Happy Retired Martin Day (22/12), to those of you who celebrate. Back to my county-by-county trawl through UK pubs, and our second county alphabetically in the traditional GBG (the one I did), dispatched to an unfindable page since 2023. Five picks from me in Berkshire, you choose the sixth. A solid drinking county, with the… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS FROM EVERY COUNTY. No. 2 – BERKSHIRE.
Tag: Berkshire
WOKY IN WOKINGHAM
April 2023. Americans landing at Heathrow and heading straight down the M4 will encounter those well-known honeypots of Windsor, Cookham, and the estate pubs of bucolic Bracknell (honest). And of course Maidenhead. Folk who have never been to Maidenhead would be astonished at the contrast between it and Wokingham a few miles south, what with… Continue reading WOKY IN WOKINGHAM
A MAIDENHEAD REDEMPTION ?
April 2023. Well, possibly. Is it possible to redeem Maidenhead ? Just as importantly, is it possible to redeem Wagner ? Mumsnet is in meltdown tonight; Go straight to the foot of the page to hear the latest. The 25 minutes walk from Maidenhead Station to GBG newbie the North Star is as terrifying as… Continue reading A MAIDENHEAD REDEMPTION ?
IT’S KNUCKLE PUCK TIME
Post Number 2 from Newbury, the Newmarket of the South. It was only 6pm, though the town was deserted by now, and I took the time to admire the art, including this piece near Metro Bank on West Street called “West Berks CAMRA casteth oute ye Spoons from ye Beer Guide“. More ducks than drinkers,… Continue reading IT’S KNUCKLE PUCK TIME
THE NEWBURY LION ROARS
A night in Newbury, to complete Berkshire’s GBG entries, tick what felt like our 12th Premier Inn of the year already, and of course test out a new Chinese takeaway. All in a night’s work. Look, I even managed some posh Berkshire street art on my 4 mile walk. I asked Matt and apparently “Drek”… Continue reading THE NEWBURY LION ROARS
ONE BEER IS PLENTY; ONE CUSTOMER, NOT REALLY
A first visit to Thatcham since 2003, when we stayed in the rambling town. This time, a 5 minute train trip from Newbury where the Wheatsheaf became one of those basic one pump boozers that no-one believes actually exist in the Beer Guide anymore. Shame about the pub sign but sometimes it’s nice to have… Continue reading ONE BEER IS PLENTY; ONE CUSTOMER, NOT REALLY
MARSTON’S GOES POSH IN WOKINGHAM
All your favourite places coming up next; Not sure if I’ve ever written about the delights of “woke” Wokingham, as exemplified by their charismastic MP, and I shan’t start now as the Oakingham Belle sits right on the very edge of town on a new housing estate (while the GBG App mischievously directs you to… Continue reading MARSTON’S GOES POSH IN WOKINGHAM
A RACE FOR THE PRIZE IN GREAT SHEFFORD
The last post featured a Berkshire gastropub mercifully free of scatter cushions. No such relief in my final Berks tick, the eponymous Great Shefford, but oddly I’m a fan of clutter and chintz as long as there’s life. Anywhere selling dog ice cream for £3.50 is bound to have life, even if a rather different… Continue reading A RACE FOR THE PRIZE IN GREAT SHEFFORD
BEECH HILL – OUD, CEDAR & AMBER
If these little posts were pub write-ups in the Beer Guide they’d be “Try Also”, a short-lived feature from the early 2000’s that was created so as not to upset pubs that would have sued if they’d been completely kicked out of the Guide. The Elm Tree in Beech Hill deserved its entry in GBG21,… Continue reading BEECH HILL – OUD, CEDAR & AMBER
I’M SORRY, I HAVEN’T A CLEWER
A year ago retiredmartin was in a bad way. Pubs had just closed as the unexpected Lockdown 2 hit as dark descended, and after a final hurrah in London my blog material dried up. Both of our lads were kicking their heels, and our move north to Sheffield hit an unexpected snag due to an… Continue reading I’M SORRY, I HAVEN’T A CLEWER
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