Wednesday 6 September 2017

06/09/17 - Accidental GBG Ticking in Guernsey

Distance - 2 Miles
Geocaches - 4
Pubs - The Rockmount, Cobo and the Albion House, St Peter Port

I always knew that Geocaching can provide entertainment in any part of the world we happen to find ourselves in.

Seems that Ticking the CAMRA Good Beer Guide Pubs provides similar joy.

Even in Guernsey.

This blog needs to be filed under fortuitous.  We had no idea that the day would involve a visit to Cobo.

Guernsey is port call 2/7 on our British Isles discovery tour.  It was also the only place where we thought we would wing it and have no concrete plans.  We had heard a nice walk could be had by heading along the coast from St Peter Port Dock to Fermain Bay.

And it was.  Well signposted and the usual Geocaching adventures.

Path to Fermain Bay
Strangely, no OS Map Coverage in the Channel Islands.
Guernsey Coastal Path
The Guernsey Coast
Geocaching
Geocaching - with our Floating Hotel in the distance
At Fermain Bay Cafe
Arriving at Fermain Bay

The cafe proved popular with our other cruisers, with a recognised traveler taking photos of her Chocolate Cake and Stella Artois.   She must also have a blog.

Having rested with nothing stronger than tea, we had a choice.  We could have carried on walking but we had heard rumours of the mythical Bus 92.  This chariot of fire circles the entire coastline and charges a flat fee of £1.

Mrs M thought it would be a good way to see the Island.  I simply cannot resist a bargain.

So we borrowed the cafe's timetable and headed up to Fermain Road, more in hope than expectation that it would arrive at its allotted time of 12:08.

GOOD NEWS! It's bang on time.  BAD NEWS!  It's packed to the rafters with bargain hunting cruisers.

Strap hanging didn't provide much opportunity to see the sights, so after 40 minutes of being glared at by two locals trying to use public transport for its intended reason, we decided to bale at the next likely looking location.

This was windswept Cobo Bay.

Cobo
Nicer in the Sunshine
Too cold to hang around, so we look for the nearest boozer.   There is one, the Rockmount.  It has a smart restaurant and a Tap Room around the back.  Once home, I checked the bible and yep, I'm now sniffing out GBG Pubs with no prior research.

Although I can't really remember the beer (a hoptastic brew called Barefoot Something), I do remember two other things.

1) The best Fishfinger Sandwich known to man.

2) The staff are entirely decked out in Superdry gear.  A query as to the reason is met with "we are sponsored by them".  My best mate is the Photo Studio Manager for Superdry, so we text to ask if they have branched out into sponsoring Good Beer Guide entries closest to France.  They haven't.  He is consulting his legal team.

Rockmount Hotel, Cobo
The Unknown Barefoot Something Ale
The less busy 42 Bus whisks us more directly back into St Peters Port.  A couple more caches to be found in the town and worryingly, a blazer is purchased from M&S.   Two days, and we have already been on this cruise too long.

A final Guernsey Pint in the Albion House Inn, simply because I support West Brom.  Have I struck lucky twice in a day?

Not quite, but it has a story.

The closest British Pub to a Church, courtesy of a overhanging gargoyle.

Albion House
Home from Home for a Baggie
By a Gargoyles Nose
Closest Pub to a Church - by a Gargoyle's Nose

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