27/10/26 - Westminster

Corridors of Power

No map this time - The City of Westminster is about 6 km north to south and 5 km east to west. Today's walk concentrates on a thin strip along the river - from Westminster Bridge down to Vauxhall Bridge and no more than a couple of streets back.

As usual, the guidebook commentary runs to pages. The area is packed with history going back centuries and into recent times. 

My blog will concentrate on the items that tickled my interest.

First - obtain a GPS Signal - among the statues of Parliament Square, where I notice a glitch in the matix.

Waiting for the next civil disturbance 

Zooming in, shows it's haunted

The Jewel Tower is easy to miss but provides fascinating history;

The Jewel Tower, built in 1365–66 for Edward III, is one of the few surviving remnants of the medieval Palace of Westminster. Designed by master mason Henry Yevele, it originally stored royal valuables and stood beside the king’s private garden, protected by a moat. It survived the fire of 1834 that destroyed much of the old Palace of Westminster

Jewel Tower

I've never investigated Millbank before - a small public park leading to the river. Plenty of public artwork, including a pagoda to keep dope smoking workies out the rain. The Burgher's of Calais are the most impressive. Celebrating an episode of the Hundred Years' War, the sculpture was created by Auguste Rodin.

Flag waving, King of the North must be home

Tate Britain shielded by fencing as it is worked on and no photos of MI5, should I cause a security breach. A pretty view of Vauxhall Bridge emerges from the riverside.

A metropolis within a metropolis

Too early for pubs, but the Morpeth Arms has interest. Built for the warders of the nearby prison, it is rumoured to have tunnels direct to the Thames for the transfer of prisoners. Nice to think they got sent off to Australia with a final pint of cask before suffering a life of Castlemaine.

Not too shabby for lowly wardens

Onto the backstreets - where I can play the game of spotting who lived at a house with blue plaque. Plenty of options but the two most interesting (to me) lived around the corner from each other. 

Who lived in a (beautiful) house like this?

I'd live there for over 30 years too

And again?

A narcissist who demanding a whole area be named after him. See also, Scott of the Antartic

And finally (yes, I know I have largely ignored the obvious Abbeys and Palaces), a faded sign from WWII, just about visible at Number 8 Lord North Street.

Battle of Britain

Walk Details

Previous Hidden London Walks;

Mayfair, 

Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury,

Soho

Distance - 3.5 miles

Geocaches - 50

Walk Inspiration - London's Hidden Walks - Book 1 - Walk 4

24/10/26 - Coventry Good Beer Guide Ticking

Pubs of All Types

8 years since my last visit to the the town where the planners finished what the Luftwaffe started. A ring-road to replace the medieval walled city.

After this length of time - there have been changes. My favourite - The Town Wall Tavern - is no longer a going concern. Which is a crying shame. Several new entries and a bit of a smorgasbord of pub types.

Starting with the obvious - The Flying Standard - a Wetherspoons. 

Mock Tudor

Absolutely packed at 2:15pm on a Saturday afternoon, with the most obvious tribe of drinkers Fulham fans. They either do not realise how far the ground is out the centre or have faith in Uber. Not a single seat to be had downstairs, I try my luck with my less than £3 pint of Exmoor Red upstairs. A single stool and shelf (happily marked with a number for app ordering) on the way to the ladies loos found. Easy to get into a conversation but not recommended. You feel like you should be on a register. 

Hops D'amour is a converted shop micro pub. If I was forced to bet on what the shop was, I would say sowing machines. There has to be a reason for the huge singer signs and the tables fashioned out of ex-machines. 

Micro Ahoy

What always amazes me about this country of ours is that you can travel 40 miles and no-one will understand you. In the first of two "lost in translation" moments today, I ask for a serviette to wipe the rain from my navigation aiding mobile phone. The barman, who bore an amazing likeness to Paul Calf, had genuinely never heard the word before. Napkin didn't work either but tissue produced the required item.

The beer was excellent, doing what micros should, by offering the unusual and/or international.

Out of the City Centre and I am thankful to the Good Beer Guide for pointing out The Broomfield Tavern. I would never have found this back street gem on my own.

What's behind the red door?

My hat manages to set one of the resident dogs off, who provided a sustained verbal assault against my sartorial choices. Which was unexpected when the majority of other punters were dressed as Morris Dancers. Zoom in to the bar and you will see how their performance is paid for.

All lined up

Hat removed, Fido silenced, this place will be memorable for two things. Drinks-wise - and I may have missed it but I don't think I did - this has no keg fonts at all. The choice is glorious cask or a bewildering choice of boxed cider. I cannot say I have ever seen this before, but with bottled Madri in the fridge, I am sure my eyes were not deceiving me.

A gloriously unusual Top Rat was taken to the real fire. A plum place to sup, as two elderly gentlemen waited to jump in my grave when I buckled up to face the elements. A phrase that has never travelled to Coventry, in my second conversational confusion today. I had to repeat three times before he understand what I was trying to say.

I ummed and arred about the Hearsall Tavern - it's away from the railway station but taking inspiration from the other pub tickers sharing their Storm Austen travel woes on this grim day - I decide to plod on.

Doesn't convey the internal mayhem

I never knew Coventry had an Irish Quarter but it's not the only authentic Irish Pub in the area. Mid terrace and like the Flying Standard (but for different reasons) absolutely packed on a Saturday afternoon. Full of blokes enjoying the sport in the main room. 

A spot at the bar secured to admire their famous Guinness - best in Coventry according to the reviews.

The Bass - whilst you can still get it - not too shabby either.

Bar hanging

   

22/10/26 - A Bristol Ring - Stage 2

Nothing much in East Bristol

The great thing about following a planned walk - such as A Bristol Ring - is you have no idea what you might discover en route. The problem comes when the answer, is not very much.

This is an OK walk - avoiding the suburbs by following woodland trails through Crew's Hole, the Brislington Brook and across The Coots to end on the Wells Road at Hengrove.

There is a pretty stretch along and over the Avon and lots of climbing through woodland on the cusp of turning into a mud-bath. I am pleased to have completed before Storm Austen.

The Start of Stage 2 - in case you wondered how far Briftol is

Over the River Avon

Bricked up tree in Brislington Woods

I knew there was nothing on route thanks to a fine example of Internet enshitification. To help the thirsty traveller find good beer, CAMRA used to have a free app that displayed recommended pubs on a map. A couple of years ago, this was discontinued and replaced with a web page offering the same functionality. Now that web page requires an explorer pass for 99p a month.

Those failed beer festivals are not going to pay for themselves.

Of course, I have the book - so prior to the walk, I was forced to spend half an hour working out whether I would be passing through Bristol locales, such as Bedminster, Kingsland or Redland.

My post-walk refreshment had to wait until I got back to the City Centre, for a couple of new-to-me pubs near Temple Meads.

The King's Head is a gorgeous, ancient city centre boozer which the guide says has the second oldest Victorian back bar known to the beards. Someone who has read the book cover to cover may be able to tell me which pub has the oldest.

Everything's gone green

Honours - including the first Telegraph top 500 pub found through advertising

A superb beer collection. In honour of the death of Bass, I went for a brewed in the Burton Union Thornbridge Old Badequella. An Old Ale that could have only been improved by a couple of extra ABV percentage. 

This, along with the full range of Tayto crisps, means I am sure to go again.

An honour that I could also bestow to the Jimi Hendrix adorned Bridge. 

Unmissable

Zoom in for the cheapest snacks in the Western Hemisphere

The decor was old concert posters of better bands than were playing a touch too loudly in the bar. This isn't the Gryphon, you know. More excellent Thornbridge on cask.

A pleasant day - until you are awakened by a very loud GWR guard to give you the bad news that the train you have been on for the last 50 minutes is cancelled.

Delay / Repay meaning that Stage 3 could be free. 

Walk Details

Distance - 5.5 miles

Geocaches - 5

Previous "A Bristol Way" Walks;

Stage 1

21/09/26 - On the Trail of...... Peter Collins

The End of the Programme

The final instalment of Travels with Pevsner sees Jonathan Meades in a melancholy mood. He starts to reminisce about his fallen heroes - first Duncan Edwards (Dudley used to be in Worcestershire) and then Peter Collins. 

Son of Kidderminster and previously unheard of.

Peter Collins (1931–1958) was a British motor-racing driver born in Mustow Green, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire. One of the leading drivers of the 1950s, he raced for Ferrari in Formula One, winning three World Championship Grands Prix, including the 1958 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He also competed at Le Mans and was admired for his talent and sportsmanship. His career was cut short on 3 August 1958 when he suffered fatal head injuries in a crash during the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, aged just 26.

Kidderminster's Sporting Hero

His burial location is no more than a couple of miles from where my son works. With nothing else to do, and in appalling weather, I head off to explore Stone Church. Alas, the hastily plotted walk meets with disaster - the only footpath curtailed mid-way along because of Taylor Wimpey building new houses. Yes, there was a sign. Yes, I ignored it, expecting the closure to be down to an easily overcome fallen bridge. Even when the farmer chased me to reiterate the bad news, I refused to believe that I couldn't get through. But no, Taylor Wimpey is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

Still, I achieved my aim. The grave hidden around the rear of a doors locked church.

Stone Church

Still remembered by Petrolheads

End of the line - End of the world weather

Reopens in 2029 - according to better signage at the opposite end

Can Jonathan Meades provide further walking inspirations? 

I've found on YouTube three episodes of Travels in Birmingham.

Walk Details

Distance - 6 miles

Geocaches - 0

Walk Inspiration - Travels with Pevsner, Worcestershire