I’m up to date, now, so this blog can be strictly chronological ’till I run out of material and dig out photos of me in shorts drinking Tizer on a Leiston caravan park. Pray it never gets to that stage. Five posts from the trip to Kelso and back (rejected title for a Saxon… Continue reading WALLPAPER CHOICES IN WEST THIRSTON
Tag: Northumberland
OVER THE WALL TO HUMSHAUGH
Apart from visiting all the current Beer Guide entries, I’d like to be able to place on the map any UK village you care to mention. I’d never heard of Humshaugh. Sounds northern though, doesn’t it ? It’s very smart, the sort of village that Essex hides away from the world but Surrey sticks… Continue reading OVER THE WALL TO HUMSHAUGH
OUTSIDE LOOS & BOILED CABBAGE IN ACOMB
Looking at the map now, I could have walked to Acomb. But where’s the fun in that, when you can enjoy Mrs RM’s exemplary driving*. We parked up, and Mrs RM saw her next car after the Picasso conks out. I thought Acomb (pronounced “Yeckam”, of course) was familiar, but there’s one near York… Continue reading OUTSIDE LOOS & BOILED CABBAGE IN ACOMB
HEXED IN HEXHAM
I should give these little posts a special name. How about “Little Posts” ? Next up is Hexham, which I probably said enough about last time I was up here. It hasn’t changed. Except for a new Guide entry and a Starbucks (or WiFi stop, as we call them down south). Mrs RM stayed in… Continue reading HEXED IN HEXHAM
MISTAKEN FOR FILM CREW IN MATFEN
OK, I’ll accept “Mistaken for film crew” isn’t quite as exciting as “Locked in Victoria Park” or “Gatecrashing craft weddings in Dulwich“, which were highlights a year ago. But this is Northumberland, not trendy London. Things are more sedate up here. We arrived just after opening, greeted by the entire pub staff staring at us.… Continue reading MISTAKEN FOR FILM CREW IN MATFEN
CYCLIST STAMINA IN STAMFORDHAM
Quite a lot of posts from Northumberland now, courtesy of Mrs RM’s faultless driving and the fact you can at least rely on pubs to be open on Sundays. First stop Stamfordham, in the wilderness between posh Ponteland and posher Corbridge, and a couple of miles from Hadrian’s Wall (which one day I’ll walk). The… Continue reading CYCLIST STAMINA IN STAMFORDHAM
ABSOLUTELY MORTAL IN GREENHAUGH
It’s a bit unfair to call the middle of Northumberland a beer desert, though you can see from the Beer Guide extract below just how few there are between the A1 and the A69, so you have to get your ticks when you can. That lack of pint pots is due to the lack of… Continue reading ABSOLUTELY MORTAL IN GREENHAUGH
HEXHAMSHIRE – FOLLOW THE WALL
One of my favourite songs is “Fareweel Regality” sung by The Unthanks, an ode to the beauty of old Hexhamshire that gets me every time. The real Hexhamshire magic comes south of the ancient county town, following the River Allen down to the Pennines and some magical pubs along the A689, where you’ll find the products… Continue reading HEXHAMSHIRE – FOLLOW THE WALL
TOP 100 PUBS – BARRELS, BERWICK-UPON-TWEED
I was impressed by the quality and variety of pubs on my return to Berwick, but blown away by Barrels. I rated the beer in this Guide stalwart highly on a couple of earlier visits, but the pubby atmosphere was on a different level this time. It’s probably the interior has changed a bit over the decades,… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – BARRELS, BERWICK-UPON-TWEED
BERWICK – THE FULL CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Turning down the opportunity to watch the Premier League top two at the Etihad for the chance to see the Scottish League’s bottom two was always going to be a good call. I had a great day out in Berwick yesterday, spoiled only by the usual boorish England rugby fans drinking “cidre” from the bottle… Continue reading BERWICK – THE FULL CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
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