WEDNESBURY – GREAT SCRATCHINGS

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

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

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

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