Wookey: The Pint with a Hole (via Leicester)

Chatting approvingly about the beer in the Ring o’Bells, a man on a bar stool heard us and turned round to introduce himself. That’s how we met Denis, the landlord and Trevor the Schnauzer. Their pub – it’s obviously Trevor’s as much as his, in fact I’m pretty sure Trevor had his own bar stool……

Swalwell that ends well

This is Davie Cook, a local beer hero who owns the Sun in Swalwell then crosses the road to put in a shift at, appropriately enough, Owa’ the Road, his micropub. And as if life wasn’t tough enough he also supports Newcastle United. Swalwell is a small town near Gateshead. It once had a pit……

Hats off to the Faroe Islands

Words seem inadequate to describe the Faroe Islands, such is their grandeur. It is a land of waterfalls, waves, wind and rock. The light changes so frequently that the same view can look endlessly different. Places like Gasadalur (below) reveal themselves regally as the fog rolls away. 51,000 people live on 18 islands in the……

Rochdale, Whitworth Brass Band Club and Oswaldthistle

More from Lancashire following the general acceptance that Rawtenstall should become the new capital of England. As a prelude to Whitworth and Oswaldtwistle we kicked off in the Medicine Tap, Rochdale, once the main post office, opposite the imposing Victorian town hall. It sells the full range of Mighty Medicine beers, brewed “for the discerning……

Rawtenstall, the Hackney of the North

Rawtenstall huddles into Lancashire’s best bits. It’s one of several solid former mill towns that seem to be increasingly attractive to the Manchester diaspora. How else to explain two micropubs, a station bar, a brewery tap, a temperance bar and, wait for it, a nano pub, all doing a brisk trade on a dreich Sunday……

Where am I?

It’s not Paisley, where pink horse drawn carriages are few and far between. The horse’s head has been partially cropped to preserve anonymity. Yes it’s Blackpool where you can still get a week’s half board for £70, and probably less. No reflection on the pubs here but us tickers groan when a new Good Beer……

In search of £1m in Newton Stewart

Newton Stewart is a town of 4,000 people in Galloway and yes it still has a functioning cinema. The choice may be a bit limited but at least you could have gone every night for a fortnight. Pleasingly the shops go heavy on wordplay. not a micro Crafty Sew n Sew ok but Computers lets……