April 2024. Holbrook. Belper. I had to run through Belper‘s high street to catch the bus, scolded gently by a lovely driver. “Why’d ya run ?, I saw ya“. The journey to Holbrook takes 10 minutes, passing perhaps a half dozen worthwhile pubs on the way, including the White Hart. But today, at least, I… Continue reading NOTHING MUCH BEATS A PINT OF BASS BESIDE THE FIRE IN THE DEAD POETS
Tag: Top 100 pubs
“Excuse him, he’s from The North”. SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE CROSS KEYS, HARPENDEN
April 2024. Harpenden. Unless Borehamwood has come up in the world since my last visit (2001) I can safely say Harpenden is the poshest town in Hertfordshire. And that’s despite a less than glamorous underpass at the station. The number of bistros and Thai restaurants is a good indicator of prosperity, and although the pubs… Continue reading “Excuse him, he’s from The North”. SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE CROSS KEYS, HARPENDEN
TOP 100 PUBS – THE LITTLE MAN, WETTENHALL
`March 2024. Wettenhall. Winsford. A second successive new GBG entry in a remote Cheshire village that I’d never heard of, and acquiring this new knowledge is what makes following the Guide the nation’s Number 1 social activity. Between the salt towns of Winsford and the rambling railway station of Crewe, Wettenhall (looks like Cholmondeston to… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE LITTLE MAN, WETTENHALL
TOP 100 PUBS – THE BRUNSWICK, DERBY
March 2024. Derby. On the homeward leg from the Black Country now, three great heritage pubs and some even better company, and I had the free entertainment of a zealous inspector telling two bemused girls they shouldn’t be using the Transport for Wales. “It might only be 5 or 10p difference but rules are rules;… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BRUNSWICK, DERBY
MA PARDOE’S
March 2024. Old Swan. Netherton. Dudley. (Part 2 of 2) I’d gate-crashed (if you can gate-crash something you’re invited to) The Two Pauls Black Country Crawl in Netherton, fearlessly taking on the torture of two hours on the top deck of Dudley buses. Convinced I’d beaten them into the Old Swan (aka Ma Pardoe’s) I’d… Continue reading MA PARDOE’S
TOP 100 PUBS – THE TEMPLAR, LEEDS
February 2024. Leeds. Part 4 of Four Do Leeds. Reader, I took a bus from Dave’s to the centre of Leeds. It wasn’t too bad, and the short work takes you past a reminder of Leeds twin city, the endless cranes, and the Victorian arcades, some of them more convincing than others. The Templar was,… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE TEMPLAR, LEEDS
TOP 100 PUBS – THE MITRE, BUCKINGHAM
January 2024. Buckingham. 18:41 on a Saturday night, which sounds like The Cure but they were writing about Crawley, not Buckingham. The only vaguely edgy pub conversation was a barmaid in the Grand Junction telling of her dating disasters; “There were only 3 things stopping us getting married. He moved to Scotland, got engaged to… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE MITRE, BUCKINGHAM
TOP 100 PUBS – THE SHIP INN, HULL
December 2023. Hull. It was Simon who alerted me to the presence of a new and must-visit pub in Hull earlier this year, and although I generally resist “pre-emptive tick tips” I’d spent £28.30, a weeks supply’s worth of Bombay mix, on the train and so I reckoned I ought to cross Sculcoates Bridge to… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE SHIP INN, HULL
“I mean, if you’re there, you can’t NOT go in the Harrogate Tap, can you ?”
November 2023. Harrogate. Thursday night, back in Sheff from my parents, and straight out after doing the laundry to Leeds for the Julie Byrne gig, Except, having got to Leeds I thought I’d head straight on up to Harrogate and get the Oatlands Club ticked. A couple of cheap advance tickets would see me in… Continue reading “I mean, if you’re there, you can’t NOT go in the Harrogate Tap, can you ?”
TOP 100 PUBS – BRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
October 2023. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We crossed the High Level Bridge from the Microbus into the Toon, the opposite journey to the one we’d managed with my in-laws in June, a stark reminder of how far octogenarians can manage when there’s beer and cake at the end of a long walk. Even better views today, but I… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – BRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
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