When the Sixpenny Handley brewery decided to expand it moved from one Dorset farm to another. Locals didn’t want to lose what passed for the pub (even though it only opened seven hours a week). So they arranged for the brewery to supply to a Sports Pavilion just outside the village. It’s up the hill…… Continue reading Held Hostage in Dorset (nearly)
A Double Dose of The Trembling Madness
The final morning of this year’s North Sea Cycle (and Beer) Route took us from Bridlington to Hull via Hornsea, before getting a train home via York. Hornsea was an essential stop as it had a new Good Beer Guide entry, The Marine, a large Greene King house (are they trying to occupy the whole…… Continue reading A Double Dose of The Trembling Madness
Karaoke and Dachshunds in Whitby
My friend Keith and I are in the process of the slowest ever completion of the 5,942 kilometre (3,692 mile) North Sea Cycle Route. Each year we take a few days to do sections of the route. We are now in our 15th year, having ridden from Dunkirk to Bergen, then through Shetland, Orkney and…… Continue reading Karaoke and Dachshunds in Whitby
And So To Brid
The Cinder Track is a 21 mile old railway line that runs from Whitby to Scarborough. That’s where it took us at any rate. The exceptionally rough surface, our post-Whitby karaoke recovery period and a cake stop in Ravenscar meant it took three hours. The weather was kind and Scarborough glinted cheekily in the sun.…… Continue reading And So To Brid
Paisley in Cork
A trip to County Cork: a gig at Clonakilty International Guitar Festival; a couple of brewery taps in Cork; the farthest flung Wetherspoons; and football at Cobh Ramblers. Who wouldn’t? Doug Paisley, a Canadian singer songwriter, played in Fahey’s, watched over by swallows enjoying the heated, covered outdoor area before the long trip south. We…… Continue reading Paisley in Cork
Letter from Sarajevo
It may not be entirely wise to write a light-hearted pub-led blog from Sarajevo given the risk of plunging ignorantly into the turbulent history and complex geopolitics of the region. After all Bosnia-Herzegovina is a country with 3 Presidents and 12 Prime Ministers, election campaigns for which were in full swing during our visit. Sarajevo…… Continue reading Letter from Sarajevo
2019 Good Beer Guide: Time for a Rethink?
Welcome then, to the 2019 Good Beer Guide. Bearing a close resemblance to the cover of its 2017 sibling, and now aged 46, the Guide is not so much carrying middle-aged spread as entering full blown obesity. If it gets any bigger Ryanair won’t accept it as hand luggage. It runs to 1,048 pages. The…… Continue reading 2019 Good Beer Guide: Time for a Rethink?
