For the benefit of our Black Country correspondent A quick guide to the many merits of the ancient Kingdom of Mercia, which seem to be lost on the current Rough Guide, Lonely Planet and Fodor’s. I could certainly recommend an overnighter, particularly if the Premier Inn is available cheaply. Ignore Tamworth‘s traditional draws, an attractive… Continue reading AN EMERGENCY VISITORS GUIDE TO TAMWORTH
ELY AS A TOURIST
I rarely visit Ely, even though it’s only a ten minute train ride away. Until 10 years ago it felt like a typical Fenland town stuck in the 1960s, albeit one with a magnificent and unexpected cathedral. It’s old fashioned shops catered for OAPs, and only a famed chippy redeemed it. The same 2 or… Continue reading ELY AS A TOURIST
ROYAL STANDARD REVIVED
Cambridge got one of it’s closed pubs back today as the Royal Standard on Mill Road was reopened, and a fine thing it looks too. The Standard was never one of the city’s great pubs when in Pubmaster hands, but in an area of East Cambridge that had lost several locals in recent times (Duke… Continue reading ROYAL STANDARD REVIVED
TOP 100 PUBS – BUFET KAMZIK, BRATISLAVA
While enjoying my two-thirds of a Cloudwater sour at the Piccadilly Tap after the match on Saturday, I noticed that Bernard Beer was being drunk in good quantities, and was reminded of a classic pub serving Bernard closer to source. Only the one visit but never to be forgotten, in the same way you never forget a trip… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – BUFET KAMZIK, BRATISLAVA
ALREWAS
Yesterday I had a day out with Dad in Alrewas, visiting the National Memorial Arboretum. One of the highlights of retirement is the opportunity to spend time exploring with parents, as long as you can avoid taking up golf. The Arboretum is a site of remembrance and reflection, and particularly poignant for Dad, who still… Continue reading ALREWAS
GOOD BEER GUIDE – LAST FIVE STANDING
Five pubs have appeared in every edition (43) of the Good Beer Guide, and it did occur to me that at some point we will be down to one. When you retire these things matter, you know. In 1998 my wife and I visited the 25 pubs that had survived 25 editions; we got a couple… Continue reading GOOD BEER GUIDE – LAST FIVE STANDING
WEST ONE (SHINE ON ME)
Much as I’d like to have just travelled between North-West and South-West in rotation, reality dictates that at some point I have to revisit that London to visit the capital’s 39 new Beer Guide entries, murky warm beer or not. Since retirement I’ve not missed the fortnightly hell that is Waterbeach to Kings Cross (at… Continue reading WEST ONE (SHINE ON ME)
THE MACC DADS
Macclesfield is one of my favoured overnighters when I visit Manchester, competing well with Glossop, Stockport and Chadderton on my balanced scorecard, which rates the following:- Travelodge for under £30 Short train/metro into Manchester Access to new bit of UK to explore At least 1 new Beer Guide pub in walking distance Holts, Robinsons or… Continue reading THE MACC DADS
TOP 100 PUBS – THE MILL, CAMBRIDGE
Cambridge remains one of the UK’s top pub towns, with a good handful of characterful free houses providing beer quality only matched, to my taste, by central Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Newcastle-under-Lyme among major towns. The Cambridge pub “scene” has been improved in recent years by Milton Brewery’s 3 town openings and local legends Terri and Jethro‘s… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE MILL, CAMBRIDGE
UPSELLING IN BODMIN
I won’t be comparing Bodmin to Walthamstow (only with a Moor) here, but I did see something in the Wetherspoons that impressed and amused me yesterday. Arriving just before breakfast ended for my usual Eggs Benedict and coffee, I was told by the jovial barman “that’s what you want” as he pointed to an admittedly… Continue reading UPSELLING IN BODMIN
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