May 2026. Loftus. North Yorkshire. On the last day of Sunday I decided it could wait no longer. Ibo’s Bunker must be ticked before June. For a third time this year I took the campervan to the mining villages of the north coast, parked up overnight across from Loftus Police Station, and hoped. And there it was, right...

May 2025. North Yorkshire. There’s been a lot of Yorkshire on this blog this year. I won’t apologise; Yorkshiremen never apologise (I assume, having listeded to Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special all those years). Am I a Yorkshireman yet ? This year’s “pub just outside Northallerton” is one of those that will...

May 2026. Sheffield. While I was in zen mode back in 2022, focused only on completing the Beer Guide before family disaster/pandemic/ash cloud struck again, I’d have got irritated with anyone wanting to pop over to Sheffield to spend a Saturday revisiting good pubs. But now I’m delighted to entertain visitors, as...

May 2026. Kirkstall. Leeds. We’d managed 2 1/4 miles from the start of our Cask Camino before we called it a day due to holes in Mrs RM’s shoes (Neil not Traffic version), but in fairness we clocked up a few steps that day; 972.9 calories is a couple of pints and a pork pie, which we sought out at the closest pub....

May 2026. Leeds. Well, you have to start somewhere, don’t you ? Our Cask Camino started on the footpath of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, where a protective Mother Duck had just attacked a cyclist. It would have been understandable if Mrs RM had turned round a minute into the Camino*, but she’s made of sterner stuff...

May 2026. Leeds. Just as we get back from Transylvania, Blackpool Jane rejoins the blogosphere with her own tales from the Balkans (here). Mrs RM is in full flow on her own blog, earning commission from the sale of bags that will fit in Ryanair’s hand luggage sizer. Most of her posts are “Undiscovered Europe on a...

May 2026. Congleton. I’d walked east from Congleton station, along the canal, west along the disused railway line, and now after Bass in the Throstle’s Nest it was a walk past the cemetery into town. I must stop reading gravestones; to have all three children predecease you is unimaginable. Congleton is a quaint...

May 2026. Congleton. A first visit to Congleton in, ooh, four years. That was for a short-lived Brewhouse Tap north of town, and so is the Guide newbie. Excitingly, the Beer Guide describes an exciting “alternative” route to the Throstle’s Nest. Well, that sounds fun, and two miles takes me to opening time at 2....

May 2025. Stockport. All journeys lead to Stockport, or at least involve a change from Platform 1 to 3. As you’ll know, the timetables for Cross Country and Northern Rail are curated so that a fit #PubMan can fit in a pint before the next train to Congleton for an ultra-rare GBG tick. I arrive at 12:26, am forced to...

Samuel Pepys wouldn’t have skipped writing up visits to the local Wetherspoons for a burger and beer, so why should I ? Spoons remains divisive. I still read a fair few comments on Blue Moon that insist the beer is cheap because it’s nearly out-of-date, always swiftly debunked nowadays. In truth, JDW’s cask is in a...

May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. There’s a lot more to Elsecar than an industrial heritage site, a chippy and a classic pub. “The village now attracts over 500,000 visitors each year, to its heritage centre, historic sites and award-winning park.[according to whom?] ” notes Wikipedia, which at the end seems to express...

May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. An aimless lunchtime in rural Barnsley, but now with a tummy full of fish, chips and curry sauce; what to do ? Elsecar is a pretty village, exemplified by the Long Row of late 18th century* miners cottages commissioned by the Earls Fitzwilliam, whose name dominates the area. 20 years ago...