S VALLEY OF BEER
TOP 100 PUBS – THE SEVEN STARS, FALMOUTH
Yesterday was my Bass day in Falmouth. I needed a Bass day, having just worked out where my pictures on my early posts here have gone (I’d deleted them). Good job Mrs RM is an IT expert. Perhaps I can get my youngest son to increase storage space and put the photos back as his work… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE SEVEN STARS, FALMOUTH
FEBRUARY 2016 STOCKTAKE
February, even with the free day, was another month when I failed to get to the Square and Compasses. Definitely in March when a group of us are walking the Jurassic Way. I did get to visit 30 new Beer Guide pubs in 14 different counties though, and a couple of Beer Guide selection meetings… Continue reading FEBRUARY 2016 STOCKTAKE
OTTER VALLEY
I’m travelling down to visit my sister in Falmouth, where I hope (as a by-product) to make more progress in completing Cornwall’s Beer Guide contingent. My half way stop is Honiton, another Devon town I don’t know well. The approach through the Blackdown Hills is beautiful, though the town itself doesn’t give any great vantage points… Continue reading OTTER VALLEY
TO BATTERSEA AND BACK AGAIN
I was looking forward to a day at Ikea in Milton Keynes with Mrs RM yesterday, but she denied me that pleasure. Given that 8.2% of trips to Ikea in 2015 ended in divorce, perhaps she was well-intentioned. Needing a long walk (and hiking round Ikea would have achieved that) I took an early train to… Continue reading TO BATTERSEA AND BACK AGAIN
THE CASE FOR DOOM BAR
There’s a lot of good beer in Gravesend, but walk a couple of miles west to mainly residential Northfleet and things dip alarmingly, as you’d expect, near the Ebbsfleet football ground. You could, at a push, walk to the George & Dragon at Swanscombe, but not today. A succession of run-down pubs promote cheap lager,… Continue reading THE CASE FOR DOOM BAR
GRAVESEND – MORE THAN BEER AND POCAHONTAS
A change to our plans meant a day trip to Gravesend, and a chance to tick the famous Tilbury-Gravesend passenger ferry off my bucket list. It’s even better than Woolwich, and at £3 off-peak return a saving of 16p each way on the Dartford tunnel. Over a month that’s almost enough for a half of… Continue reading GRAVESEND – MORE THAN BEER AND POCAHONTAS
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