GIDEA PARK – TAKE COURAGE YOU ‘APPY ‘AMMERS

There can’t be many posts about Gidea Park, except of course the ones from Simon and Alan.  It’s basically a garden suburb in the styles of Petts Wood or Shirley, with some attractive foliage and a functional shopping arcade.  Until recently, it was dangerously close to the appropriately named Zombieland Skatepark, a favourite of my younger son until… Continue reading GIDEA PARK – TAKE COURAGE YOU ‘APPY ‘AMMERS

N19 – DODGING THE GOONERS

From Rotherhithe I took the Overground service to Highbury, hoping to do my last couple of GBG ticks in North London. You’d assume that the internet would work on the Overground service but it didn’t, so my planning reached BRAPA-esque depths. Usually my travel plans factor in football matches limiting entry to pubs near the… Continue reading N19 – DODGING THE GOONERS

BERMONDSEY RAILWAY ARCHES, ROTHERHITHE JETTY

It’s always awkward when the truth undermines your underlying narrative, and I have to admit that beer quality in London has been decent in recent months (the financial heart apart).  On the other hand, I’m always stressing my admiration for CAMRA branches and their ability to find the best beer for the Beer Guide, which… Continue reading BERMONDSEY RAILWAY ARCHES, ROTHERHITHE JETTY

END OF THE ROAD CHRISTMAS SHOW – THE FAIRYTALE OF SHOREDITCH

Barely back from Burton an hour, we had to shoot off to Shoreditch for the End of the Road Christmas show.  This is typically a tiny show in a new east London club venue with decent sound; last year’s gig at Oslo had the best sound and most overpriced beer of the year. The last few… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD CHRISTMAS SHOW – THE FAIRYTALE OF SHOREDITCH

SURVIVING SOUTH-WEST LONDON PART 2 – TOOTING TO CLAPHAM

The No.44 dropped off us off at Tooting Broadway, allowing us half a mile walk along one of London’s most calorific streets.  Yet another place Mrs RM has worked (St Georges) though she claimed to have resisted the lure of the barfi in Nirala back then. Asian sweets and cake shops all the way up to… Continue reading SURVIVING SOUTH-WEST LONDON PART 2 – TOOTING TO CLAPHAM

GOOD BEER IN LONDON SHOCKER

Contrary to what you might think, I’ve nothing against London.  It’s one of the top ten cities in the South, with a musical heritage stretching from Adam Ant to Gary Glitter. Music drew me there on a super off-peak slow train on Sunday; a rare one-off gig by alt-country legend William Tyler and a very… Continue reading GOOD BEER IN LONDON SHOCKER

THE STAG’S HEAD – A BASIC GEM IN W1

Searching for proof that you can find decent beer in That London if you really look for it, I visited two new Guide stragglers near Regent’s Park. For all its problems keeping beer in good condition, W1 remains a great place to get lost, particularly if you then stumble across places like the Ship, next… Continue reading THE STAG’S HEAD – A BASIC GEM IN W1