18th January 2023. At last, a second tick of the day on the Brum/Tamworth toddle (is toddle a word ?). The Old Bank opened at 4:00, the train back to Derby, where I would jump off and back on a train headed for Sheffield, left at 4:20. It would be tight. Particularly if the Old… Continue reading ALL SIGNS POINT TO TAMWORTH
Tag: Staffordshire
DRAUGHT BASS IN TAMWORTH – FROM SLUDGE TO SILK
18th January 2023. On the journey from Birmingham I realised I’d have an hour to kill in Tamworth, and with the castle closed as there are no attacks on the town in January I’d have to find alternative enetertainment. A Teardrop Explodes trail ? Here’s the micropub where Julian took the “Buy 6 Get 1… Continue reading DRAUGHT BASS IN TAMWORTH – FROM SLUDGE TO SILK
TOP 100 PUBS – THE TAMWORTH TAP
7th December 2022. Having found my Tamworth GBG tick unexpectedly closed for a staff party (should have got my butler to phone ahead like Duncan does) I had 47 minutes before the next train to civilisation Derby. Ooh, there’s one of the Top 4 pubs in the country according to CAMRA. It would be stupid… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE TAMWORTH TAP
HOW WILL I COPE WITH TAMWORTH TORMENT ?
7th December 2022. I’d planned it all so well. No new GBG ticks in Stafford, but a genuine Guide newbie in Tamworth on the way home. There’s multiple rail routes to Stafford from Sheffield, and about 44 different fare combinations depending on whether you dare stop in Uttoxeter and whether you’re old or not. I’d… Continue reading HOW WILL I COPE WITH TAMWORTH TORMENT ?
HANGING AROUND IN HEDNESFORD, HOPING
A second Staffs tick, and suddenly, it’s complete ! Look very closely and you’ll see a deeper shade of pale for those two most recent ticks. These things matter. Now, Hednesford is a surprising place. One of the string of Staffs mining towns north of Cannock that have added a gem of a micro to… Continue reading HANGING AROUND IN HEDNESFORD, HOPING
BROCCOLI STEMS, LOVE & LIQUOR IN CODSALL
I didn’t expect to be heading back to Codsall so soon. In late 2019 this small Staffs village on the edge of Wolverhampton was the unlikely starting point for a memorable Old Codgers trip to Shifnal. One thing Old Codgers don’t do is search out artisan places for late lunch, but that was my priority… Continue reading BROCCOLI STEMS, LOVE & LIQUOR IN CODSALL
UNICORNS – ALMOST AS RARE AS DRAUGHT BASS
His look of sympathy was the one you’d give a child asking you if he could have a unicorn for Christmas. Second best, particularly if you’re six years old, but I could have a pint in THE Unicorn, one of the almost permanent Stoke GBG entries. Blimey, it’s even better than I remembered it (admittedly… Continue reading UNICORNS – ALMOST AS RARE AS DRAUGHT BASS
TOP 100 PUBS – THE COACHMAKERS ARMS, HANLEY, STOKE-ON-TRENT
In Stoke with a bed for the night, a Chinese takeaway selected, and my new GBG entry already ticked. But it’s barely evening. Let’s do the Hanley classics. And that’s the problem when you lack discipline as a ticker. You convince yourself that the Albion with its lone Pedi pump must be a pre-emptive chance.… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE COACHMAKERS ARMS, HANLEY, STOKE-ON-TRENT
….AND A NIGHT OUT IN STOKE
OK, OK, it’s really Hanley, but it’s slotted under a Stoke sub-heading in the GBG and that’s what counts. In 2014 we stayed in the Hanley Premier Inn and I walked to Newcastle-Under-Lyme to save the bus fare, so the mile from Stoke Station was a doddle. Hanley doesn’t have the greatest of reputations, despite… Continue reading ….AND A NIGHT OUT IN STOKE
BETWEEN BABYLON AND VENICE
Think of this as a short bonus post on a day when other news may take your attention from my blog. (Congratulations Carrie and Boris). On Sunday I became the first person ever (ever) to visit Cheadle, Staffs four (4) times in a calendar year. Even Mrs RM said “Cheadle? Not again !” and she… Continue reading BETWEEN BABYLON AND VENICE
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