78 miles west of Belfast’s heaving fleshpots and multiple murals lies the quiet village of Lisbellaw, 5 miles outside Enniskillen in County Fermanagh’s Lake District. Go West On the main street at the Dog and Duck a treat for beer lovers awaits – the most westerly sightings of hard to find Irish cask beers. The…… Continue reading Go West for Cask Beer in County Fermanagh
Waterfoot: Where the Beer is Serious
How can you measure the importance of a pub to its local community? If clubs and groups use the space? Footfall? Online reviews? More tangibly, then, when a pub closes and funds are raised to turn it into an Asset of Community Value? Regulars at the Whitewell at Waterfoot, Lancashire have shown their commitment in…… Continue reading Waterfoot: Where the Beer is Serious
An Hour in Ardgour
Surely the best way to get to a Good Beer Guide pub is by ferry and, on a sharply crisp Autumn day, this little chap did the job. Ardgour clings to the western edge of Loch Linnhe. Legend has it that Loch Linnhe contains a child-eating water-horse monster but it lacks the high profile PR…… Continue reading An Hour in Ardgour
Life is Complete – Greggs have a Pub
It’s true. Greggs have opened a pub, the Golden Flake, in Newcastle. Why not call it the Golden (Steak) Bake I hear you cry, but they save that for the menu. Located on the first floor of Fenwick’s Department Store (are such shops still called that?) it’s in a permanent space and will be there…… Continue reading Life is Complete – Greggs have a Pub
How to Visit Half of the World’s Enclaves in a Day
An enclave is land belonging to one nation state that is wholly surrounded by another nation state. As borders are often arbitrary and contested – as we humans continue to demonstrate in appalling ways – enclaves can be fraught places. But the 30 enclaves across the Belgium and Netherlands border enjoy a peaceful co-existence. If…… Continue reading How to Visit Half of the World’s Enclaves in a Day
Born to Rønne
Rønne is the point of arrival on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Known as Denmark’s sunshine isle, it has direct ferry connections from Germany, Sweden, Denmark and formerly Poland. 40,000 people live here permanently, numbers much swollen by summer visitors. It was briefly in Swedish hands and, in more recent history, saw…… Continue reading Born to Rønne
Go Ahead Deventer
To the Netherlands. What do we know about Deventer? Well it’s home to Europe’s largest book fair and a Dickens festival every December, both of which attract far more visitors than the 100,000 residents. Plus it’s the home city of current Dutch Cup winners, Go Ahead Eagles. Wiki doesn’t remotely do it justice, listing the…… Continue reading Go Ahead Deventer
A Ramble round Amble
A week in Northumberland started out at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery Festival. It was my daughter’s idea to go (honestly) and some interesting, high quality beers were enjoyed in a bucolic setting. It was held in a converted barn, now also used as a wedding venue, complete with cattle trough. Ten breweries had stands,…… Continue reading A Ramble round Amble
Z is for Zagreb
Even its best friend might not describe Zagreb as one of Europe’s grandest cities. It’s home to around 25% of Croatia’s 4 million inhabitants and has its charms, not least the Museum of Broken Relationships. Wiki The museum consists of objects representing personal stories of past relationships. It has toured in 35 countries, appearing in…… Continue reading Z is for Zagreb
Lucerne – Where to find Cask Beer in a Bank
A night in Lucerne, a place never before visited, and it’s as gorgeous as its reputation. The Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) is Europe’s oldest covered wooden bridge and the world’s oldest Truss bridge. Built in the C14th and decorated with C17th paintings, disaster struck in 1993 when much of it was destroyed by a fire. Many…… Continue reading Lucerne – Where to find Cask Beer in a Bank
London’s Burdening
London has a fantastic transport system that any other city in the UK would die for but last weekend it went into meltdown, coinciding with a demanding pub ticking mission. My 48 hour target was the 17 new Good Beer Guide entries, widely spread from Enfield to Beckenham. As it turned out this was roughly…… Continue reading London’s Burdening
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