My Sis wanted to explore Penzance, on the assumption that it must have an “independent” quarter. Even Glossop and Mansfield have one of those now, and surely Falmouth can’t have all the alternative scene. We didn’t find it. Only in the attractive but scruffy square housing the Beer Guide-listed Crown did we see much of… Continue reading PENZANCE REDEEMED BY BASS
A STAR IN ST JUST
My sister in Falmouth is putting up with me for a few days, and in return I’m chauffeuring her to a few pubs on Cornwall’s west coast. On our list was the stretch of coastal path above Land’s End, which itself isn’t somewhere I need to return to anytime soon. The hour-long journey takes you past… Continue reading A STAR IN ST JUST
PROPER JOB
On my way down to Cornwall I stopped for a walk north of Bodmin, an area I only really know for the famous Blisland Inn, former national pub of the year and home of a friendly lizard when I was last there. Altarnun is just off the A30 but the pace slows as you get… Continue reading PROPER JOB
GRECIAN 2000
Not much beats arriving in a town you don’t know, with an evening to explore it, £15 in your pocket and a bed for the night paid for. I parked up in Exeter‘s White Hart just as fans of the Grecians were returning from their massive FA Cup giant-killing in the next round. Carlisle away… Continue reading GRECIAN 2000
AN ALTERNATIVE PRESTON
I wrote about my love for Preston and its wonderful pubs in September, without prompting any noticeable surge in house prices there. You may also be aware of Preston through the eyes of the See the Lizards blog, an advert for the inspirational qualities of the Moorbrook (http://seeingthelizards.blogspot.co.uk). The city has plenty of unpretentious boozers to accompany your pie on… Continue reading AN ALTERNATIVE PRESTON
MILL ROAD CAMBRIDGE
This week Mill Road in Cambridge lost out to Northampton’s St Giles St in the Great British High Street Awards. North Parade, home of the craft beer revolution in Bradford, was also shortlisted. These awards are nice to win, but not as important to Mill Road residents as their inability to stop the inexorable rise of… Continue reading MILL ROAD CAMBRIDGE
THE CASE FOR McMULLEN
When I lived in Hertfordshire 20 years ago McMullen had a decent reputation with local drinkers. There were a few non-foody drinkers pubs west of the A1, the boisterous (for St Albans) Farriers Arms was the birthplace of CAMRA locally, and the Queen’s Head in Whitwell served the best Bass south of Burton. The AK Mild… Continue reading THE CASE FOR McMULLEN
RUTLAND COMES OF AGE
It doesn’t take long to complete Rutland‘s Beer Guide contingent – seven pubs is par for the course. This year, as the County turns 18, it does at least get its own page, but I’m not sure the Leicestershire section is losing any classics. I guess I’ve been to most of Rutland’s 50-odd pubs (virtually all… Continue reading RUTLAND COMES OF AGE
HARVEY’S AT ITS BEST
While in Brighton I was lured into a pub I’d been in before, which is quite a testament to the attraction of a boozer at dusk. The Mitre at the top of North Laine isn’t by any means the only traditional-looking pub in the City, which seems to value pub heritage better than some. The… Continue reading HARVEY’S AT ITS BEST
BRIGHTON POST-ROCK
Just back from a gig night in Brighton, one of the great places in the world to watch live music. Like Manchester and, to be fair, London, Brighton has a good dozen club venues to watch new bands for a tenner or less, even if nothing quite matches the incomparable Brudenell in Leeds. When tour… Continue reading BRIGHTON POST-ROCK
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