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
BOURNEMOUTH & BOSCOMBE
I failed to get a ticket for what was, by the look of it, City’s best League performance since the heady days of Autumn. More time for exploring the pubs of Dorset, which is fast becoming one of my favourite counties. Bournemouth itself looks the weakest pub town, at least on the basis of a paltry… Continue reading BOURNEMOUTH & BOSCOMBE
WAREHAM – WELL WORTH THE WAIT
Pub Curmudgeon has visited as many great pubs as anyone I’ve met, and I recall him praising the King’s Arms in Dorset’s Wareham a few years back. This is a particularly attractive small town, bypassed en route to Corfe Castle and the Purbeck coast, which might explain why I’d never been before. The ten minute train… Continue reading WAREHAM – WELL WORTH THE WAIT
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