You may struggle to believe this, but Huntingdonshire, not least among the historic counties of England, has had more Wetherspoon openings in the last 3 years than micropubs. Read into that what you like. Following hot on the heels of the county town, St Ives (not that one) got its Spoons today. A Tuesday opening gives… Continue reading CROMWELL FINALLY GETS HIS SPOONS IN ST. IVES
Tag: Wetherspoons
CLEETHORPES – A THRILLER (PART 1)
I’d been waiting a long time for a reason to return to Cleethorpes, a town I’d never been to when the sun came out. In sympathy to local sensibilities, I’m going to try to refrain from mentioning G*****y in this post; it’s bad enough to have your town marketed under a “Greater Grimsby” banner by… Continue reading CLEETHORPES – A THRILLER (PART 1)
TAKE THE FIRST TRAIN TO ASHFORD
My post-box is full of letters from readers asking why I never visit Ashford. The truth is that there hasn’t been a new Beer Guide pub there since The Reformation*. The answer people really expect is that Ashford is matched only by Maidenhead for its ability to create a void in the soul. At one stage they… Continue reading TAKE THE FIRST TRAIN TO ASHFORD
THE ROYSTON WETHERSPOONS RIOTS
I’ve quite a lot of travels to write up at the moment; I might have to sub-contract it out to Simon as he’s clearly got more blogging stamina than me. But I’ve put posts on Dronfield, Leek, Oswestry and Folkestone on the back-burner to bring you a report on a riotous lunchtime in Royston. Let Mrs RM be my… Continue reading THE ROYSTON WETHERSPOONS RIOTS
MERRY HILL – APTLY NAMED
What greater joy can there be on a Spring day in England than traipsing round an out-of-town shopping centre in Dudley looking for a Wetherspoons. Several, I’d say. I can safely vouch that Merry Hill is a joy best left to people who need things, or like arguing with their wife over meeting places. Which tends… Continue reading MERRY HILL – APTLY NAMED
WELSH SPOONS
No trip to Wales is complete without a Sunday morning spent watching old boyos downing pints of lager. It’s easy to forget that this simple pleasure was denied to them before Wetherspoons crossed the Severn in the ’90s (and that’s before we get into the issue of Sunday licensing). My correspondent on minor sports tells… Continue reading WELSH SPOONS
TOUGH CHOICES IN REPTON AND SWADLINCOTE
No new Beer Guide pubs in Burton this year, which means no trips to the spiritual home of Bass, run brilliantly by Joules. I’ll find an excuse. Some rare new ticks in the east though, and some good walking on the edge of the National Forest. The Forest is coming along nicely two decades in,… Continue reading TOUGH CHOICES IN REPTON AND SWADLINCOTE
USING UP THE SPOONS VOUCHERS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Mrs RM put the Christmas tree up on 30 November. You can imagine how thrilled I am about that, but I put the figures into my “Quiet Life Model” and it told me to live with it. At least she didn’t ask me to help. I haven’t bought a present for 25 years, and that… Continue reading USING UP THE SPOONS VOUCHERS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
STEPPIN’ OUT IN PORTSMOUTH
There’s no shortage of obvious headlines for a trip to Pompey in November; half an hour spent in Fratton’s Spoons provided no end of witticisms, most unrepeatable. Always safest to use the tried-and-tested Joe Jackson one. Wetherspoons seem to fall into two camps now. OAP and family dining (e.g. St Neots), and male dominated cheap… Continue reading STEPPIN’ OUT IN PORTSMOUTH
HALF-PINTS IN CHICHESTER
I’ve been in Fratton for the annual big Pompey GBG tick-off, and took the rattling train to Chichester to say hello to one of our correspondents. John has interesting tales to tell, having been a founder member of Depeche Mode in their formative pub-rock days in Basildon in the late ’70s*. His knowledge of Newark and… Continue reading HALF-PINTS IN CHICHESTER
retiredmartin 