After that wonderful return trip to the Exeter Arms I walked through the Market Place towards the two new Beer Guide entries. It always seems an under-utilised space, and I was disappointed that the stall selling proper pies wasn’t there. QUAD was open, and the free art gallery there was worth my investment of 15 minutes,… Continue reading DERBY’S BASS LOTTERY
TOP 100 PUBS – EXETER ARMS, DERBY
I took the Leicester-Derby train (22 minutes !) to visit the two new Beer Guide pubs and see how they’re getting on with demolishing the historic centres (quite nicely, thank you). I seem to have left my annual trip to Derby quite late in the year*, probably because we haven’t yet had our big family weekend in… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – EXETER ARMS, DERBY
IN PRAISE OF SHINJI OKAZAKI AND THE ALE WAGON
Leicester City’s Premiership win is the most astonishing event in my lifetime, even surpassing Mrs RM’s two pints of Old Peculiar on twenty minutes for shock value. To win it by 10 points is beyond belief. Lots of evidence of last night’s euphoria in the town centre today, but no giant picture of their unsung hero.… Continue reading IN PRAISE OF SHINJI OKAZAKI AND THE ALE WAGON
OAKHAM STARS IN ST. IVES
On those days when I’m confined to home, making a futile attempt at social niceties, I sometimes pick a shorter walk along the Cambridge Guided bus-way. The circular walk from Swavesey to St Ives is the last stretch of the busway proper, and a good 12 miler for a sunny Sunday spent avoiding the football.… Continue reading OAKHAM STARS IN ST. IVES
GOOD AND BAD IN HOOKY LAND
Hook Norton was one of the breweries that weaned me off Greene King IPA in my twenties. Mrs RM and I used to come across Hooky quite a bit on our Midlands trips, well before it became a national beer and then got ignored like 6X has. We visited the brewery with my Sis (actually… Continue reading GOOD AND BAD IN HOOKY LAND
BBB AND BASIC PUBS IN BUCKS
I’ve been driving Mrs RM round a few new pubs in the Northants/Bucks borders, so not much beer scoring, but some unexpectedly basic pubs around Brackley and Buckingham. I can’t say Twyford is the most exciting village I’ve ever been to, but then it is in a Milton Keynes postcode. Just looking at my Navigator… Continue reading BBB AND BASIC PUBS IN BUCKS
NORTHAMPTON – BASIC PUBS, NOT A LOAD OF COBBLERS
I finished Northamptonshire’s Beer Guide entries on Saturday (technically Mrs RM did but I took the photos). It’s not that big an achievement for me, though Simon will find the logistics a bit tougher than Bedfordshire when he gets onto “N” in 2023. There are a number of remote pubs to the west, south of… Continue reading NORTHAMPTON – BASIC PUBS, NOT A LOAD OF COBBLERS
WILD BEER & TEKUS IN CHELTENHAM
I found the smart side of Cheltenham easily enough in the morning; it’s always enjoyable strolling round Montpellier and there’s a bit of the ancient old town left though if you look hard enough. I was feeling very scruffy by the time I’d walked down Montpellier Street and the Royal Parade Mills, and the new Wild… Continue reading WILD BEER & TEKUS IN CHELTENHAM
A SLUMMERS GUIDE TO CHELTENHAM
I stayed in Cheltenham last night, largely so that I no longer had the embarrassment of not having been to the National Pub of the Year. I also wanted to get to grips with a town that never seems as posh as its reputation, particularly if you’ve even been to Whaddon Road or the Adam… Continue reading A SLUMMERS GUIDE TO CHELTENHAM
SANDFORD PARK ALE HOUSE, CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR
I’m in Cheltenham finishing off northern Gloucestershire. It is a mixed experience which I’ll tell you about tomorrow. The CAMRA national Pub of the Year is as good as you could hope for though. Looking back, quite a lot of POTYs seem to win the award a couple of years from opening, having first won the regional… Continue reading SANDFORD PARK ALE HOUSE, CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR
