TALES FROM THE WILLOW BANK July 2025. Smithdown Road. Liverpool. The train from Liverpool’s mysterious Wavertree Technology Park left in 24 minutes. Google Maps said it was 28 minutes walk from the Black Cat to the sta…

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Oh great effort 😃

We are ALL Blackpool Jane, Rich.

ALMOST PENNY LANE. THE BLACK CAT July 2025. Smithdown. Liverpool. I’ll confess the geography of south Liverpool confuses me, and the folk at local CAMRA who stick the pubs under ever changing geographical labels. What I do k…

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A TOTTER ROUND HERITAGE TOXTETH July 2025. Toxteth. Liverpool. It might be thought a bit careless to visit Liverpool just for a couple of pubs near the station and fail to see the things that great city is famous for. You know, t…

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Staying central near Craven Arms. Only 9 minutes on train to NEC. Would rather be doing Brum craft bars but feel obliged to investigate...

NO SANCTUARY FROM SALOPIAN SOURS July 2025. Liverpool. My second Liverpool newbie was literally across the road from the Vines. Looking the Brewery Tap on the map, I already knew I’d been here before six years ago*, when Sta…

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£6 tomorrow for a beer glass and, er, a Status Quo tribute.

I'll be there (and I'm not a fest fan). Birmingham is great.

SCANADALOUSLY, MY FIRST TIME IN LIVERPOOL’S VINES July 2025. Liverpool. Thursday night brought a gig at Manchester’s New Century Hall, and I really didn’t fancy any GBG ticking before hand after that Stannington Stagger. As Simon will …

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A BREWDOG CASK HUNT IN ABERDEEN Reader “US” Dave has threatened to cancel his sub to this blog if I keep writing about craft beer, and that might endanger the $3.50 p.a. I get to plug American cheese on these pages, s…

Hard to imagine now, but Brew Dog once ran fantastic, busy, pubs with good food and beer.

This post came from when Mrs RM was working at Aberdeen University and I they'd just relaunched cask.

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Can't beat a murky pint of Fierce in the sun !

STANNINGTON AT A STANDSTILL July 2025. Stannington. Sheffield. Right, let’s finish the Sheffield suburb of Stannington so I never have to go there again. Actually, it’s a pleasant little place, proper church, edge…

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MINNIE’S July 2025. Stannington. Sheffield. Bit of clickbait there. “Minnies” sounds like one of those West Welsh parlour pubs serving Felinfoel from a dragon’s horn, doesn’t it ? Sa…

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STANNINGTON BRASS July 2025. Stannington. Sheffield. Back from Newcastle, GBG ticks in the bag, I then added an NCTSS 4 with a “cheeky” crispy beef and Singapore rice from China Dragon outside Darlington…

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Oh, and Blue Mugge. Mustn't forget the Blue Mugge.

You won't find me arguing with that view, Will !

Great to see you recognise the joys of the Coachmakers, Coopers and the Anchor, 3 of mine and Stafford Paul Mudge's favourites.

Well spotted Rich ! Not the first decent beer early in a week, either. Cask has held up better this summer than you'd think.

TOP 100 PUBS – THE BODEGA, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE July 2025. Newcastle upon Tyne. Having sprinted back to Chillingham Road Metro after finishing Tyne & Wear to ensure I’d be back for that 21:15 train with 44 seconds to spare, I find LNER…

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ELDER (AND WISER). TYNE & WEAR COMPLETE July 2025. Newcastle upon Tyne. 17:38 train from Darlo 18:1015 arrive in Newcastle (late) Dash to Metro at Monument tram towards Heaton delayed 18:30 catch tram to Boldon Dash to cricket club, drin…

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The English county with the best pubs, according to our expert In Staffordshire, a place with a resolutely working-class culture, the price of a pint remains within most customers’ grasp

Which of England's counties has the best pubs? I have taken it upon myself to decide, and written it up as my latest '500 Best Pubs in England' story. 🧐https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/staffordshire/english-county-with-the-best-pubs/

MY MAXIM  – SPORTS CLUBS IN THE GBG ARE INCREDIBLY DULL BUT THE BEER IS ALWAYS GOOD July 2025. East Boldon. No sooner do I tell you my ambitious plans for August than family drama strikes, for the 36th consecutive month, and I’ve just spent all afternoon in a Kent A & E …

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VE-VE-VESUVIO July 2025. Darlington. I’m about to analyse my whereabouts in July, and it may horrify Kentish Paul to learn I spent as many nights in a Co-op car park in Darlington as I did at home in Sheff…

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11:15 ON A SATURDAY NIGHT July 2025. Waterbeach. Being all heart, I’d offered to pick Mrs RM up on her return from Nantes that Saturday evening. Being French and all, that flight decided not to arrive at Stansted till…

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PUB DESERTS AROUND BELTON July 2025. Belton, Grantham. It’s our decennial National Trust membership year as I get to feel we’re getting value for our £139.20 by visiting every stately home and deer park in Engla…

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"We need Public Houses more than ever, in our increasingly atomised and oppositional society. "👍

Royal Oak, Northumberland Heath The Royal Oak is massive. It’s local, and that’s important, but the first thing to mention is it’s massive. There are three bars in an age where even two bars is a rarity – The Poolroom Bar, …

I've written something about the Royal Oak, Northumberland Heath - a proper pub that has been refurbished in both a practical and philosophical sense.
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JULY ’25 STOCKTAKE + AUGUST PREVIEW Your contractually obligated July highlights package is a bit of a fraud. Look at this travel map, my busiest month since I completed the Guide in September 2022 (pretty much when parents health st…

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FRENCH CRISPS AND SUSSEX IMPY STOUT July 2025. Sheffield. You’ll remember (you won’t) that Mrs RM had cruelly abandoned me in Sheffield to swan off to Nantes, to tick mechanical elephant and drink Oompa Loompa stout in cr…

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“What’s new and exciting in Sheffield, then ?” July 2025. Sheffield. The three (3) questions I’m most likely to hear these days are 1) When are you going to sort out that garden ?, 2) Are you sure you’re at the right gig, old fella …

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Looks like Munich, so I'll guess it's Middlesbrough.😀