I completed the current year’s Beer Guide entries in Wednesbury, possibly the least-well known of the Black Country towns, though with the same beautiful accent to the fore. This is the evidence of completion. Note that Simon Everitt uses yellow Stabilo Boss markers, which is just as well as I bought up the global stock of… Continue reading WEDNESBURY – GREAT SCRATCHINGS
Tag: Wetherspoons
DOWN TO THE WYRE – POSH BLACKPOOL
I always love my trips to Blackpool, particularly when it enjoys what looked suspiciously like sunshine. A great day to appreciate the local culture. Two of my new Guide pubs are as far from this side of Blackpool as it gets. Poulton le Fylde is a small market town that seems able to rely on Blackpool for all its… Continue reading DOWN TO THE WYRE – POSH BLACKPOOL
GOOLE – AN APPRECIATION
I had no reason to break my train journey in Goole today but I did. Mrs RM may very well have turned down the opportunity. In the ’90s I made her stop there, en route back from Hull and Driffield, more times than is strictly necessary, in the pursuit of the mysteries of Goole Fields. It looked… Continue reading GOOLE – AN APPRECIATION
OTTER VALLEY
I’m travelling down to visit my sister in Falmouth, where I hope (as a by-product) to make more progress in completing Cornwall’s Beer Guide contingent. My half way stop is Honiton, another Devon town I don’t know well. The approach through the Blackdown Hills is beautiful, though the town itself doesn’t give any great vantage points… Continue reading OTTER VALLEY
CHICHESTER – PROS & CONS
My trip to the South Downs was in part prompted by Premier Inn, who rewarded my questionable brand loyalty with a free night in Chichester. Although this Inn is on the leisure park just off the A27, it’s actually only a 5 minute stroll into the centre, where the Chichester Cross presides over some impressive… Continue reading CHICHESTER – PROS & CONS
WISBECH & A FENLAND BEER DESERT
It’s snowdrop time, as you’ve probably noticed, and Dad wanted to buy some to plant. Wisbech in the Cambridgeshire fens is pretty much the centre of the horticultural world, famed for its splendidly old-fashioned plant auctions. The auction rooms were actually a real disappointment, but we had a great time exploring the majesty of the Fens. We took… Continue reading WISBECH & A FENLAND BEER DESERT
SPENNYMOOR – ART & CRAFT
The joy of travel is the unexpected beauty that pops up nearly everywhere. Peterlee in Durham springs to mind, a mainly charmless modern town with some of the best coastal walks anywhere. Spennymoor looked a bit more challenging, a mining town without the scenery further west, and without much in the way of interest based on a… Continue reading SPENNYMOOR – ART & CRAFT
KNARESBOROUGH – A MARVEL BY THE NIDD
My regular stops on the way to and from the North-East are Wetherby and Knaresborough. Wetherby has a poor Beer Guide record, but a great riverside park and chippie. Knaresborough is overshadowed by Harrogate and York, which is fair enough, but it deserves the budget accommodation it lacks to make it a really good overnight… Continue reading KNARESBOROUGH – A MARVEL BY THE NIDD
THANKS TIM
Thanks Wetherspoon – decent Birthday pints at Gatwick. Jaipur this morning (and Pride landside last night). Perhaps a few more Spoons airport pubs ought to be in the Beer Guide like they are in Scotland ?
CONSISTENCY IN COLCHESTER
Only one Essex pub to go in the 2016 Beer Guide, and Colchester is always worth a visit, though few potential tourists seem to agree. A bit like Essex in general, Colchester suffers a bit from being not quite as good as other historic towns like Chester or Lincoln. The coast to the south and east is… Continue reading CONSISTENCY IN COLCHESTER