Yes, still on Bucks, still banging on about barflies. This one has a cruel twist. BRAPA finished Bucks last year, and has decided he’s not going back till he’s finished the Scottish Islands and Devon, sometime in 2041. That means he’ll miss the joy of Fever-Tree Gastropubs like the Lowndes Arms, which looks like… Continue reading “YOU’RE STOPPING THE OLD BOY GETTING TO THE BAR”
Tag: Gastropubs
A RADNAGE RIOT
If I’ve learned one thing about blogging, it’s that folk prefer misery to happiness. No-one wants to read about a nice pint in Pontypool; they want woe in Watford and micro madness in Margate. So here’s rage from Radnage. Or woe in Wycombe if you like to dump places in their nearest big town… Continue reading A RADNAGE RIOT
NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
My trips to Burnley haven’t always been successful, setting aside the 6-1 in 2010. Prosecco preposterousness in Padiham, pole-dancing pubs by the bus station (sorry, no pics) and some drab home-brew from the likes of Reedley Hallows (brewed by Harry Potter). But I admire their dogged if dull football team, and their generous GBG allocation,… Continue reading NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
THE RIBBLE RIDDLE
Before you read the rest of this, can you name the pub chain from the photo above ? Course you can. Especially of I add “random tractor” and “too many pumps“. Anyway, another couple of Lancashire ticks in the beautiful Ribble valley. Loads going on the OS extract below. Witches, hills, a recent National… Continue reading THE RIBBLE RIDDLE
DRAUGHT BASS DRAMA IN THE BRECON BEACONS
If BRAPA ever writes a novel he might well devote a whole chapter to the Red Lion in Penderyn, one of the most bizarre experiences of the year. If Aberdare is a Valleys Leiston, a town tourists avoid completely or stop by to stock up at Lidl, then Penderyn is its Dunwich, a honeypot drawing… Continue reading DRAUGHT BASS DRAMA IN THE BRECON BEACONS
A LOAD OF OLD LACOCK
Three years next month since I started this blog, and it’s pleasing to note that the post titles are getting even worse. So are the pubs that enter the Beer Guide, by and large. But not always. Pub No.2 on the Great Wiltshire Almost Completion (GWAC) of 2018 lies in Whitley, just outside lovely but… Continue reading A LOAD OF OLD LACOCK
WILTING IN WILTS
A short break from Sussex while I attempted to finish irritable Wiltshire. You’ll already know how this one ends (here). Just to be clear, travelling the country, staying in cheap hotels and visiting English pubs (with or without a Chinese takeaway at the end of the day) is an absolute joy. But empty pubs and… Continue reading WILTING IN WILTS
T’OTHER BARNSLEY
Doyen of countless Good Pub Guides, Times Supplements and Pashmina Yearly editions over many decades, the Village Pub finally graces the only book that matters to tickers. So at last I get a trip to the other Barnsley. It’s pleasant, without being an essential stop for those touring the honeypots of north Swindon. The Barnsley… Continue reading T’OTHER BARNSLEY
KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
Next stop, lovely Kent*. No arguments about the quality of this county, anyway ! And you never know quite what you’re going to get in the Beer Guide entries, which is something I like a lot. East of Canterbury, the topography has a similar quality to the Somerset levels, though possibly less celebrated. Mrs… Continue reading KENT GASTROLAND – SERVIETTES FOR BEER MATS
SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
Being retired means I can do my duty to Greene King gastro pubs by drinking their IPA at 11.30am on a Wednesday. Yes, we do have pubs, such as the Old Spring , that open that early in the day. And stay open so folk can run their businesses using free internet. So a brisk walk… Continue reading SPRINGING INTO 11.30am IPA ACTION
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