Real Ale, Real Music

Another trip away in the cause of football, this time a trip to deepest Surrey which did at least enable us to make a visit to a frequent CAMRA Pub of the Year award winner and one or two other decent pubs. If only the football could have delivered the goods.... The Thameslink train pulled into Carshalton railway station about an hour after leaving St Pancras, dropping us off before continuing on its journey to Brighton. Ah, it's just a commuter town, I'd thought. Indeed it is, being home of many of those, but other claims to fame include the fact that several of the members of Mud, including singer Les Gray, were born here, whilst former Prime Minister John Major and singer Cliff Richard also have local links. With a historic village centre complete with a couple of ponds, Carshalton is also home to the Institute of Refrigeration as well as several good pubs, two of which we managed to call in on a flying visit before going to see FC Halifax Town take on Sutton United a couple...

Welcome to the second part of my recent visit to the Lake District, in which I call in a few familiar haunts in the village of Coniston, plus one or two places that I'd not been to for a number of years.... I resumed my journey on the A590, turning off at the roundabout where it meets the A5092 at Greenodd. This hillside village is a former port and shipbuilding centre which in its heyday in the late 18th and early 19th century exported copper, limestone, and gunpowder, whilst sugar, cotton, and coal were amongst the imports. In more recent times the now-closed Greenodd Brewery was based in the former Ship Inn in the village; they produced a large range of beers and on my one and only visit there a few years ago I had a rather excellent Sunday lunch in what was a pleasant and friendly local. Pubs that remain open in the area, which I came to know when I used to stay at a mate's static at a caravan site nearby, include the White Hart at Bouth, which I called in on my last visit ...

A first visit to the Lake District for a while and in amongst returning to some old favourite pubs and re-visiting a couple of places I'd not been in for years, I managed to check out a couple of Good Beer Guide-listed entries that were new to me. Here's my thoughts on those.... I try to visit the Lakes every year as it is a place that is close to my heart, having had many happy times there over the years walking on the fells with friends and, particularly more recently, on numerous less active visits. But when I checked back to see when I had last been there it was over two years ago, so I was well overdue a visit, particularly as on that trip in September 2023 it had rained more or less non-stop. I drove up on a showery Saturday morning ( which I thought after last time didn't bode well! ) having decided to call at the two new places on the way to Coniston, where I normally stay, and get them out of the way. I'd left mid-morning and made good progress as I headed up t...

Here I delve into the world of pub names which throws up a fascinating insight into our history, culture, folklore, local features, industrial heritage, agriculture, and many other weird and wonderful things. Here's a few of the things I've discovered along the way.... I have often wondered how pubs got their names, particularly the unusual ones that I've come across up and down the country. Some of these date back for centuries from a time when most of the customers were illiterate so a sign depicting a familiar object, a coat of arms, the monarch, or something relating to a trade or activity would be used rather than a written sign. Add into this local names and legends and the pub names of the country started to build up. And whilst no doubt some of the names that have appeared over the years have simply being a case of opting for something familiar rather than for any other particular reason, the names of pubs can provide a fascinating insight into the history of the co...

Another venture into new blogging territory, this time to the South West of England, or Plymouth and Truro to be more precise. And once again it was football that led us to visit this part of the world, providing an event around which to base a weekend away. Here's what happened.... Before this season's National League fixtures were due to be released in July, one of the most eagerly-awaited fixtures, well by me anyway, was Truro City away. In a tight finish in last season's National League South, the Tinners had emerged as Champions on the final day of the season, which meant the Cornish side would become the first-ever side from the county to reach the National League. And as I had never been to Cornwall in my life, I was hoping the fixture list would afford me opportunity to both visit the county and tick off another new ground. The fixtures duly came out: Truro City v FC Halifax Town, Saturday October 18th. A pretty good date; the summer holiday season gone so theoretic...